#www.refiguring.net

It’s been a while since I’ve found the time and peace of mind to post here. Not that there hasn’t been a lot of refiguring going on, it’s just been too busy a time to write in this space. In the meantime I’ve moved another couple of times, explored different lines of flight, finished my thesis, hit the road, been to various conferences, had my viva and experienced a major life change. It’s all settling on me and I’m enjoying having more time without any constraints on my thoughts and imagination. When I was hiking in Wales and Ireland after I handed in my thesis it struck me how strong a pull on my attention the PhD had been.

While my world has been shifting, both new presences and absences have appeared on the horizon. Most immediately the absence of an income and a clear path to new work have come into view. A big thing for me has been to become good at receiving without feeling an immediate urge to reciprocate in kind, simply knowing that the gift is much more than just a material circumstance. Being thankful and returning helpful gestures with grace. The gifts I have received help me through the year and, I hope, into a new path in life. I’ve been ruminating and articulating what I do well and what I would like to do more. Some of these thoughts have gone into the reworking of this site: I’ve updated the What I do page to reflect different aspects of what I’ve been doing over the last years and put into words how someone who might be needing my skills can Work with me. Please have a look and share where you see fit. And do let me know what you think of the extended site.

I’m also beginning to turn some of my work and ideas into frameworks for new conversations and projects. All that needs a little bit more time to mature but I hope to share some of that here in due time. For now, take a look at how I’m thinking about journeying and, if you feel inclined, step closer into the circles of dialogue.

Another thing I’d like to share which is appropriate to refiguring is the time mandala, which is a sort of calendar that keeps time in a spiral rather than in a linear format. It is a practice which grew out of years of doodling and I gradually realised that this way of looking at time brings completely new perspectives and connections and into view.

New post on Remembering:

It’s been about three years since I began PatternWhichConnects. Exactly how it started I can’t really remember any more. It was probably more of an inkling than a definite idea. At least that’s how I’ve come to think of it: like the spilling over of the pouring rain in a paper cup that someone left on the table outside before seeking shelter. But it did come to involve big, often too ambitious, ideas: a portal for the internet, a libary of online projects, an online hub for my small offline community. Looking back at it now, that initial ambition seems preciously naive, idealistic and unworkable. It goes to show how much I (and the internet) have changed in just three years.

New refiguration post:

The horizon runs as an oblique, yet distinct, line across the landscape separating sky from earth and visible from unseen. It holds the particularity and uniqueness of each place, defines the limit of the world. Observing the horizon across a plane scenery like the ocean or flatlands, it draws a straight line so wide it appears without end. It is a magnet for the gaze, pulling in the attention wherever there is clear view. Unable to hold either beginning or end within our field of view, the horizon suggests an interminable arrow shooting right across the cosmos, separating below and above. This illusory line is immense and timeless. It has become firmly embedded in a diversity of human imaginaries, delineating the heavens, presenting a mythical image of the yonder, begetting dreamings, adventures and fears. As an edgeland and a metaphor, the horizon is both compelling and ambiguous.