Blog #3 4-26-2012

I formally began my sabbatical on April 1st, April Fools Day, a nod to the “fool” archetype and my intention to step off the cliff and practice the wisdom of “beginners mind”, not knowing, and to have fun, play along the way. The archetype of the fool travels light, releases a lot of his “baggage”, and relies on his instincts as opposed to plans. He balances polarities and lives by contradictions. He is not ruled by the inner king or the outer collective, though his attitude can serve the sovereign within, balancing and providing novel, creative approaches to life’s problems. He does not take himself or anything too seriously.

The irony was that for the 11 days between 4-1-2012 and 4-12-12, when I flew to Ireland, I was intensely task focused and oriented, even more than usual. This paradox of seeking to release control while increasing my focused effort seems familiar.

The weather has been good for springtime in Ireland. Dramatic, dark, threatening cloud banks and gusty cold wind alternate with sunlight and raindrops at the same time. It makes for beautiful and serendipitous rainbows.

The Jungian program was excellent, and isolated at a spa in the Wicklow Mts. The speakers presented meditative and dream like images, with opportunities for drawing, coloring, active imagination, and story telling, with a good sprinkling of great rabbi jokes throughout. The images and stories of the Sidhe, the living Irish landscape, and the history, myth, legend, and archaeology made for dream-like altered space. Of the 35 or so people there, multigenerational, all were folks who had lived life’s adventure and experienced their share of suffering along the way. There were few pretensions. The underworld journey was a familiar place for many. I enjoyed the socializing at meals and on the bus. Michael Gibbon, a very Irish archaeologist took us for a day’s meandering to ancient Dolmen, stone circles, and Glendalough Abbey with its huge round tower and lake trails.

Yet it was, by necessity, on a schedule, well, but carefully planned, including meal times.

On Sunday, the 22nd, I took a shuttle to pick up my rental car, near the Dublin airport. Others were heading into Dublin or preparing to catch their flight home. As the shuttle let some people off at the airport, I suddenly had a sense of a need to get off there as well.

I had previously been trying repeatedly to reserve a flight from Dublin to Glasgow on Aer Lingus at the end of my time in Ireland. I tried for hours on my IPad, losing the connection, going in circles again and again. Finally, I entered my credit card and it seemed finished (2 or more hours, until after midnight, grimly determined…..)

At the airport, I suddenly had the impulse to jump out and go talk to an Aer Lingus person. When I found them, they told me I was not reserved, no sign of my payment, which was a good thing, since the tickets are non-refundable and I had more weight in luggage than they allow (maximum 30 kg for both bags. Carry on bags could be no more than 10 kg. Aer Lingus, like Ryan Air are commuter airlines, for people with a brief case and day bag. They charge astronomical fees for luggage, even though my bags can both be carried on to a normal airline. It was grace that I was not able to complete the purchase of a non-refundable ticket that I could not use. At the airport, also I was able to speak to a travel info person who told me about a train-ferry-train combo from Dublin to Belfast to Cairnryan to Aleys, to Glasgow. It also turned out that the airport was where I needed to go to pick up my rental car.

Grateful for heeding my sudden impulse, the fool is awake in there somewhere. Grace abounds.

In my next blog, in the spirit of “everything belongs”, I will recount an unfortunate event that occurred soon afterward.