Devil's Peak

For his birthday, Chris wanted to go on a long dayhike. And so I humored him.

First, there was about 3 hours of trailwork he felt he needed to do along the hidden way from our cabin into the wilderness. Yes, those are poison oak roots in his hands. He actually likes doing this kind of stuff.

And then we came to the public Turner Creek Trail, which has just been groomed (just like I like it) because the VWA obtained a grant from the Monterey Regional Parks District and coordinated the trailwork with the Forest Service, a hired trail crew, and private volunteers.

Of course, I wasn't just humoring Chris by going along on this hike for his birthday. I had a hidden agenda of my own...

...these wildflowers.

Aren't they beautiful?

I'll just be quiet now, and you can enjoy them on your own.

Our goal was the heights,

...and the wildflowers all along the way.

Chris says that when "devil" appears in a place-name, it often means that homesteaders knew the place was used as a refuge by native people and for ceremonies. When you stand on Devil's Peak and look out across the Ventana range, you can see why.

We stayed up on Devil's Peak until nearly sundown, which meant that we walked home by moonlight with our flashlights off. I was humoring him all the way.

And he says it's one of the best birthdays he's ever had.

Beginning to create the labyrinth

We've been creating the labyrinth for our next Red Egg gathering: Opening the Circle.

And there have been many hands and eyes on the work. There are so many ways to approach a labyrinth. So many ways to vision it.

They appear all over the world, often in strikingly similar forms. There is the classical, or Cretan, form—so named because of an association with the famous labyrinth that Daedalus designed and in which Theseus slew the Mintotaur.

But that form also has reappeared in Iceland, Scandinavia, and India

...and in the American southwest and elsewhere.

And then there is the more mathematically precise—and in some ways more esoteric—medieval and Christianized form at Chartres, which itself has begotten progeny,

...including at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, a hub of the labyrinth revival in our own age.

And there are myriad variations upon the themes as well.

And just as there are different forms and different ways of interpreting them, so too are there different ways to imagine, walk, meditate, and practice how these forms relate to the paths and journeys in our own lives.

Brian Taylor's opening at Gallery 291 in San Francisco

We had a blast at Brian's opening last Friday night at Gallery 291.

There were good folks and conversation.

But above all, Brian's work is there. We know it well already—but his newest pieces, which we hadn't seen before, took our breath away.

 They are full of depth and mystery

...and a formal, sculptural elegance

...and somehow, simultaneously, become both a shimmering abstraction and a naturalistic surface you want to dive within yourself.

Debi's photos, rendered in this online medium, don't do the trick. Brian's exhibition runs through the end of June. See them yourself in person. Here's all the information you need for how to get there.

And we even have a restaurant recommendation for you: Saha—about a fifteen minute walk (or short drive) from Gallery 291, which itself is on Union Square.

"Opening the Circle"—Red Egg gathering, June 19, 2010

Please join us for our third Red Egg gathering. We'll be opening a labyrinth we're creating for the occasion—and you'll be able to make your own walking meditation, too.

Opening the Circle will also be a celebration of the summer solstice. Another lively and interesting company will gather—some friends you already know and others whom you'll meet.

June 19, 2010
Chris & Debi’s home
833 Hartford Ave  San Jose 95125
Come anytime after 5pm
6 pm—gathering and walking meditation
Bring a small dish or beverage to share

Go here for an invitation.

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