16:45 - 03/06/17
State of mind: happiness; nostalgia.

Thoughts: from memories - of summer cycling, cruising through the half-mile stretch of tunnel along the local cycle path.

Questions: None.

Sonnet - 9 -
11:00 - 29/04/17

This is a revision of a previous sonnet. It's metaphorical and explore's why some people choose to do difficult things in life, despite having easier options.

Know something inside out. Think outside the box.

23:30 - 29/04/17

16:15 - 15/03/18
State of mind: patient; waiting; worried.
Perspective: personal.

Thoughts: none.

Questions: none.

27/12/15

13:30 - 12/06/17
State of mind: calm; serene; peaceful.

Thoughts: from experience - of being in an alcove of a secret garden, lost in the maze of my mind.

Questions: none.

Edited: 10:20 - 13/06/17
Original Post:
Near the alcoves of      a secret garden
you'll find me lost in      the maze of my mind.

Edited: 10:20 - 28/10/17
Original dyad reinstated.
Edited version:
You'll find me in the     alcoves, the cradle
of secret gardens,      lost in my minds maze.

(A coincidence I noticed afterwards, that the time of both edits is exactly the same.)

Sonnet - 4 - 29/10/15

There is an improved version of this sonnet above called Helm Wind. This one doesn't seem to make as much sense but I won't delete it.

I think some of the lines here are a bit underdeveloped. At least they show my early struggle's with making sense within the difficult confines of iambic pentameter.

21:30 - 16/05/17
State of mind: rested; pensive; reflective.

Thoughts: from dreams - I sometimes have strange dreams that involve someone who I seem to identify with but can never see their face. I just feel their presence, which is supportive and reassuring, in essence.

Questions: how can we recognise that abstract thought - such as dreaming - is just as important and affecting as the tangible world around us? Why do we lose grip on dream states more easily than regular thoughts?

Notes: I could have written 'after waking up' but I wasn't fully awake or waking up. It was 4:00am, there was no chance of that happening.

13:45 - 21/06/17
State of mind: defiant; reflective.

Thoughts: from conversations - about an analogy for emotional stability being like a pivot as the pendulum swings.

Questions: How can we achieve a level of confident composure that watches over the constant turbulence of emotion? How can we be like a pivot to the motions of the pendulum?

26/12/15

30/12/15

14:10 - 18/05/17
State of mind: energetic; lively.

Thoughts: from conversations - based on something that was said in conversation. The intention has a greater impact if it means a lot. To build something up and maintain a direction intensifies the impact.

Questions: none

Sēma is an ancient word for 'sign'. The poetic form Sēma points to signs of change in nature. Using intuition and imagination, a Sēma's meaning can have a human context. To know nature is to know humanity, for they are one and the same thing.

22:00 - 30-08-17

State of mind: calm; tired.
Perspectives: philosophical; spiritual; structural; natural.

Thoughts: from thinking - that the capacity for knowledge is only as great as the structure that has been build to contain it. A web is a good metaphor because it is a framework on which things are caught. If a bird flies into a small web, it passes straight through it. A great mind will catch great ideas because that is what it has been developed to do.

Questions: What happens to a person when they challenge themselves to become familiar with what they have an aversion for?

18:00 - 02/05/17

12:30 - 04/07/17
State of mind: longing; hopeful.

Thoughts: from thinking - about the beautiful movements of flight and all its intricate geometries.

Questions: none.

Listening to: The Beatles - Across The Universe.

23:20 - 06/07/17

State of mind: reflective; deep thought.
Perspective: natural; structural.

Thoughts: from observations - of an ivy cutting that grew its roots, not only from the base of the stem where it was cut, but also all along the stem, at the intersections where the branches grew out its leaves.

We grow from what wounds us, but also from where we are allowed to grow. If that place is fear we grow fearful, if that place is want we grow wanting... and so on for any state of mind. Societies, too, have a state of mind.

If fear or want is to be overcome, it must be in a place where they are not familiar.

When conflict arises from fear or want, the peace must be bridged by creating an atmosphere of respect, understanding, and communication.

Questions: how can an atmosphere of respect, understanding and communication become the emphasis for interpersonal relations?

26/12/15

14:30 - 08/07/17

State of mind: focused; contemplative.
Perspective: empirical; philosophical.

Thoughts: from observations - of turning the tap on too much, by mistake, and watching the water swill around the concave of the cups base, only to rebound back.

Be patient and gentle and things will gradually sink in.

A metaphor for the mind.

Questions: none.

23:30 - 25/05/17
State of mind: deep thought; peaceful; calm.

Thoughts: from thinking - about mortal aims in eternal conquest.

Questions: none.

10:30 - 13/05/17
State of mind: thoughtful; relaxed.

Thoughts: from thinking - about how opposites attract. I have likened it to the polarity of planets.

Questions: are the rotations of love spherical and oscillating?

Notes: expand idea into a sonnet.

10:15 - 30/04/17

15:10 - 19/05/17
State of mind: content; curious.

Thoughts: from thinking - about why so many communities are no longer circular. Cities are like disconnected mazes. Houses have no centre.

Questions: why not build a circular home with a central communal area and a network of surrounding rooms? Or better than circular - hexagonal.

16:30 - 27/07/17

State of mind: focused; thoughtful.
Perspective: personal.

Thoughts: from feeling - loved and cared about. Also from conversations, when Sun mentioned 'taking a leaf out of my book'.

Questions: none

10:00 - 03/09/17
Sonnet - 31 -

10:45 - 28/10/17

State of mind: pensive; apprehensive.
Perspectives: personal; philosophical; psychological; ethical.

Thoughts: from thinking - I choose not to record every moment with a photograph or video. I choose to develop the clarity and sensation of memory. I want to walk in the spaces of my mind, to feel the texture of the walls, gauge the temperature, feel the atmosphere and see you with the flickering animation of a beautiful essence. Those memories are more real in feeling than the photograph I'm seeing. Memories are the stories I want to tell.

Questions: What is missing when we are without who we are within?

Listening to: Beach House.

05:10 - 14/06/17
State of mind: restless; over-thinking

Thoughts: from thinking - about anything that will distract me from the swallows.

Questions: none

Notes: part 3 of 3

23:00 - 29/04/17

13:10 - 16/07/17

State of mind: blissful; calm.
Perspective: natural; philosophical.

Thoughts: from thinking - the reason we can draw parallels between human, natural, even universal behaviours so easily is because they are all connected. The information of one feeds into another. That is why our mood is affected so strongly by things such as the moon's gravitational pull or polar levels of sunlight.

I swear cultural temperaments are born of such simple things as the weather. This links in to how an environment shapes you. If you want to change or discover who you are, do so with your environment. You will be forced to adapt to it (or force it to adapt to you). Successful or not, keep changing how you live until you find something you're comfortable with... somewhere you were born to be.

Listening to: David Bowie - Changes.

Questions: Does success mean different things to different people?

22:00 - 07/05/17
State of mind: reminiscence, certainty, gladness.

Thoughts: from conversations - an idea about how impacting a few strong word can be, perhaps even shaping the person you become.

Question: For every person we meet, what can be said to have the greatest meaning, to have the deepest impact?

23:00 - 07/05/17
State of mind: confused, tired, tired.

Thoughts: from reading - Carl Sagan. Somewhere he said 'somewhen', although I can't remember where, or when.

Questions: None.

21:45 - 02/05/17

12:30 - 13/05/17
State of mind: thoughtful; readiness; anticipation.

Thoughts: from thinking - about how we travel far and wide so we can find a place where we belong.

Question: if we are denied our freedom, how can we know who we are?

23:15 - 06/07/17
State of mind: calm; tired.

Thoughts: from dreams - of being stuck in a maze. As soon as you grabbed my hand, we both knew the way out. As you focused on where we needed to go, I remembered where we had been.

Questions: none.

Listening to: Metallica - Nothing Else Matters

Sonnet - 25 -
16:00 - 23/03/17

This sonnet is about being in harmony with your nature. It arose out of an interest in how an environment affects who we are and how we feel, even think and behave.

00:15 - 11/07/17

State of mind: content; tired.
Perspective: empirical; spiritual.

Thoughts: from observations - of pressing a paint-loaded brush against the rim of a glass, watching it all run down the inside, diffusing throughout the fresh water.

A single idea might change everything. A single act might mean something. Ripples from the butterflies wing.

Questions: What can be done to make a difference?

Listening to: Coldplay - Everglow

11:15 - 06/06/17
State of mind: curious; inquisitive.

Thoughts: from observations - of watching this years strawberries grow.

If our plans are to come to fruition, they must flower in the eyes of those who shall have its harvest.

Questions: If something is to be enjoyed, should it be like a ripe fruit? Wonderful to taste and easy to digest.

21:00 - 04/05/17
(May the forth be with you).

11:30 - 20/08/17

State of mind: calm; deep-thought.
Perspectives: natural; ethical; structural; spiritual.

Thoughts: from conversations and thinking - that some structure's seem so concrete, so fixed and unyielding it can be daunting, almost impossible to have your impact felt. This is why we must be persistent and relentless in our ambition. We must be like the river.

This dyad specifically came about from a conversation on women in religion, feminism and gender equality. The metaphor in the dyad came like a flash of inspiration after hearing the humorous remark ~ 'If women ruled the world, men wouldn't have time to fight'.

Perhaps, the struggle's of humanity unto itself, through time, are like the river eroding away the embankments of ignorance. This viewpoint runs contrary to the opinion that history repeats itself. Instead, it hopes mankind is in a process of understanding, defining a destiny of its own, different to its basic, selfish nature. Figuring out the best or just way is learnt from trial and error, observation and reflection. This applies not only for the individual but for evolution itself.

Questions: Instead of using force, how can the integrity of an ignorant belief, be chipped away, piece by piece?

10:45 - 03/01/18
State of mind: calm.
Perspectives: natural; universal; philosophical.

Thoughts: from thinking - do things long and slow. If there is a better way, it will come not from using more energy, but mastering how energy is used.

Questions: none.

18:30 - 13/07/17

State of mind: calm; rested.
Perspective: natural; philosophical.

Thoughts: from thinking - about rest and recovery. The soul sings best when it is well rested.

Unseen and deep within the dormant volcano, there is lava flowing.

Questions: none.

Listening to: Coldplay - A Sky Full of Stars

21:45 - 31/07/17

State of mind: calm; reflective.
Perspective: spiritual; existential.

Thoughts: from thinking - that, maybe a rich life is one where you are never truly lost or found but always a wanderer, giving as much colour to life as you can.

Questions: What colours would you paint life?

18:50 - 04/07/17
State of mind: optimistic; thoughtful.

Thoughts: from thinking - about how people who get on really well just seem to set each other in motion. As if it is a chain reaction.

Hope and persistence can overcome a great many obstacles. But people are usually given hope. So, optimism is a valuable thing to carry around with you.

Questions: If, as it is said, a smile is contagious, how far can optimism be spread?

15:50 - 15/08/17

State of mind: melancholic.
Perspective: personal; natural.

Thoughts - from thinking - that over-thinking is like skimming stones on the surface of a level mind.

Questions: none.

12:30 - 21/07/17

State of mind: nostalgic.
Perspective: personal; spiritual; existential; philosophical.

Thoughts: from memories - of walking along a riverbank, deep into a Welsh forest, the sunshine glowing and dimming, dappled light dancing with the summer colours.

I think I experience true joy and peace in times of solitude and exploration. These times always become strong memories. Ones that can be visited, as if they were never left.

It makes me wonder about those adages that state how if pain is felt deeply, joy also can be felt strongly. But it doesn't end there. We have sensitives, which draw us to the things that make us feel a certain way. They become our habits, if easily obtains. Our dreams, if not.

When, for real, I walk through the dappled light of that Welsh forest, I will be living my dream. But the dream is not the goal, for desire is only an urge. It is when we are there, this place of dreams, that we can comfortably give life to our thoughts and thought to our life.

Questions: Where is the place that gives life to thought and thought to life?

17:00 - 08/07/17

State of mind: calm; thoughtful.
Perspective: empirical; spiritual.

Thoughts: from observations - of watching crops in the garden swaying with the breeze. The storm is analogous with struggle. People who know they can fight through something stick at it. There's silence in knowing the storm will pass.

Questions: how far can the stem bend before it is broken? Know thyself...

Listening to: Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence

22:50 - 27/07/17

State of mind: pensive; longing.
Perspective: personal; natural.

Thoughts: from feeling - like I miss someone.

Listening to: Linkin Park - My December

Questions: none.

18:30 - 12/06/17
State of mind: sadness; acceptance; peaceful.

Thoughts: from memories - past.

Questions: none.