Rosa Murray / The Beginning

Before I left for Knoydart everything inside me was telling me this was going to be different though I wasn’t sure why? As a religious studies teacher and as a person who has always  pursued  the spiritual dimension to find meaning about self  and  the world  I was  comfortable with the process embedded within the natural change project and yet still strangely disturbed about what was to unfold over the week.  We were blessed with wonderful weather as we travelled to Knoydart and so the journey into nature and beauty  began.

Perhaps what completely surprised me was the feeling of being cut off from the world,the physical reality of sailing over to the peninsula and knowing that I couldn’t easily arrange a return and that there was  no phone signal so the availability I have with and give to my family and friends was seriously interrupted. I found this gave me attachment issues and then some serious reflection about my dependency on others and on  technology. Interesting that I was happy to be free of emails and work but it was the ‘people thing’ that got me! 

The awesome scenery and grandeur of Knoydart is overwhelming yet brings a peace and stillness,I realise this time is mine and I want to be open to the opportunities this week and this place will bring. I feel quite small in this vast creation and I think there has to be a God a divine creator whatever that means?…. I have no certainty but then if I did I wouldn’t need faith.my sense of nature is heightened and I realise I have never stopped long enough in nature to receive the sacredness within it ,I was too  busy completing the walk or the task.

I remember the beautiful words of the Kogi people who live  in the High Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains of Northern Columbia in South America

‘First there was the sea

all was dark

there was no sun,nor moon

nor people

nor animals

nor plants

The mother was not people ,nor was she nothing

nor something

she was the spirit of what was to come

and she was thought and memory. 

I reflected on the meaning of thought and memory for myself and within our world  as I prepared for the solo.