Voodoo Child

Meditating and obsessing are two very different functions of the brain...

Meditation comes from a relaxed state of mind and uses different areas of the brain. It is associated generally with alpha (8-12 Hz) and theta (4-8 Hz) brain waves.

Obsession is associated with beta waves (above 12 Hz), implies anxiety,... and is not so healthy.
 
I suppose you could call meditation a type of thinking or concentrating, but those terms are really too broad and general.

Meditation is more like allowing, opening, experiencing and receiving. There is no force or stress involved with meditation,…. effortless effort.
 
yeah I agree, having been obsesed, it is the dark unpleasant side of the brain.

Meditation allows the brain to stay out of the obsesive zone.

You know I've seen blacksmiths, bladesmiths in a sorta heightened awareness, the body knows all the moves to make through long practise.

no hesitation, no thinking, just doing the next move.
same as ball players, fighters etc...

simple uncomplicated
 
Meditation is one of those things that is difficult to understand objectively without experiencing it. It is a natural function of the brain,… but is not always recognized and is somewhat paradoxical.

Maybe if I can relate it to something we are all familiar with,… like dreaming.

Dreaming comes from the natural resting state of the brain, is vital to our health and no effort is involved with dreaming,… yet the mind is obviously active and focused. It involves slower brain waves, and is often considered a link between our conscious and subconscious minds.
 
Although meditative states of mind are natural in all humans, the significant difference between the average person and the person who “practices” meditation, is that the person who practices is aware that he is meditating, while he is meditating, and can recognize the different states of mind and brain waves when they occur. This in itself seems to involve different, “higher”, functions of the brain.

Again, I can relate this to dreaming. In a normal dream, the dreamer is not aware that he is dreaming. However, in a “lucid dream” the dreamer becomes conscious and aware that he is dreaming,... while he is dreaming. At this point, the dreamer can begin to control, direct the content and focus of the dream, and use it for personal growth and enlightenment.

Lucid dreams:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dreaming
 
I think we are all conditioned to be too "goal" oriented.

I think a wise philosophy is,... not to do it for the rewards, but for the pure enjoyment of the process. You can't go wrong that way, and if you can do it and stay true to yourself,... the rewards will come automatically. Trust me on this...

It's a life long journey of self discovery...
... never ending, never complete...

Maybe that should be the "real goal".
 
I'm working on finishing "The Ripper" today. I ended up leaving the hammer finish on the flat part. I left the file finish on the bevels and back, but lightly sanded over the bevels with 220 grit, and polished the edge with a strop. I put a dark rusty patina on the blade and then took some of it off the bevels and back. I used different finishes on different parts of the blade to help bring out it's character, form, and concept. I'm trying to use the finish as part over the overall expression of the piece, maintain "continuity of expression" and process markings though out the knife.

I’m trying to use the finish as a form of expression... "Expressionistic finishing"!
 
I'm looking forward to seeing this. It would lose it's character if all that neat texture were wiped out.
 
I just now got her done!

I cut a "V" notch in the end of the tang and brazed on a copper tenon to peen over the end piece, to help hold it all together. I filed in some faceted spiral flutes to the cacti handle in keeping with the natural form of the wood..., filled with hot pinon rosin, and glazed over with a torch.

I'm planning to send it over to Chuck (Wild Rose) for a sheath.
 
Sounds cool, its a really natural knife

Naturally I pretty sure most knifemakers are pretty obsessive lol

I know I am all the time When I work for other people and they want to do a good enough job, im just like f**k it if your gonna botch the job why would I care about it at all.
 
Tai,
Thank you for letting us in on the evolution of this piece. It has been fun watching it grow. It is a beautiful piece.

-Page
 
That's a realy cool piece,Tai. Thank you for taking the time to share its 'growth' with us.

Knife,art,personal expression. What more can one ask for??
 
TheRipper1-4.jpg
 
Beautiful and thought inspiring work as always!!!

People often mistake meditation for studying your belly button and Hari Krishna type of events. Meditation can be as simple as "visualizing" before you perform an action. I perform a type of meditation before every shot, when I shot competitive 3D almost everyone shooter I knew practiced a form of meditation before every shot. The cycle of "deep breathe, relax, see the shot, exhale, perform the shot" is a type of mechanical concentration to relax, lower your heart rate/anxiety and let you move through the event without too much overt thought.

I perform a deep breathe relaxation type of meditation several times a day otherwise I might wind up strangling some the general population I meet lol We used to perform a breathing meditation to clear our minds before classes at the dojo and I was very surprised at how much better I felt after the meditation, right up until classes started lol. I've incorporated that into part of my daily life and I think it helps a lot. Another meditative action I perform is the cleaning of my shop before and after a session in my shop, the repetitive ritual of sweeping and restoring of order leaves me a feeling of having a fresh slate to work on for each day.

Tai, do you have to be nude to bury those chickens or can you wear at least some minimal clothing? :)

Will
formerly known as badbamaump
 
Very cool piece, Tai. The foto conjures Lovecraftian images of "somewhen-else" places.
 
Hmmm..... I want to call it Xanadu. Why? Samuel Taylor Coleridge's vision poem "Kubla Khan" carefully describes supernatural Xanadu (the emperor's pleasure dome and the special place where it was built). Xanadu is exceedingly beautiful, and exceedingly dangerous as well.

Many artists have attempted (and failed) to render Xanadu, possibly because of the great difficulty in fusing equally powerful elements of beauty and danger in such a way that neither is diminished or dominated by the other. Beauty and Danger in perfect balance...

The artist who can accomplish such a thing might naturally be regarded with awe - and even fear - by those from whom he is separated by his inspiration and ability.
 
Speaking of danger - the Ripper is REALLY sharp - I got this cut from just taking it out of the box :eek: - it's now in my "grubby wittle" hands for a sheath :cool: .....

wg-ripper-01.jpg


now if I could just get past the "flu" I might just get some work done....:grumpy:
 
Hey partner. I cut myself on it once too, and am still fighting this flu bug.

...can't wait to see the sheath.
 
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