For the benefit of all beings...

Another month of violence. Here in the US and all over the world. Commonplace and it seems with increasing frequency. And while this small quiet observance does little to alleviate the intense suffering and grief too many people are experiencing first hand, I would still like to offer it as a moment of reflection. A time out and a tune in to something larger than ourselves. A breath. A pause. 
This evening's observance is in the garden of The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist in the Mission.

What do you know?

95%

Happy New Year of the Sssssnake!

Just checking in with a little update from February. This is my Godson Kazimir who was born in January 2008, the first year of dailybell. Since we’ve been doing this all of his life, it’s completely normal to him to ring bells at sunset wherever we happen to be. I just love it. So here we are at a local restaurant having dinner. We took pictures of each other as we rang down the sun, and then Kazi took a photo of the remaining food. I’ll be posting something every month, just to stay in touch. In the meantime, I am working with Everglade Records to produce a DVD of the media from the first year of the dailybell. It’s slow going, but we hope to have something ready in a few months.

Universe holds it's breath?

The sun has been rising at the same time (7:25) every morning for the past 2 weeks here in San Francisco. In New York, it flat-lined for about a week starting on New Year's Eve and has just turned around a few days ago.

This gradual slowing down and holding pattern for the sunrise time happens just after the Solstice in the Winter (at least at these latitudes). In the Summer, it's the sunset time that is suspended.

Like the holding of a breath that's just about to start leaking out again, we are poised at the last moment before the sun finally begins creeping towards the horizon a little earlier each day on Monday.

Hallelujah!

Exploratorium on the Move

Sunset 1/2/13. 5:02 PM

The Exploratorium closing. San Francisco

This is the beginning of the 6th year of the dailybell sunrise and sunset observations. What had begun as a year-long project in 2008 has become what I hope is a life-long practice. And while the focus has shifted to something more personal, it is still my deepest wish and hope that a communal practice of this daily observation could transform society in a profound and positive way.

So in service of this aspiration, I would like to continue to find some ways of sharing observations as well as any benefits that I stumble upon in the course of this activity. While I have not yet figured out what form that will take this year- perhaps some documentation, writing, invitations, etc., I would like to make one more offering in the spirit of last year's weekly documentations.

This is a very special one for me as the sunset coincided with closing time on the final day of the Exploratorium’s location in the Palace of Fine Arts. As one of the many fortunate people who have had a relationship with this museum, I joined the almost 10,000 other visitors that day to say goodbye. Thank you Robyn Higdon for the public bell ringing! This was a glorious piggyback ride for the dailybell and a really lovely sounding experience as well.

I hope you enjoy. Happy New Year!

An extra week?

Sunset 4:37 PM. Broadway, NYC.

Somehow it's the 53rd week. Does this only happen during a leap year?

My nieces were visiting from Florida and we were on Broadway in the snow at sunset this evening. (It's a short one because we were very cold).

Happy Solstice 2012

Sunset 4:32 PM. Brooklyn, NY inch by inch... slowly it turns... but we are heading in the light direction. ahhhhhh

4:51 PM and holding!!!

The Solstice is fast approaching- Hallelujah! In the meantime… For the past 15 days or so the sun has set at the same time every night (at this latitude). It has now headed back the other way and is setting later—slowly. Incrementally. However, the sun continues to rise later each day as well- at a slightly faster rate than the sunset is delayed. So the days still grow a bit shorter until Friday. So for your entertainment during the final darker days, I offer 3 moments from the last 3 weeks at sunset.

12/1/12 4:51 PM, San Francisco Welcome Chloe-

Not so interested in the bells - unless they move.

12/8/12 4:51 PM First Night of Hanukkah

12/14/12 4:52 PM San Mateo, CA End of the Semester :) 

 Happy Holidays!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunset 4:54 PM.  San Francisco

This view of the moon was in the east at the moment of sunset on Thanksgiving. A few minutes later the sky to the west burst into pink. Good thing everything is tied down…

Poor Little Plover

Sunset 4:57 PM. Ocean Beach, San Francisco Poor little snowy plover. This also reminds me of the old smoking sections on airplanes…