Gone Fishing: Part Three

Summer

The Summer is finally here. 

New leaves coming into the trees. 

Warm enough to lie down on the beach. 

I feel lucky on this island I live. 

Gone Fishing Part Two

Testing new baits. No fish but nice evening with the birds and the sunset.

Book: Earth has a Soul - C.G.Jung on Nature, Technology & Modern Life

I finished the Anthill and started reading a new one which is a collection of writings from C.G. Jung. The book discusses the relationship of human and Nature and has been edited by Meredith Sabini.

Jung is one of my favorite authors and most likely one of the most realized persons who's writings I have read so far. In my opinion Jung is a misunderstood, or I would say not-understood, and he has been left into the shadow of Freud. In my understanding the reason for this is that what Jung taught was, and still is, too difficult for most to grasp. But the ideas of Freud are more straightforward and sometimes even over simplifications. Thus the ideas of Freud have become better known, at least in more popular culture.

However, I don't see that Jung's ideas are always conflicting with the ideas of Freud. Jung actually was Freud's pupil but Jung just continued a bit further. Basically Freud saw that everything in human life was driven by libido or similar crude life force with an aim only to reproduce. Jung's major contribution was the introduction of unconscious mind and its functioning. Jung found that in addition to more crude libido there are parts in our unconscious mind which some are collectively shared and some are more personal. Jung called these collective parts of our unconscious as archetypes.

One reason why Jung has been less understood is that he taught things which came from his own experiences but which are are less common among "normal people". Jung's experiences originate from his self-experiments, when he intentionally let him to be drifted away by his own unconscious mind. This is when he said he had conversations with his unconscious and met his Soul. These self-experiments are described in the Red Book which was published only after his death. Jung himself said that after these self-experiments he spent rest of his career translating his experiences into scientific language. Jung clearly made a journey into his own mind which very few people have done.

Jung's findings are, in my opinion, key to many important things in life. As he saw it, our actions are very much driven by the contents of our unconscious mind and therefore we should be increasingly aware of our own minds. This is very true especially in these times when the human culture is increasingly getting disconnected from Nature and its life giving powers.

First of May: Gone Fishing

On first of May I decided to do something else instead of picnicking and drinking sparkling wine with hordes of people in the city parks. I needed some nature so I went for fishing to an island by the sea.

While I was having tea two swans came to greet me.

I also had a book with me: Anthill by E.O. Wilson. I have almost finished the book and nowadays whenever I see an anthill I see them differently than before.

I also found a birds nest on the making as well as a dining table of a squirrel.

The day was nice but I was missing on thing very badly: Bubu. 

Didn't get any fish.

Spring melt

Today I went to a forest with a friend. We sat by the fire, had tea and ate some snacks. The forest was full of sounds of melt waters.  I like the spring because it is the time for renewal.

Spring concert and a water mill

This weekend I visited a friend who lives next to a nice spruce forest. The birds of the forest gave us a beautiful spring concert and we made a water mill with the kids.

Spring in far north

Momo returned to his homeland which is very far north. The spring is late but many of the migratory birds have already returned. It is very nice to observe them coming, making nests and preparing for mating. Life returns to waters and lands after being covered by snow and ice. Beautiful!

The old traditions of the people of this land say that if it is freezing during the nights of Tiburtius or Suwi Päiwä (12th-14th of April)  it is not a good sign and the cold spell continues nine weeks more. The cold during Suwi Päiwä gives signs on summers berry, hay and crop harvests. This year it was little bit below freezing during all of these nights.

Forest as academy

Forests provide us places for contemplation of our own place in the web of life. Observing the forets and their inhabitants will show us the patterns and rules by which the web works. As we humans are inseparably part of this web we should be aware of these patterns and rules and we should learn from them. In this way we can live more harmoniusly and cheerfully together with all other life forms.

3 Days In Forest

Last weekend, Momo and Bubu spent 3 days in the forest, Cat Tien National Park.