Diner at my yoga teachers. Hans begins to recite the following mantra:

Oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt – Ṛigveda 03.062.10

Which translates something like: ‘We meditate on the effulgent glory of the divine Light; may it inspire our understanding.’ Honouring Savitr, the god of the sun before sunrise.

Later, back home, we watch the movie Lucky. We make a grand discovery. Harmonica music. The cat comes and starts purring and rubbing against the screen. Every time Lucky plays the harmonica the cat comes again. This cat sometimes spends time in the house and sometimes in another. So often you feel like she is here, while she’s not. A pile of clothes, a bag, in the corner of your eye. Phantom puss. Somewhat like the Cheshire Cat effect. Teeth play the harmonica in disneys Alice version.

In the middle of the night we wake up to a strange smell. I walk down trying to locate the source of it. The whole room is filled with smoke. Quickly I see the earth beneath the banana plant is smoking heavily. Burning earth. Pouring pitchers of water over it I wonder how this can happen. Weird phenomenon. Research. Apparently the organic material in the soil can smoulder and ignite.. With the smell of scorched earth and windows open I think about the burning bush.

When you make an agreement with yourself always follow up on it. An do it full heartedly. Got some glass bottles with lime flavored drinks at my new favorite supermarket. While having 50 cent drink with 50 cent cigaret I see the biggest dog I’ve ever seen. Bought a new beanie with a Pom-Pom saying ‘New York’. I learn that the origin of the Pom-Pom on a bonnet comes from skippers who wear it as not to hit their head. Like the whiskers of a cat.

The city is filled with people celebrating Carnaval. Everyone is dressed up. Fanfare music. One big loud blur. I am dressed as a beach towel. After dipping in the festivities for a while we escape the tumult. We take halt. Today there is an alignment of 7 planets. Visible at the same time. Left to the Cheshire Cat galaxy group, located in Ursa Major. From the empty parking lot we watch this planetary event. With our gang consisting of a Bush (not burning), A yellow M&M, a birdwatcher, Amy Winehouse and me the towel. Never seen a towel gazing at the stars.

EDIT: The Banana plant survived.

Wilderness of Horeb, Dusk, slightly before the time of Savitr

A wide grin showing white teeth appears.

Cheshire Cat: “Still burning?”

Burning Bush: “As usual”

CC slowly materializes in full form

BB: “Good, you already took off your sandals.”

CC lays down, in silence they both stare at the horizon

BB: Like what you said about ‘which way to go’

referring to the following passage:

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

-Alice in wonderland

CC: Thanks, but really, the words just came naturally.

‘The long way home’ by Tom Waits plays in the background

BB: [laughs] I know the feeling.

BB: Noticed in life there is two ways to go about it. One is having a direction, a clear direction. From your gut. You know.. you have to follow that direction. You overcome hardships and obstacles, cause the road is clear. The other, when you don’t have this clear direction, is to go where it comes easy. To go where it flows. Natural. Even if it does not fit the image you made for yourself. The images or ideas you project on yourself. Thinking I am this I need to do that. Let these go and go where it DOES work. This often means letting go of the identity you made for yourself.

CC: Which one applies to you?

BB: Of course it can change during a lifetime. Sometimes there is clear direction and sometimes there is not. To me it’s a bit like you said. ‘if you walk long enough..’. In my case I just keep burning.

CC: Maybe in a way you master it when the intrinsic goal and direction is to keep burning. Combine the two.. Must admit I never really think about these things.

BB: As Long as you grin you win?

CC: As long as you grin you win.

The Sun sets, night falls, hours of Savitr. Both stare in the distance.. Burning and grinning