reliant traveler of the desert

Posted on by Ajmal

A slice of photographic memory from a desert goes well with a story that I read recently.

“Someone who makes a journey through the deserts of Arabia has to travel in the name of a tribal chief and enter under his protection, for in this way he may be saved from the assaults of bandits and secure his needs. On his own, he will perish in the face of innumerable enemies and needs. And so, two men went on such a journey and entered the desert. One of them was modest and humble, the other proud and conceited. The humble man assumed the name of a tribal chief, while the proud man did not. The first traveled safely wherever he went. If he encountered bandits, he said: “I am traveling in the name of such-and-such tribal leader,” and they did not molest him. If he came to some tents, he was treated respectfully due to the name. But the proud man suffered indescribable calamities throughout his journey. He both trembled before everything and begged from everything. He was abased and became an object of scorn.

My proud soul! You are the traveler, and this world is a desert. Your impotence and poverty have no limit, and your enemies and needs are endless. Since it is thus, takes the name of the Pre-Eternal Ruler and Post-Eternal Lord of the desert and be saved from begging before the whole universe and trembling before every event.”
– Excerpt From The First Word, “The Words, The Treatise of Light,” Bediuzzaman.

Amble out.

Posted on by Ajmal

“Arise from sleep, old cat,
And with great yawns and stretchings…
Amble out for love”

― Issa, Japanese Haiku

photographed from Istanbul, 2014.

Vicky.

Posted on by Ajmal

While looking at some old notes from 2016 that I wrote when I watched this short video in 2016, I can see that I had left a note in a book to write about it sometime in the future. This is done very brilliantly. The theme, visuals, and the overall message is ferried well to the listener and what’s wonderful is that it’s beyond any language or geographical barrier.

For some reason, I remembered the cat that we had around at our home when I was in Kerala. It used to be around all the time. When I used to walk to college, this would come long for a little long. This cat is no more. It passed away in 2010. Life is fragile.

mind magnet

Posted on by Ajmal

I have read somewhere that mind is akin to a magnet in a certain sense.  It’s concomitant of the thoughts espoused within. If we put our thoughts about blessings,  the mind tends to attract and discover blessings and their deeper meanings. In the same manner,  channeling thoughts of problems would bewitch and attract problems and restlessness. Nurturing and cultivating good thoughts would help in assuming a positive and optimistic frame of mind. That’s a lifetime of learning. Remember the humble life illustration?

Being calm about everything allows your mind to find solutions. Calmness is also a state of trust. Instead of overthinking and overreacting, you just surrender for that moment and allow yourself to receive guidance for what doesn’t make sense – Idil


I’ve personally felt that the strength of calmness is often derived from a trust in the divine timing of events happening and not harboring or apprehending any internal dissent or distress in the way certain things are in the way they’re supposed to be and in accepting certain aspects on the way they are. I believe that’s a quality that’s to be built up with time and experiences and everyone would have different journeys. God bless.

cross-purposes

Posted on by Ajmal

“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs, and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events, working through generations, and leading to the most outre results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable.”

― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
A 2017 photograph from the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia.

Serene Pastures

Posted on by Ajmal

A montage of some indoor plants.

“No matter the state of the world, or how dark the shadow that has fallen on our city, I find it curiously comforting to know that if you plant a seed and give it sunlight and water, it will grow.”

“Serene Pastures”

― Sarah Jio, All the Flowers in Paris

plant tread.

Posted on by Ajmal

Remember those days where we passionately spoke of Golden pothos propagation craft and the flora shelf. Finally ticking a long term pending list scroll, I potted some money plants and other flora out of the roots of them which I had in water containers for quite some time now.  I made use of this 20 l potting soil. Had a couple of pots available on the shelf that were waiting to get potted. Here are some of them. I shall try to put in a video montage of these new ones soon. Delve into the simple golden pothos propagation technique.  This is where we started the plant stand. Happy gardening!
Love aqua-scaping? We’ve got stuff to keep you interesting : )
Matshona Dhliwayo, a Canadian philosopher said: “A seed is its own world, a garden is its own universe.” I had an experience during a vacation to my home town that kindled within me the seed of love for plants and pruning them in whichever medium I find plausible. I shall try to write that little story sometime soon. Keep reading!
Thank you for the warm messages and letters I received from various readers. I’m very grateful for the time you spend reading these lines. I hope everyone loves the new design for the website as much as I do. God bless.