Dee Jayne Walker.

I struggled to decide on a title for this: If someone suggests a better one, I might change it.

OK, I give up, I cannot resit the temptation to write a polemic on Spirit. Many of my regular readers will, by now, have realised I am an atheist. And something of an anti-theist. I am also interested in what we might term 'spirituality'. "Wait!" I hear you cry,  "Atheists don't believe in 'spirit', you can't be spiritual! It's against the rules." But is it? I wonder? And now to throw a real cat among the pigeons. The symbolism of 'gods and goddesses'. A quote from Terry Pratchett seems to sum this up nicely. "I ain't against gods and goddesses, in their place. But they've got to be the ones we make ourselves. Then we can take 'em to bits for parts when we don't need 'em any more, see?' Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies. Which seems to me quite one of the most profound statements I can imagine. When we see a boxer fight, we often say he or she fights with spirit. It seems legitimate to me...

There are 7 minutes and 38 seconds of my life I can now never recover. My wife on YouTube the other day saw this meal she really wanted for tea. And insisted, I watch this Video describing how it was made, so I would 'get it right' all 7 minutes and 38 seconds of it. At the opening of the video, within 30 seconds, the woman describing the, 'procedure', displayed the packet the meal came out of. To which I said to my darling wife, "If it comes out of a packet, the instructions will be on the side." "No, No." My wife says, "watch what she does with it." So, I watch, a very straightforward procedure. And later that day purchase the packet. With exactly the same instructions On the side. AAAaaarrrggg.

He sits, oozing malevolence. Attitude and self righteous indignity. To perceived slights and slurs, A bundle of spite and volatility. A Petty man, grown but still a child, Seeking import, through provocation, Importance, is others, fear of him, No responsibility in abdication. Living in worlds of illusion, Where none but he can see, The injustice heaped upon him, Reduced to invisibility. Yet still within his malice, I see that child reaching out, To be the light in someone's eye The first in another's thought. A mothers or a fathers duty, not given those many years past. A loss that can never be filled, A  chasm never to be crossed. And at the last, I look on him, Not with fear, Nor with hate, But with Pity.

The Moons of Rigel 6. A track from my 2003 Album Expansion modification. The video uses clips which are as far as I am aware copyright free. Unless someone got something wrong.

Possession is 9/10th's  of the Law.

I sit, And notice, Thought, Seeking only, To be still. Mind is persistent, Wanting to name to explain. to fill internal silence with unspoken words. I bid it to rest. And then, Feelings rise, Joy, Sorrow, Fury Peace And are joined By memory. Luring mind, Again into motion. And these too I bid be still. And visions, Then clamour To grasp attention, spectacular colours intricate patterns, Tempt attention Into wonder and bliss. Even gods Reveal Their faces Inviting mind To tumble Into motion again. I notice them And pass on. Mind reaches out On the pretext That all is consciousness. Serenity, contentment. more illusions Until all the veils are gone, I am just Attending, Conscious, Aware. Of stillness, Of the void, Of the emptiness, Of the Nothing, We create gods, To fill, and spirits, To defend Ourselves from. And yet It is harmless, No malice, No threat, No presence, Nothing, Some might say It empowers me, But ...

A stand alone version of artwork from part 3 and conclusion of the story Ariol and the dragon.  Read the story  Here.

Begin from part 1,  Here. Read part 2,  Here. The army had in fact, reached the village of Fustal, Headed by King Marek with his Son Tarac by his side. Prince Karal had been left in Orathim to organize the rest of the troops who were answering the Proclamation beacons. The plan, agreed in the small council, was for the army now in Fustal, to 'contain' the Dragon until the rest of the army had been assembled and provisioned. This second force would then join the rest of the army. Then it was planned to attack the dragon with overwhelming force. With the king and his eldest son were about 400 men, mostly armed either with weapons from the kingdoms armoury, or with their own swords shields and armour. Athnic had 50 men to organise and assemble his Trebuchet and the three working Ballistae. About 100 men were mounted, all the 'standing army' and the 'Knights': lords of manors in the kingdom, and some 40 or so men of the kingdom who were wealthy enough to...

A stand alone version of artwork from Ariol and the Dragon Part 2. Read the story,  Here.

 Read Part 1  Here. Thanric started organizing the troop, Saying “private Beclan, you and Dorivic stay here, watch the dragon, you set off with news at nightfall and exchange with another rider, same in the morning always one man watching the Dragon at all times.” He paused and looked around at the body of the dead horse and the retreating back of the Dragon. “You!” He said to one poor unfortunate. “Clean up that mess.” He said. “What me sarge?” said the soldier. “It wasn’t a question, it was an order, do your job dimwit.” Thanric snapped, and the private scuttled off, without the first idea what to do about the poor animals’ corpse.  Derwyn and Alwyn peered out from behind their cart of coal. "Now we’re in a pickle," said Alwyn. "No doubt about that." said Derwyn. "Why did she kill the horse?" he added. "I think that was a kin-d-ness, said Alwyn, “its leg was clearly broken, there's no way back from that for a horse." ...