Clouds are a great place to start mindfulness
It really is. Haven't you looked at the sky lately? Clouds are everywhere. I am sure if you are in UK, you yern for a cloudless sky. And if you are in UAE you will pray for a cloudy sky. Some of us are fortunate to get the better of the two worlds. Like us in tropics. Today it is cloudy the sky. It is about to rain. And I was looking at those dark clouds about to weep. And then Mind took a journey on clouds.
Story of clouds.
Little bambinis were looking at the sky from the window of the car. They have learned about different clouds just the other day. Cirrus, cumulus, stratus. They were shouting in the back pointing at the clouds. It just reminded me of the past when I used to watch clouds, either on the ground lying down with an uninterrupted view or from a tree, a little bit closer to the sky. Just the other day I wrote why beach is my favourite place, as you do not have to strain your neck to look at the clouds. But it made me realise truly, what do I know about clouds?
Looking at clouds scientifically.
After looking at clouds, naturally we learned how to look at clouds scientifically. Initially we learned about water cycle, in cartoon diagrams. And learned that if it wasn't for the clouds man would not survive planet earth. We didn't stop at the level of cirrus and cumulus. We combined them to make cirrocumulus or cumulonimbus clouds. Now its children's turn to learn them and my turn to unlearn what I have learned to know that I know nothing about clouds.
Looking at clouds lexically
Even before, knowing clouds we learned the lexical logic of clouds. Initially it was monosyllabic, we just blabbered as toddlers. Then bisyllables, and within few years we combined our C+L+O+U+D to make a cloud. Now sitting on the bank of the lagoon, looking at the sky I dissect syllables and see. I see no cloud In C, No cloud in L neither in O U or D. Yet combined there is a cloud. Just like magic.
Looking at the clouds, microscopically
Or we can call it scientifically. I read a story about a man who made an artificial cloud inside a room. We can harvest rain of a cloud forcibly for good or bad intentions. We can predict weather weeks ahead. That much we know about clouds. Yet, do I really? I can remember travelling 30000 feet above the ground. The mighty clouds which looked majestic from below were just formed of mist up there. I couldn't feel it. Yet from the ten inch window I could see them. If you see them microscopically there would be nothing but water vapours. Like on this really cold winter we all breath clouds with our exhalation air. And the space X rocket builds instantaneous clouds on its launch vaporising water.The fact is even when looked at microscopically the cloud dissappear, for the second time.
Looking at clouds, macroscopically.
I look up at the sky again. With my scientific eyes I see water vapors but no clouds. With my lexical ears I hear them syllables but no clouds. And for a brief second I close my eyes and I see them dissappear for a third time. When I look at the sky long enough I see a cirrus crashing into a nimbus and become another big one. Then I take all the clouds ever been on the sky from the point of view of a geological rock. And arrange them in order from East to west on the sky. And I see no demarcation of cirrus or nimbus. It is a true spectrum. And the artificial names dissapear again.
Then I let my mind forget everything. Everything I have learned about cloud and try to look at with empty mind. And I know I should see nothing. Yet clouds are there as true as the sky, as true as myself relatively.
I apply the logic of looking at a cloud to look at myself to see the magic in action. Would you do that or are you afraid you will break the illusion and dissappear?
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