Walking & Being: ‘the mortal man’

Walking along a single path, I do not think. I follow.

I act as a skeleton might if one, without blood or a brain, came alive. Easy movement, limbs on top of limbs.

We are so wonderfully designed, it seems, that it is easier to walk than stand still.

So as the trees shed their leaves I empty myself of thoughts, concerns, dreams. The vast space that is my skull finds pockets of white rooms, grey doorways, open windows, to let the air come in.

My arms swing from the shoulders loosely… I’m performing for the clouds.

A thought (though more of a feeling than words per se): what if this is how I’d die… walking into my grave. A pilgrimage of sorts.

Gradually the ankles buckle, my knees break, and the spine and head comes tumbling down…

…it would be a wonderful way to go.

To simply no longer stay alive. The reverse of intention. Dying as a consequence of having lived, rather than living simply because I’m afraid to die..

The walk is an act of dying in this case - walking the plank.

Dying to stay alive. A single moment of supreme faith, of trust, of uncertainty is enough to entirely reinvent myself.

If I can survive this path, of falling trees, of rocks, of sharp edges, of loneliness, of painful knees, of a heavy pack, then I can survive anything.

Even death.

Especially death.

The illusion of dying is solved.

We’ve seen through God’s greatest magic trick.

And lived to tell the tale.

TASK: Walk at a leisurely yet consistent, rhythmic pace. Bring your attention to the spherical shape of your head, sitting perfectly on top of your shoulders and spine.

Try to notice the various material layers from outwards to in: hair, skin, blood vessels, elastic fascial tissues (like a fitted glove), bones (the skull) and eventually the contents of the skull.

Now envision it’s completely empty - filled only with blank, transparent space. The skull is also transparent - one can see completely through one side to the other. Your head is made of thin delicate (transparent) glass. One must walk carefully and precisely in order to keep it from falling and breaking…

Walk in this way for 10 minutes, in a circular fashion, around a clear, simple path. Remember to breathe.

Afterwards, take note of any specific sensations, feelings or emotions that emerged throughout the walk. Write them down. Then share them with a partner (or the entire group).

Did you enjoy this blog? If so, click here to support Daniel’s work…