Pieces of Harmony

Life flows on...

35 years ago, my son Scott and I started a 6,000 piece jigsaw puzzle on the kitchen table - (which we had to enlarged with a board!). It depicted a clock-tower on a church amongst the splendour of the Dolomites

We decided that our puzzle should represent a sand mandala which we had just seen being made. This is an age old Tibetan tradition in which monks painstakingly pour coloured sand, grain by grain, day after day, to create a beautiful three-dimensional work of art, all the while holding a focus for an important attribute, e.g. peace, imbued into the creation. The idea is that when finished it is then swept up and thrown into the nearest river, to illustrate transience - impermanence - that all things come and all things go... (see my 2020 blog)

The teaching is that it's good to not get too attached to things.

We decided to imbue our puzzle with harmony.

As my three sons grew up, it became a permanent fixture in our house. It took nearly 30 years to finish - except for one missing piece! I finally realised that almost-perfect can be ok.

Now, in 2026, as our world is on track to raise its vibration across the planet - a time of letting go and rapid change as we move into the new era - it's the right moment to end stuff.... so time to breakup the puzzle!

Luckily I had the help of my three youngest grandchildren. Nothing speaks of the passing of time more than the presence of little ones not born when this project began!

We pulled apart the pieces... mindfully.

"Who can remember what mindfully means?"

"Slowly and softly?"

"Well done, yes... and concentrating completely on what we're doing..." (Kids are good at that!) "And with knowingness... in this case holding the intention of harmony"

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We carried a few of the cardboard pieces to the nearest river and chucked them in -poohsticks style - and wished harmony to all humans, animals, plants, mountains, rocks and nature fairies...