Baptist Camp, Lebanon.
Rising at 05.00 & showering in the adjoining shared bathroom, I noticed a ladybird in the bath. To save it from being washed down the plughole, I encouraged it onto a piece of toilet paper from which it land safely on the floor. Then, while getting into the bath myself, I stepped on it. So much for being helpful.
10.35 Morning sitting at 07.00 in the Staff Cottage. Breakfast at 07.45 with good comments from Debra & others on last night's informal performancing. Reportedly, much reliance was placed upon The Hat. And, although the course has not yet begun, there is the sense that something has already begun.
In the report on the performance, the word conditioned was used.
Then, a small discussion on beginning. The question was posed: does a beginning end? A professional teacher of philosophy was invited to reply and felt comfortable saying yes, a beginning does end. Against this was put the view that, in a conditioned world, a beginning is the first stage in a process, that stage does come to an end, and is succeeded by the following stage in that process. However, beginningness is a quality and, in an unconditioned world, may be said not to end – a quality is and is not governed by time. There we are. First breakfast at Camp Lebanon on a course that has not yet begun but which is eternally beginning anyway.
House cleaning in two of the buildings on the property, the Meeting Hall & Staff Cottage, began at 09.30. House cleaning may be described as eternal & ongoing in both the conditioned and unconditioned realms.
(Re-organised) room…
… with a view…
14.07 Four personal meetings beginning at 11.00. T'ai Chi at noon with Luciano. Then an Alexander lesson for me to address the condition of my back. The Alexander practitioner first came to GC as a guitar student in the early days at Claymont.
A very tasty lunch indeed & a few more arrivals.
20.49 Dinner was 30 minutes late, at 19.30.
Over dinner, various members of the Team called out their favourite House Rules, a formal list of which is posted to the board. A new Rule was proposed: always say yes to seconds, even if you don't want it, because the next guy along the table will. This is especially important when it comes to dessert.
Guitar Craft House Rules
Baptist Camp, Lebanon, NJ
Wednesday 16th. March, 2005
Honour necessity; honour sufficiency.
Act from conscience.
Nothing is compulsory, but some things are necessary.
No judgements are made: we accept you as you arrive.
There is no mistake save one, the failure to learn from a mistake.
Honour the role, respect the person.
Some people here will irritate you.
Don't worry: you will also be irritating them.
Please act towards others with goodwill and with courtesy;
Otherwise, be polite.
You are not asked to accept any direction that violates conscience.
You are not asked to passively accept any idea that is presented to you.
Rather, you are invited to test ideas you find surprising, to establish the veracity of those ideas, or not, for yourself.
You are encouraged to adopt a position of healthy scepticism, while participating in a spirit of goodwill.
Please stay outside the kitchen.
Be on the course, to the degree that you are able to honourably bear.
For example, listen to the music generated within the course; telephone when necessary, or when useful.
Avoid listening to, and reading, any non-course material.
Recording during the course is discouraged.
Accept responsibility for your personal space; and that part of the communal space which you own.
If you smoke, please do so outside the buildings.
Please stay within the boundary of the facility for the duration of the course.
If you require something, please ask the House Manager.
Drug use is incompatible with participation in Guitar Craft.
Although nothing is compulsory, this is necessary.
If Robert considers that any person's continuing participation is detrimental to either that person, or the course as a whole, Robert may ask that person to leave.
If any of this is unacceptable, you are free to leave with a full refund prior to the beginning of the course.
If you decide to stay, you are asked to stay for the duration of the course.
23.08
In the Inaugural Meeting at 21.30 the course was formally declared as having begun at 21.38, although at what time it had actually begun was debatable.
People were asked to say:
who they are;
where they come from;
what brought them here;
their aim for the course.
My own declared aim, and what brought me here, is to get a sense of the state and condition of Guitar Craft in North America.
Walking back down the hill to the Staff Cottage, the night sky is clear & beautiful. This has struck me for two nights running.
