Tuesday, 20 October 2026

Saturday, 10 October 2026

Wake Up

Wake Up - Isabella Harding

This week I was given a book by a friend of my mums that she had written.  Its's entitled "Wake up". To summarise it's a book of her thoughts on the "awakening"  needed within the Catholic church to meet the needs of our times; climate crisis, cost of living crisis, rise of facism , dropping church attendance and role of women in the church.

I think I first heard the term "Awakening" applied to me when I  going through a journey of my own in the 90's. I was having some rather unusual experiences and I didn't think I had anyone I knew that could share them with ,who would understand or relate to them. I knew I wasn't completely alone due to a book I had read by Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea called "The Illuminatus" but aside from The KLF from whom I had learned about the illuminatus and Spiral Tribe I had no other references.

I remember having these thoughts to a soundtrack of Laurent Garnier's  "Wake up" , Felix da Housecat's "I have seen the light" and DJPC's "Insomniak"

My friend a graffiti artist named Snooze even did a exhibition entitled "wake up"



Eventually I confided in a friend whilst talking about the Illuminatus he said , you should really talk to some friends of mine. These friends turned out to be involced with a cult like organisation Thee Temple ov Psychik Youth . I went along to meet them. I told them what was happening and I remember Ray Eden saying "You're having an 'Awakening' ,you're waking up." In the terminology of Robert Anton Wilson I was going through "Chapel Perilous".

They encouraged me to think about my dreams, what I ate, whether I wanted to do martial arts and who and how I wanted to love.

Of course since then I read much on the subject of Spritual Awakening in both Eastern and Western traditions.

The concept was central  to "The Matrix" movie Neo literally "woke up".

In recent years the term "woke" has be co-opted by the right wing a insult against the "Loony left" and "libtards"  However when I first heard the term it appeared to be emerging from the Black community in relation to those with Socially concious and progressive views which I definately support.



Friday, 2 October 2026

Hexagram 23

 



As time passes it is normal for groups organisations to evolve , membership changes leaders retire, new leaders emerge, visions differ , sometimes schisms occur, how this process is managed can reduce the enevitable sadness, prevent misunderstandings/conflict and focus on the positives.

Recent developments in a group I belong to  have reminded me of events that occured approximately 20 years ago in a different group I belonged to and where the process nearly came to blows. Happily this time negotiations were far more professionally handled facilitating a much smoother transition.

I was a member of a martial arts group and the instructor, who had to go away for six months arranged for his friend to "caretake" his class. On his return the "friend" said something akin to "Things have changed, these are now my students and this is my work" and refused to hand back the class. The instructor wasted no time in gathering reinforcements and reminded his friend he would if necessary use force to take back the space. The prompt intervention as "mediator" of a third party respected by both the friend and the instructor avoided violence and the space was returned to the instructor.