Marathon training

Training for the first Brighton marathon in April has been going well here, even if the weather inevitably set things back a bit. I’m up to half marathon distances these days and will be running the Brighton half marathon at the end of February. Am really glad I got back into running. As with musical activities, I get off my backside and get moving once I’ve clarified a realistic goal.

New economic sense

I came across the following in December, I’ve edited it a tiny bit. Spot on!

“Hospital cleaners are worth more to society than bankers, a study suggests. The research, carried out by think tank the New Economics Foundation, says hospital cleaners create £10 of value for every £1 they are paid. It claims bankers are a drain on the country because of the damage they caused to the global economy. They reportedly destroy £7 of value for every £1 they earn.

Meanwhile, senior advertising executives are said to ‘create stress’. The study says they are responsible for campaigns which create dissatisfaction and misery, and encourage over-consumption. And tax accountants damage the country by devising schemes to cut the amount of money available to the government, the research suggests.

By contrast, child minders and waste recyclers are also doing jobs that create net wealth to the country.

The Foundation has used a new form of job evaluation to calculate the total contribution various jobs make to society, including for the first time the impact on communities and environment. Eilis Lawlor, spokeswoman for the New Economics Foundation, said: “Pay levels often don’t reflect the true value that is being created. As a society, we need a pay structure which rewards those jobs that create most societal benefit rather than those that generate profits at the expense of society and the environment”. She said the aim of the research was not to target individuals in highly paid jobs, or suggest people in low paid jobs should earn more.”

Pluto in Capricorn

As highly intelligent people such as Richard Dawkins can tell you, astrology is obviously irrational and unscientific nonsense. There is no evidence that it works. Good, that’s cleared that one up!

Those of us deluded enough to think that there is something in astrology (it has been a major part of my life for over twenty years now – I am obviously in need of psychiatric help…) are very aware of the long-term significance of Pluto in Capricorn from 2008 to 2024. Neptune, Uranus and other planets are factors but Pluto seems to be particularly relevant these days. Deep and profound change to worldwide economic and political structures is the order of the next few years, beginning with the undermining and destruction of the old ways.

Capricorn is the sign of integrity, hard reality and responsibility. As the bringer of “death and re-birth”, Pluto has just begun its transformative work in the most serious and often depressing sign of the zodiac. Recognizing limitations is a key issue for Capricorn – the limits of individual consumerism, of global capitalism and its economic model, liberalism, the number of people on this planet, climate change caused by human activity and so on and so forth. The view of good old Russell Grant (I’m not a big fan but underneath the Sun sign theatrics he knows his astrology):- “The transforming planet Pluto now in Capricorn supports this need to curb wastefulness, excessive spending and uninhibited consumption.” Pluto destroys what is no longer relevant.

Capricorn the Goat values hard work, authority, respect, and achievement. The key is integrity. Individuals and organizations who take genuine responsibility are likely to thrive and re-generate. On the other hand, corrupt businesses, politicians and unnecessary government organizations are not likely to survive the next 15 years. Traditions will be renewed or discarded. Other Capricornian themes are old age and loneliness – both of these have recently become major social issues in Britain at least.

Personally, I’m rather relieved that heavy-going Pluto in Capricorn doesn’t form any difficult major aspects to my own birth chart for a few years yet! By contrast, anyone born in the first two or three days of Capricorn will already have personally experienced a personal “death and re-birth” as Pluto moved over their Sun.

The key to dealing with the difficult energy of Pluto in Capricorn is integrity.

Positive thinking

Recently I’ve read a few articles about the pros and cons of thinking positively, self-help literature and the nature of happiness in affluent societies. This whole area has always fascinated me and I used to be moderately addicted to (often American) books with titles like “Awaken The Giant Within” and “Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway”. I still dip into some of these books now and again, there’s some truly uplifting ideas and strategies that work in both the short-term and long-term if reinforced. But on the whole I seem to have less need of them now, mainly because my life is generally more sorted. All that reading and work on my self seemed to help. Of course there’s always room for improvement!

The key seems to be maintaining a sensible acceptance of reality as it is, while still striving for an improved future in line with our dreams and desires. Obvious and basic I guess. But how do we know what a “sensible” acceptance of reality is? Or sometimes even the reality of what we want and whether it will make us happy when we’ve achieved it? Is it the sign of a well-balanced human being to be overly “happy” in our crazy times and individualistic materialistic western culture anyway? Maybe darkness, and even some fear, are an important part of human experience?

Over the years, including my years of experience in psychiatric nursing, I can’t help thinking that in many cases people really should just accept that life can be tough and struggle on with it. Do we really need all the therapy and anti-depressants to function properly? Of course I’m just scratching the surface with this stuff here. And as someone who has worked with in-depth astrology for over 20 years, I have a whole other perspective on “choice” with that one. Sometimes happiness is not what it’s all about. Love is what it’s all about.

“Who I am is someone who has the power within to create a Heaven on Earth for myself, and to radiate a piece of that heaven out to everyone whose life touches mine.” (Susan Jeffers)

Onwards and upwards for a fantastic 2010!

The war on drugs

All things considered, legalize the lot of them – as soon as possible. Of course that won’t happen. I recently read a very thorough and intelligent article in The Economist that also came to this conclusion.

Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson

I’m currently listening to “The Incident”, the new album by Porcupine Tree. Jolly good stuff, fantastic production. I’ve been following band leader Steven Wilson and his various projects for a good few years now. As anyone who knows about him can tell you, this can be a bit difficult as he puts out so much music. At his best, he really is a bit of a visionary genius.

The new album has gone into the UK Top 30 on the first week of release, a real sign that his and their relentless hard work for many years is finally paying off big-time. My first memory of Mr. Wilson is actually of his band Karma in about 1986 when he was possibly still at school, or maybe he’d just left. They were supporting my band Burnessence in a local hall in Buckinghamshire, I don’t remember them being particularly good but then neither were we!

Porcupine Tree could be described as contemporary progressive rock with excellent musicianship and a generally sophisticated feel. There is a feeling of “beautiful sadness” running through a lot of Wilson’s music, both in the heavier and quieter moments. I recently had yet another listen to the first album by Blackfield (a poppier collaboration with Israeli musician Aviv Geffen), which I rate very highly. The emotionally dark lyrics do get a bit heavy-going sometimes but it’s such a great album! As regards Porcupine Tree, I recommend “Signify”, “In Absentia”, “Deadwing” and the new one. Great videos too e.g. “Time Flies” which you can find on the internet.

Love Or Confusion

All these words
With no sound
I don’t hear
You don’t hear

Is this love or confusion
I can’t tell
The time of day

Take the strain
Pleasure and pain
I climb up
And then I don’t

Nobody knows
Nobody knows
No body, nose
Arms, legs and elbows

Is this love or confusion?
Is this love or confusion?
(repeat)

Originally appeared on the first Burnessence album, copyright 1983 Body Music. Unexpectedly sung to me by Clive Product in Berlin, 2009.

Last few days in Berlin

Back to England tomorrow, it’s been a blast. I needed a break and a bit of shaking up from my normal routines and I certainly got it!

On Monday I went with a couple of friends to The Story Of Berlin museum on Kurfurstendamm, a powerful experience. We had an interesting and bizarre guided tour of a nuclear bunker built in the seventies. However, what really made an impression was the section on the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. I knew quite a bit of it already but it was still a shock. “Germany is waking up!” claimed Goebbels (I think it was) as they quickly rose to power in the early thirties. Oh dear. Some of the pictures, exhibits, sound and film from the time really gave one a sense of the horror of it. I won’t forget this easily.

Generally, I’ve just had a great time here. The train system is excellent. Berlin doesn’t seem to be too expensive compared to some cities, which helps. Organic wholefoods are more common than in England, so I feel at home with that one. There’s been a lot of soul-searching conversations into the early hours with new and old friends, love it. Clive and I have been doing a bit of experimenting with some video recording too. Wunderbar!

Berlin

I’m in the middle of a ten day trip to Berlin. It feels like it’s turning out to be a bit more important than a holiday, all good stuff. I’m staying with Clive Product, a long lost musician friend of mine and have also been meeting up with a dear German friend Andrea and others. Clive and I used to do a lot of gigs together back in Buckinghamshire in the eighties and until now we hadn’t actually seen each other for 19 years – so there’s been rather a lot to catch up on. He’s now a Dad with two kids but still very active musically.

The general atmosphere of Berlin is great, much more open than many cities. I’ve done some of the tourist sightseeing bit (photo at Brandenburg Gate, wander round Alexanderplatz, that kind of stuff) but staying with good friends who’ve lived here for a while makes it all much more interesting. Through them I’ve spent some time with some rather nice women, jolly good show!

Have also been strumming one of Clive’s guitars a lot, part of slowly getting back into my music after more than a year away from it.

Still working with the homeless

Further to my June 2009 post, I have continued to work at several hostels for the homeless over the last few months. The regular weekend shifts at one of them are much appreciated and I’m now treated as regular staff there, even though I’m still an agency worker. The staff really are a great bunch of people and I’ve grown to appreciate the residents a lot more too. The overall spirit of the place reminds me a little bit of the old NHS stroke rehabilitation unit where I worked for a few years.

The weekend duties sometimes involve cooking a full roast dinner for twenty people. This has been a new experience, particularly as I’ve been vegetarian for 35 years! After a disaster with the custard during the first week, I think I’ve just about got the hang of it.