San Augustin

This week I moved to a new area of town named after Saint Augustine. Filled with all the mixed feelings of moving, I find myself in a local coffee shop this morning - also named after the afore-mentioned Mr August and to my surprise I find this sign hanging above the bar, which is a quote from the man himself : 'Know yourself. Accept yourself. Overcome yourself'. This came to me like a nod from a new neighbour and a shard of light as to what this next phase of my journey could be about. I think I am entering into a time of more head space and reflection and I think San Augustin has just given me a good idea as to how to use it!

My bike

Can I just say ... bikes are amazing!! I have my great friend Jeremy to thank for this new discovery. He introduced me to biking by giving me a load of English classes in different corners of the city, lending me his bike and then leaving the country. Brilliant!

Good things about a bike include
1) Lots of fresh air
2) Always arriving with a windswept look
3) Free transport
4) Excersice without the gym fees
5) Good views
6) Clear ecological conscience (apart from all the plane tickets I book!)
7) The possibilty of new adventures with the simple use of your legs

And now I wish to thank the lovely Jose for sorting me out a new bike - all purply and cool -so I can continue to zip around the city with this new found freedom :). Thank you boys!

Cycling over conquers

You may have heard of a travel book about adventures in Spain called 'Driving over lemons' conjuring up an oh so mediterranean image of an abundance of fruit and sunshine. Well here in Burgos, in the colder north of Spain, we roll a bit differently. As the autumn has set in and I've got my scarf and gloves out, I have found myself on a perilous but entertaining slalam course through the bike lanes of the city that are currently covered in conquers. I think I will always have affection for autumn in Burgos as it reminds me of the time I first arrived here: walking new ground and breathing in rich autumn colour and cold air, the smell of wood fire and chestnuts. Not the Spain of the travel magazines, but a Spain worth falling in love with.

What a star you are :)

I have been quite loving a bit of Brian Cox's 'Wonders of the Universe' lately and a recent episode got me thinking. Brian expounded to us, between a number of wistful looks into the middle distance, how all the 92 elements that make up the known universe, are fabricated in the life and death of stars. It has to be very very hot aparently, for nuclear fusion init. In its life, the star core is a creative furnace for the foundational elements of life and in the explosive power of its death, it throws out all we need for physical existence. Of course Brian needed to go to lots of exotic locations to fully explain this , Rio, Mexico, South Africa - it's a tough life for a physist these days ;)

But the thought is this - when I say to a friend 'you are a real star' perhaps they are, more than I realise. What if there is another dimension of the universe, that we dont fully understand, being forged in the life and death of the soul. What if the foundational spiritual elements of love, wisdom and peace are being constantly formed in the firey depths of our being and that in our life and death they could be flung out to create future more hopeful worlds. It's a bit crazy, but as I believe nothing good is lost in God's eternal economy, perhaps we are not only objects of creation but also agents of the creative process itself.

Estrellas
Ultimamente me esta gustando un poco de Brian Cox "Maravillas del Universo" y un episodio reciente me hizo pensar. Brian expuso a nosotros, entre una serie de miradas anhelantes en la media distancia, cómo todos los 92 elementos que componen el universo conocido, se fabrican en la vida y muerte de las estrellas. Tiene que ser muy, muy caliente aparentemente, para la fusión nuclear, ya sabes. Durante su vida, el núcleo de la estrella es un horno creativo para los elementos fundamentales de la vida y en el poder explosivo de su muerte, se suelta todo lo que necesitamos para la existencia física. Por supuesto que Brian tenía que ir a un montón de lugares exóticos para explicarnos plenamente esta teoría verdad, Rio, México, Sudáfrica - es una vida dura para una fisico hoy en día ;)
Pero la idea es la siguiente - cuando le digo a un amigo "eres una verdadera estrella" tal vez sea más verdad de que me doy cuenta. ¿Qué pasa si hay otra dimensión del universo, que se entiende completamente, que se forja en la vida y la muerte del alma. ¿Y si los elementos fundamentales espirituales del amor, la sabiduría y la paz están siendo constantemente formado en las profundidades ardientes de nuestro ser y que, por nuestra vida y muerte, podrían ser lanzados a crear mundos futuros de más esperanza. Es un poco loco, pero como creo que nada bueno se pierde en la economía eterna de Dios, tal vez no somos sólo objetos de la creación, sino también agentes del proceso creativo divino.