The mind's eye, aphantasia, Buddhism, soda bread and Spring

It seems as if yesterday's weights post was a minor public service, if people are encouraged to do resistance strength training. Today the Freecycled small weights are already outside awaiting pickup, so there's another person onto it. And I continue with my own practice, always working to do the moves slowly, since I tend to rush. My besetting sin in many contexts.

Moving from body to the spirit, I've been reading Pema Chodron and today there was an oddly related article in Aeon online  magazine..

Written by Mette Leonard Hoeg, it discusses her own aphantasia and relates it to philosophies of life. We talked about aphantasia a while back in here, with that mind's eye test of visualizing, where people ranged from not much to very much, in terms of visualizing an object or visualizing remembering an event.

She makes the interesting point that to her, with no visualization capacity, the Buddhist notion of meditating is rather easy, since she has no images floating in her mind's eye to distract. She also has little attachment to places and objects, so Buddhist detachment comes rather naturally.

This made me wonder to what extent religious following in general is governed by brain function. I also wonder if those of us with a different brain function are being asked to fit into an ill-fitting religious or spiritual framework. Just wondering here. 

I know that I'm not an extroverted working in groups person, and much of religion and spiritual practice insists on group and community activity. Professed religious, monks and nuns,  are powerful in insistence on the value of community.  

I was taught, by professed nuns in the community that housed my high school (!) that hermits and mystics, lone rangers, were weak.  Yet so many of us don't thrive in groups. We learn to cope and manage, but that's not the same as getting the right fit.

Just wondering here, and considering the possibility that our place on the autistic spectrum is significant in spiritual terms. 

Anyway on to other important matters, soup and soda bread. I made celery soup, not one of my more successful, a bit low in flavor, but I also made a lovely loaf of soda bread, crunchy crust and buttery crumb. 

And since spring can't seem to get here, despite the equinox as of early evening, 5.24 EST, Sandra Boynton sums it up

Happy day everyone, in reality rather than theory, and please weigh in on my rambling and somewhat disconnected musing about personality, brain function and spiritual practice! 

Spring equinox, peace dove

Brief visit today, to note the spring equinox, when most of the planet, except the  neighborhood around the equator,  has equal day and night before lurching  on to summer or winter depending. And with that fully explanatory and scientific analysis, here's a picture to rest your brain

And if you have paper plates and fancy a simple bit of appropriate art making, here's a dove of peace for Ukraine

I'm thinking of making one to install in the rear window of my car. 

It's always this way. Brutal men killing while peaceful people make doves and peace cranes after Hiroshima, and wrap the Pentagon in a giant hand made ribbon during the Vietnam war.  I'm a little discouraged today.

But I have my Sock knitting Ministry to attend to, so there's that I guess.

Happy Sunday, best we can do today.