It is a strange time here in the UK as all the schools are on holidays and the population has dwindled as many seek the sun abroad.

Even the London Underground it quieter. The roads, shops and ...... yes one thing remains the same .......... the TV programmes are just as boring.

I am giging and prepping and refreshing the irritation where growth resides.
I am pretty all right really.
Satisfied in a restless sort of way.
I hope you get my drift?

I want to to be uncomfortable
I want to be dissatisfied
I want to uncertain and yearning and wanting to become .....

I dribbled these words down my chin some time ago - I think I was driving at the time::

Growth
does not reside
in a place called
comfortable

Human Development
does not reside
in a place called
certainty

Wholeness
does not reside
in a place called
self

Freedom
does not reside
in a place called
Security

I have been on F*cebook for sometime
you can find me by name:- 'beautiful human person'.
I once asked if anyone ever felt anything other than happy
(it seems to me that f*cebook seems to cultivate a 'I am happy' culture
and not level fiveness of telling it how it is.)
'Cheer up Pip' clicked someone!

"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor."
Anne Lamott
'Bird by Bird'

I am one person who has never felt depressed
I have lots of friends who suffer
and have worked with many over the years who have extreme pain in that area.
But I do have a range of feelings
signals I call them.
They are crucial signals
like pain (- pain is good)
because without pain we can be in serious trouble.

I want to feel the feelings I have
I want to have the ability to get in contact with them
they are a valuable part of me
I want to be a feelings person
and not reside in a place called pretence.

I repeat - I am feeling pretty good
but we can oppress others if we pretend we are happy all the time
do you get what I am on about?

"To be free is to know who we are,
with all that is beautiful,
all the brokenness in us;
it is to love our own values,
to embrace them,
and to develop them;
it is to be anchored in a vision and a truth
but also to be open to others and so,
to change.
Freedom lies in discovering that the truth is not a set of fixed certitudes
but a mystery we enter into,
one step at a time.
It is a process of going deeper and deeper into an unfathomable reality."
Jean Vanier



.

"Cynthia wanted some peace.
She boarded up her windows.
Lined her walls with egg cartons.
She blocked the chimney and ripped the phone off the wall.
It didn't work.
The bass from her neighbour's stereo came through the foundations.
A helicopter chopped her quiet into coleslaw.
Cynthia upped the ante.
She inserted ear plugs and covered them with ear muffs
Then she climbed into her bed and put a pillow over her head.
Only then did she become aware of the noise coming from the inside."



.

Common Sense

New album through the letter box today
Common
Been on order for 3 months
Common
Ex Producer Kanye West
Common
Featured with
Common
Lily Allen
D'Angelo
Kenye West
Bilal
...... and it is so exciting and I love it.

It is Hip-Hop and has got such powerful lyrics and grooves
Listen out to the Pipod as the tracks play through in coming days hey hey

It is called::
'finding forever' by Common.

.

FREE

Deniece Williams was the first super star I ever interviewed.

It was at Greenbelt about 20/25 years ago in the very first Rolling Magazine Show at Knebworth.

'Free' was her number one hit.
Still sounds good here on the PiPod.

hey hey


.

I have just watched a fantastic game of Rugby League with the Pie Eaters playing the only French Team in the Super League.

The French Team won in a thriller.

Everyone, including me, thought that 'The Pies' would win and would be facing my team::
The Saints
in the first game of Rugby League at the new Wembley.

The French have had a tough time in Rugby League
A bit of their history here::

On 6 April 1934 the French Rugby League was born with the constitution of the Ligue Française de Rugby à XIII (i.e. the French RL Federation).
On 12 January 1938 the Ligue Française de Rugby à XIIIe de Rugby à XIII was given official recognition by the government of Prime Minister Camille Chautemps, himself a former rugby union player of Stade Français.
The Prime Minister took the decision rather than the Minister for Sports, Léo Lagrange, who was not in favour of such a decision as he was against professional sports and their development. Two days later, for other reasons, the government resigned.

The defeat of France in the Second World War had serious implications for rugby league.
On 15th October 1940 the French RL Federation instructed its clubs to play rugby union as rugby league was banned. Only under 18 players were exempt, and only for one more year.
On 29th December 1941 by a decree of the Vichy regime rugby league was banned after a demand by Berlin.
Numerous players, clubs and officials switched to rugby union.

Between the end of 1940 and the middle of 1942, at least six other French Amateur Sport Federations were also banned and destroyed by the Vichy regime, this in relation with the sport policy of the Vichy Regime and of its National revolution. A BBC reporter explained it thus: "This year (2002) a French government inquiry found that "influential officials in the French Rugby Federation endeavoured to eliminate the competitor, which they claimed was a deviant form of rugby union.""

Rugby league was a working-class sport and had connections to the pre-war socialist government whereas union had connections to more conservative right-wing organisations. The ban was to do with the Germans and Vichy suppressing any opposition to their occupation.

Now there is a great hope that RL will gain from this forthcoming event - national recognition and promotion ....... and even better if they win!

I am delighted for them and RL as we are a minority sport.
Often we have been oppressed by rich powerful men and clubs - even the Vichy government in French occupied France.

Good on you lads ......

I have been a bit quiet in recent weeks about my great team 'The Saints' Rugby League Team.
We have lost a couple of big games in this terrible rain we have been experiencing here in the UK.



We are a fair weather team - in that we play an open fast quick passing game so the bad weather conditions have suited more the slog-it-out-teams. So we lost two games grrrr

But we did win against the Pie Eaters last week - and they are the historical derby big 'must-win-against team.

Yesterday me and Joan were at home in front of the TV watching the Saints beat the Bradford Bulls in the semi-final of the Challenge cup which means we will be playing in the final at the new Wembley Stadium hey hey.
We, on our knees, clapping and cheering and feeling about to burst with blood pressure energy mounting as the match proceeded.
We won hey hey.

It was on BBC TV, instead of the usual digital channel, so many more humans will have enjoyed the thrill of this exciting game hey hey.

The only trouble is::
The final
at Wembley
is
the
same
week-end
as
Greenbelt
stink.

Last year we missed the final because of this but this year we are considering a trip from the Festival, the best in the world, to see the match ............

Come on the Saints.

.

I am on a mission to refresh my irritation .. .. .. .. ..

Get lost ..............

In a community of humans - working amongst beautiful humans ..............
they soon get to know that I am a person of faith
and questions are asked.
I keep my mouth shut
until I am asked questions.
I ask questions - I am writing book of them and have about 500 now.
Questions are beautiful and most of the time I don't have an answer but I try a fumble or stumble into some response .....
So - I ask questions/they ask questions loveitloveit

Once someone came up to me - a young enthusiastic young man - in his older teens.

"Pip ....... I want to become a Christian."
I turned to him and said
"Get lost"

I have a wide range of detecting 'crap factor'.

That is where 'Get Lost Theology' was born.
It came from breathing deep the same air as the kids I was working with.
And living amongst.
Incarnational .....................

I am reflecting on past experience which still remains in the hard drive of my mind - feelings recorded too ......

I had last seen Mick when he first came out of prison; our relationship has developed via many letters from prison.
I don’t think I’d seen his mate Frankie for about five years.
Both were twenty-seven years old now.
Their BMW cars parked outside.
So the three of us sat on the juke-box, drinking coffee and just reflecting.
But then, in the midst of talking about how drug use was an accepted part of life in the East End of London,
Frankie said, ‘We’ve done everything now – booze, thieving, drugs, girls – there’s nothing else to do.’
‘What about God?’ I asked, ‘or does God not fit your East End image?’

This provoked a conversation about the Government and the ‘Old Bill’:
‘There’s a lot of poverty around here now, Pip.
Once the pubs were crowded – now they’re half empty and even our mates ponce (beg) drinks all night …
there’s going to be riots … people are going to join with the blacks and there’ll be riots.’

What they were saying was fascinating in itself,
but what struck me with such force was that they were talking about God
in the same breath as the Government and the police.
So, with controlled enthusiasm, I talked with them of the ‘underside Jesus’ who,
when physically on earth, spent his time with the leper,
the prostitute, the thief, the stigmatised.
He did not act as one in authority and with status.
Mick and Frankie were writing off God as they do a distant oppressive authority!

We have got to come to the same level, as groups of people,
and not stay ‘topside’ in positions of safety, comfort and status.
‘Get lost’ theology is risky because life is.
M Scott Peck starts his famous book 'The Road less Travelled' with these three words::

'Life
is
Difficult'

So we don't need to make it harder?
Or do we need to make it richer?

The Church Missionary Society used the following on their adverts:
‘Has God called you to stay where you are?’
Unless someone moves - Africa stays as it is and the inner city stays as it is.
I am aware that there is more to this argument, but you can see the point:
‘If you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem.’

Some inner-city Christians say to humans who wish to come into tough areas
‘keep out – you do more damage than good!’
That is true – unless the ‘underside’ way is taken and people come in to learn, not to give.
To be
To become

..... go on ..... tell me to get lost ............



.

...... MORE DEATHS by Gangs in the UK
...... so to the urban gangs we say;
settle down
be nice
get a job
mortgage
1.7 kids
slippers by the fire .....

.......... all that is totally boring compared with
the exhilarating thirst the thrills of crime and violence
which is so exciting and you get the BMW, the girls and the bling ........

There needs to be a purpose for living
- a life of challenges,
passion and excitement .............
......................................................who has something on offer?

.

WILL YOU BE A GIANT

today
this week
with other humans
with ideas
with options?






"My own garden is my own garden,"
said the Giant;
"any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself."

So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.

TRESPASSERS
WILL BE
PROSECUTED

He was a very selfish Giant."

Never build walls
until you know what you are walling in
or walling out.

Read the full story here.

I am thinking a lot about this at the moment
walls
and I want to learn about
mine

and you?

.

.......... lots of dots before I click words here at Wilson Mansions late night .........

Five words to describe my life at the moment and I have not one clue what words will emanate out of my soul and stream to my finger tips
keys
internet
your eyes
soul
connecting
........ great stuff this eh?

Reflecting
Issues
Focused
Decisive
Yearning

...... and you?

I find those words are always different.
I dig deep to touch where I am and it is all sorts of things.
Not often one issue/need/concern/thought.

I am ok (you are ok) but it is late night and I am not fresh enough to catch you up with the facts and shedsful of events and humans and journeys and reflecting on them.

I must enter into the zzzz zone soon - as boring as sleep is .......

Tomorrow I will splash these pages with Pipturesque and something about::

'Never build walls until you know what you are walling in or walling out'.

bBeautiful


.

.... what can I say what can I say
...... ... have been for a visit to Dracula (blood test) at the local 1 Billion pound hospital - see the pic

..... have called into Brick Lane on the way home from West London to East London to have a curry with Andy T and the most wondrous catch up

... have spent most of my day working today in one to one conversations 1on1 121 ....... all good and all different ways to tell it

.... have been making constant notes on the tube - all reflecting on life

.... listening to podcasts on d tube when I am not reading - cannot do both

..... awareness raised today that humans on facebook can place themselves at risk of identity theft because of details they post

....... I don't even post my name so it may be difficult for 'even' friends to find me on there

.... I want to Dance like no-one is watching Sing like no-one is listening and Love like I have never been hurt

. .... but I carry hurts and I am glad because I learn so much from them ...... and you?

.

I found that when I eventually got to grips with my feelings,
or started to,
that I began to grow as a human person.

I became an adult when I was about forty years old.
That was part of my discovery because I journey inward.
The opening of a new life
to a new life
and the owning of those vivid experiences which seem to influence life so powerfully
...... negative or positive.

"The unreflected life is not worth living"
Socrates

I have led a groups of many different kinds into this this journey.
In a group - I experience the most powerful kind of learning.
I ask questions of others in the group before me
always rehearsed on myself
cutting deep
.... the question was one which outside of the normal chit chat .............
An example is "When did you become an adult?"

.... fantastic level of sharing bursts forth
I can tell you - it is beautiful
And the answer touches all humans within the listening ear
Who manage their ears
all around the risk taker.

What pleased me was the honesty in terms of sharing feelings.
Raw and to the bone.
Because it is not only the listeners who feel the impact
it is the the one, also, who fumbles and stumble as they describes their real life experiences.

"We become fully conscious of what we are able to express to someone else.
We may already have had the inner intuition about it but it must remain vague so long as it is unformulated.”
Paul Tournier ‘
The Meaning of Persons’

When you work with people who have had massive disasters in their childhood's
followed by later crippling blows,
it is something special to hear their stories
and the story telling is a release.
All the pressure
capped in their volcano soul
defused.


Beautifully so, I can see and feel humans moving all around me ............
.......so many are progressing in their spiritual/wholistic/human potential/emotional life.
Some of them building on that self knowledge and growing in stature.
I love it
and it means I am reaching out my finger tip and being touched by a shalom finger tip.

I have to stretch
Comforting the disturbed
Disturbing the comfortable
and within me .............. too.

I experience beauty and pain and refuse neither.



.

I would love to show some wondrous pix from today but I don't feel it would be right.
I lurve to tell you what I have been doing - but sometimes I don't feel free to do that.

I can only say ......... I yearn to be with beautiful humans and that is what I did today.
I yearn to grow midst them.
I always grow when I stretch.
I always grow like a butterfly does when it leaves it's silk palace.

I believe I have things to offer to others.
I believe they must only be on offer - never imposed.
Freedom to choose
Self determination is the only way
Freedom can only be found by humans themselves.

Like the butterfly we can fly ..............


.

1 I am not ok ................ you are not ok
2 I am not ok ................ you are ok
3 I am ok ...................... you are not ok
4 I'm ok ........................ you're ok

.... each of the four are life positions.
I think we operate one of the above with everyone we meet
not in words - often
but definitely non-verbal language.

The worst one is::
1 I am not ok ................ you are not ok
= I don't feel good about myself and I don't like you either.

The best one, the wholistic one, the one to strive for is::
4 I'm ok ........................ you're ok
I accept myself
I accept you
I accept me with my beautiful imperfection
I accept you with your
beautiful imperfection.

Because this all comes from within
which manages our feelings
language
non-verbal language
attitudes
actions
smiles
laughter
positives
- our starting place is with
the human we will
be spending
the rest of our lives with.

There is a big item here about love
entwining the whole process
from without
to within
and then coming out ................

.

What a great man ......

I have loved him long ...... he has toured with my team ...... he has shared many a stage with me ..... including Prague in 2003
..... and now he has a new album out ....

MONDAY
JULY 23rd 2007 is the release of his brand new album::
Ben Okafor
“CHILD OF BIAFRA”


Songs from the stage production. Featuring the CJAM Choir

Available on-line from www.planktonrecords.co.uk
Price: £11.99 (price includes postage to anywhere in the world)

'Child of Biafra' is the stage dramatisation in words and music of Ben Okafor's own childhood experiences of the Nigeria-Biafra War, during which he was a child soldier.

The play was co-written and is directed by Justin Butcher another Greenbelter.
The play, a multi-media show starring Ben, receives it's premiere performance in the Contact Theatre, Manchester, UK on Thursday 19th July. It is being performed over 3 evenings as part of the ‘War and our World’ seminar.
Hope ...... he can be at Greenbelt Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend - rain or shine.

The CD features songs from the stage production and reflect the origins of Ben's musical career, his early childhood and his early journey through the fields and fortunes of war, and the influences of these experiences on his artistic and spiritual vocation to date.
The musical arrangements and performances are poignant, earthy and acoustic based and truly reflect the African heritage from which they draw. The CJAM Choir (conducted by Segun Gilbert) add a further dimension to the CD in both their wonderful augmentation of Ben's songs and in their performances of traditional Igbo pieces.

Track Listing: (CD running time 58 minutes)

1. Oke Na Ngwele
2. Victoria
3. Ol' Back Yard
4. Nigeria We Hail Thee
5. Raise Your Conscience (mp3 excerpt attached to this email)
6. You'll Be Fine
7. Obin Di Alo
8. Land Of The Rising Sun
9. Hail Biafra!
10. Medley Of Igbo Choruses
11. Jehovah Bi' N' Igbe
12. Mgbe En' Igwe N' Uwa Nka G' Agafe
13. Africa Will Be
14. Love Train

For more information on the ‘War and our World’ seminar: www.manchester.ac.uk/warandourworld

To order your copy/copies of the Child of Biafra CD via our secure on-line shop using visa/mastercard: www.planktonrecords.co.uk
See also::
www.benokafor.com
www.myspace.com/childofbiafra



.

..... I try and try ....

... to touch finger tips with everyone .. ...

..... the beautiful humans I meet ....

... and the beautiful non-humans ....




(we are either one or the other!)

..... I have been eating Polish Apple cake and I loveitloveit

Anita and Tomek came yesterday and we sat in the garden all day.
This is the first time we have sat in the garden all year.
Summer has not arrived in the UK yet and those far away from the green and pleasant lad may not know that most of England is submerged in rain and floods.. .. .......

But we sat in the garden and enjoyed meeting the beautiful small human called Alan.
At four months old he was gurgling well and performed well for the camera.

A & T have him on a strict schedule so he eats at exactly the same time, seems to sleep on auto and has playtime as regular as his meals.
Yet he sleeps all night from 9 to 8 am! Not bad eh?
It was great to do a catch up and I love the apple cake.

Saturday we met up with Annabel who resides beautifully in Hong Kong.

(Little Sheila made a TV programme there some years ago when she worked for the BBC Clothes Show. I have a fab Pipturesque of a crowd around her including one model who is now a TV presenter hey hey.)
Annabel - I could not believe that it was two years since we met up.
Two years of Level Five to catch up on. And we did.

The delicious food at Da Marios was second to all the conversation. The questions and the answers streamed.
She looked really good as we reflected on when we first met in 1980 - when L5 began.
Strange thing is - I didn't take any Pipturesque. I forgot to take any pictures. That is not me. I blame it on the captivation conversation.

Will be back soon - here on the clicks so ................ in the in the gap ................ remember you are beautiful ..............




.

New
books
at
Wilson
Mansions

We Humans ....

..... have two floors in our life
Ground Floor where we invite our friends, the gas man, the milk man, the neighbour ....
and an
Attic where we dump stuff.

We have both ..............
Upstairs and Downstairs.

When things are worn out, eyesores, unsightly - they are understandably placed out of sight in the attic.
We don't have to see it up there.
Others won't see it there.

When we don't like certain parts of ourselves
attitudes
some ugly events
a spoiled relationship
hurts
vulnerability
an uncomfortable emotion
or an error of judgement
.......... we put them in the attic
out of site
out of mind
buried
but
not
dead
buried alive ........... in the attic.

The attic will eventually become full
overloaded
we will become scared of it all falling in on us
will it collapse on us?

The attic - we all have an attic
The attic is our subconscious
The attic is sometimes called 'suppression'.

If we live our lives with the aim of being authentic
real
we will be willing and able to
display and reveal
some of our
vulnerabilities
hurts
uncertainties
and then
we will not be overloaded upstairs.

Emotional energy will be then available for others and ourselves.
Emotional energy will then not be wasted keeping all that stuff hiding away
Emotional energy will not be wasted on unease about an imminent collapse.

Level Five communication is all about living on one floor
One life

Level Five
L5 communication is all about being open and honest.
It is about revealing ourselves.
It is about self revelation.

.

Five words to describe my life at the moment::
Stretched
Backlog
Mission
People
Loveology

So here I am - laptop on my knee - TV's Big Brother finished and a programme on now on TV about adoption.
Real humans telling their stories.
Powerful.
I weep as I see and hear human emotion.
My eyes glaze as I try to keep on clicking .........
Could you adopt a child? There is not a shortage of beautiful human children. Consider.

A four hour commute always leaves me tired. Hot hot stinking hot tube trains as they fill up entering central London. It is like stepping into an oven.
It saps the energy. It dulls the mind....... and I thank God for my iPod and the beautiful grooves entering my soul via the ears.

All my 5 words above could trigger a page of type as a reflection.
These stubby fingers won't do that anytime - certainly not tonight.

I love my work. I consider life to be a Mission NOT a job to make money to spend on 'real life' = when not working!
I live to work and then be re-created by the wondrous relationships with family, friends and many beautiful short encounters.
BUT also my work brings me such refreshment in terms of stretch and encounters with humans.
SO the whole of life is Mission. No such thing as dualism. Double life. Separation. I yearn and live for wholeness and don't want to downgrade any part of my life. YET ................... I do and want to spend time with beautiful humans who are having tough times. I benefit so much and I believe I can make a contribution.



I am looking forward to Saturday when we will eat out at our favourite Italian restaurant in Covent Garden. The reason, apart from 'it is always special', is because we are meeting Annabel our 'Level Five' friend who is over from her home and work in Hong Kong. Being with her is always like taking a shower of golden openness. We will enjoy the full-on catchup.

Looking at the diary .......... Joan and I have a regular meeting to ensure we know the ever changing dates ....... we see a slide into Greenbelt with a lot to do before that.
One week of Greenbelt heaven - it is then directly into a busy schedule with a one week break in late October.

Then we are away for Christmas, at Joy's, then in the Portland, Oregon USA, for New Year ................ to enjoy the wedding of Jenika and Richard hey hey.
Tomorrow I will be buying a 2008 diary ..............




.

Pipturesque

I love these pictures.
(click always to see larger)
The reason .....

Just look at every one.
Each has palms open in communication.

The pointed finger person is one who uses the words 'should' and 'aught' - usually put downs from the lips - pointed finger as a sharp reminder of how 'right' he is.

The Palm Person
........ it is impossible to not to be warm and positive when the palms are open - I love it ....

Guess what these
energetic
youthful
beautiful
young
Norwegian
humans are doing?

Large it
Click the pic
to see it big
and
Beautiful.

fantastic
body language
fun
activity
creativity
loveit

I have a game called
'making love'
I designed it
played it in many places
big crowds
small groups
young
and not so
loveit

I love humans coming up to me and saying
"Can we make love?"
or
"I loved making love"
or
"Do we make love standing up?"
loveit

The group in the photo are making another word- not love.
Tho there WAS lots of love in that room
Your guess with the word
Iloveit

Once
when I was making love with a large crowd
split into multiple groups of 10ish
one group 'made love'
like this::

G. O. D.

creative humans
imaginative humans
passionate humans
making love humans
andIjustloveitloveit



.

Do you know anyone who could take this on - a part time thing?

Working for Greenbelt - what could be greater?

We need a Youth Co-ordinator ..........To co-ordinate the youth programme at Greenbelt, with responsibility for all 11-17’s work and to implement the vision and strategy of the festival’s work with young people.

Co-ordinate, maintain and develop a high quality youth programme
Implement Greenbelt’s youth strategy
Manage the youth sub-group
Develop appropriate networks
Programming Group member
Ensure the youth programme runs smoothly at the Festival
Participate in the wider organisation
A summary of Greenbelt’s approach to young people - click.

.... and here in the UK we go out for
'an Indian'
our favourite food .........

Last night I went out 'for an Indian' with two Indians.
Joy.

I was with Richard and
Mr Singh.
We feed
we beered
we
fed each other in other ways
it was a nourishing time
wondrous.

A meal out is not about the food
it was a good meal of course
but the other feeding
was special
the soul comes to mind.

"you never step in the same river twice"

We had an Indian together a few weeks ago
but we never step in the same river twice
we were in new places
body mind spirit
loveitloveit.

It was beautiful .........





Joan is back home from spending a few days with her Mother
dementia
a terrible illness
the mind goes before the body
(did I tell yo about the young woman I met who was working on a dementia hospital ward - and she had, on the ward, a woman in her early 40's suffering from dementia.
She has forgotten how to eat.
A life before her physically.
No life before her mentally.
There is currently no cure!)

Joan is tired and was not relaxed but - I did my best and as the evening went on - she relaxed some ......

I am aware of many humans who are going through tough times.
None of us the same.

The Road Less Travelled - a great book.
The first three words in the book::
"Life is difficult ............. "

I am with you in yours
if not personally
those around you
let us hold hands
touch finger tips
you are beautiful ................


.