Monasterio Nuestra Senora De Los Angeles, San Cugat, Spain.

09.04



Rising at 06.17.

The rain has stopped, but there is greyness and wetness. So much rain, continuing for several days, is rare here; and most likely very welcome.

Morning Sitting at 07.15.

Breakfast at 08.00. Hot milk for the first time. Comments invited on yesterday evening’s House of Guitars: For those who are here for the first time, perhaps things seem very strange. For those who have been here many times, perhaps things seem very strange.

For one commentator, the sound of rain was more appealing than the music arising within the room.
Another felt that perhaps they were irritating another, who was not playing.
The quality of listening is very different to that on their first course (GC II April 1985).
Wish and listening. Can the heart listen? Does the heart have ears?

Catching-up over the table with Hernan.

Dr. Mike corridor-conversation: he believed it was Wednesday. No! I told him: It’s Tuesday. Clearly, one of us is quite mad.

Kitchen Meeting at 09.45.

12.16    The Guitarist Inside meeting at 10.30.

Attention directed to the soles of the feet, the top of the head. Inside the body; then outside the body; into the whole of the room and the people in it, from whom I am not apart.

Attention shifting between the limbs, circulating three times around the Circle and moving attention to the next limb in the sequence.
Then, a circle of sensation within the limbs while circulating notes.
Then, holding a constant point within the centre of the breast with the circle of sensation continuing to move, and circulating notes also continuing.

The Orchestrina Of Crafty Guitarists, or Wandering About With Wolfgang, met in The Room Without Dancing at 11.15. Chairs were placed at the side, with Orcs standing.

When ready, please begin. Little movement, c. 11’ 25”.
Remain in motion – and the bodies began to move, c. 11’ 55”.
Please find your place and remain there. Motion ceased.

12.57    Beginners Meeting at 12.30 with ten in the Circle,

Circulating right and left.
Then counting in 5, then 7, while hitting 1 and 4; 1, 4 and 6. Fernando, one of the three Buddies present, seemed to keep disturbing the players so they were unable to hit the accents on their particular beat. The Buddies demonstrated the rhythms, and failed. So, the two groups in the Circle demonstrated to the Buddies how it might be done. True, it might have been done like that, but in a fashion not-quite as was intended.
Three chordal downbeats.

13.41    Lunch at 13.00.

Comment on the Wandering About With Wolfgang meeting: it reminded them of a techno-dance disco where everyone was dancing on E.

An attendee from South America: they woke tired and with a backache, but the jokes at breakfast changed things. They enjoyed the Orchestrina.

Alain reported to Hernan, in response to a question on The Guitarist Inside meeting: the circulation of attention – it was as if his body was dancing, but without motion.

And other good comments.

The Buddies are offering personal meetings, as is Dr. Mike and Pia, our Alexander Teacher. My own begin at 16.30.

15.52    The send has been hit, and an important development for Special Study Group I is underway.



17.58    Tea at 16.00.

Six personal meetings beginning at 16.30, addressing real concerns and life issues.

A morning exercise is to be introduced at 18.15 in the Chapel.

20.49    Good comments at dinner.

When you’re ready, please begin – the commentator had spent much of the meeting wondering if they were ready, and for what. This may read as if the comment were trite, but it was not at all: rather, a serious comment from a Beginner looking for a way into the complexities of The Orchestrina meeting this morning.

An Argentian trio performed well, a good piece from an Argentinian composer.

Considering our work this evening, my own concern was how to help the Beginners count from one to five. We consulted the Master Kabusacki once more: Perhaps everyone can join in and help the Beginners in this difficult task. The Room Without Dancing at 21.30.

Dessert, a crepe, was served with copious amounts of whipped cream. Very tasty. The first whipped cream of this course.

A personal meeting with a quorum of the SSG I after dinner, followed by a personal meeting



22.27    A quorum of SSG II with Dr. Mike and Alessandro at 21.00.
The Job Of The Day seems to be moving out into the world, its character perhaps changing. Something is underway with this.

Then to the How To Count From One To Five? guitar meeting; with 10 in the inner circle and perhaps 23 in the outer. No definitive answer was provided to the meeting-question. At one point, a nominal downbeat with two subsequent upbeats became three upbeats with no common down. It was decided that our lips were not sufficiently tight, but even further lip-tension proved to have no positive effect.

All three groups, the inner circle plus two in the outer, broke up declaring: All this counting is too much like prog – where’s the feel man? and formed two whizz groups. These eventually renounced their independent status and became one, providing a good example of Structural Co-operation in the Synergic Epoch, committing itself to whizzing until the world became a better place. They were led into the world, represented by the Room Without Dancing, by Mrs. Moscow, reigning as Queen Vicious. The promenade began, leaving the room and roaming the corridors of the building (perhaps representing the Lower Levels awaiting redemption) until returning to the RWD, where the whizz abruptly halted. The world was declared a better place, with free dispersal from the Circle.

23.58    A spontaneous meeting with Dr. Mike, covering a range of issues and arisings.