My 147th blog; it’s a maximum! For those of you unfamiliar with the joys of snooker, a maximum break is 147, when you clear the table in one go by potting all fifteen reds, each followed by the black and then all the colours. It somehow seems more than a coincidence that I have been talking today with a friend about colours that you see in your mind’s eye, the colours of the chakras. To some this will sound complete gobbledegook, but through various yoga trainers and others experienced in the mystic arts I have become increasingly aware of this intriguing area of the universe and now “see” an array of colours quite frequently whilst meditating and during yoga sessions.
We have seven chakras that start just above your groin with the Root Chakra, whose colour is Red, rising up to the Sacral Chakra, just below your navel, which is represented by Orange, then there’s the Yellow Solar Plexus Chakra, the Green Heart Chakra, the Blue Throat Chakra, the Indigo Third Eye Chakra and the Violet Crown Chakra. Most of those are represented on the snooker table. I have yet to unearth the significance of that! One that’s missing is orange, which is a fantastic colour, although it is composed in equal parts of red and yellow, both of which are on the green baize. To quote from chakra-anatomy.com (well worth a look if you’re interested)……
“Buddhists call this “hara”, the centre of being through which we connect with the deepest voice of the self, the deepest stillness and wisdom. This is where we find bliss. Orange energy is very sensual. Living a life guided by orange color transforms even the most mundane daily experiences into pleasurable experiences. That is not to say that orange is purely hedonistic. Orange is also associated with the gentle and positive nurturing of ourselves which moves us on our path of growth and development.”
I see a lot of orange, which is very exciting, as well as great washes of green representing the Heart Chakra. “Green is the colour of growth, life, and balance. Through balance you find this centre from which you can love, form healthy and nourishing relationships, and give and receive love.”
I used to play a lot of snooker when I was in the Royal Air Force as every Officers’ Mess had a table. Having not played for ages, I shall approach my next game with greater insight!
On a totally unrelated subject, an unexpected conversation yesterday with a stranger led to an interesting philosophical question. “Can men and women be platonic friends”? Between couples I’m sure they can be, but one on one? I have managed to stay friends with quite a lot of ex-girlfriends but there was always love involved first, or at least a strong physical attraction. I have thought about this quite a lot and I’m not sure I really know the answer. There are plenty of instances where one partner has had to compromise because their love (or lust!) is unrequited and remaining friends is important enough to overcome that, but friendship in the way two men or two women are friends? I think it probably is possible but quite rare.
Probably even rarer than a maximum.
ADayInTheStrifeOf 