This is the 40th
episode in the travelblog I began on leaving the UK 18 months
ago and therefore I felt it appropriate to mention the significance of change and renewal as represented by the number 40.
Forty is a sublimely interesting and noteworthy number in many traditions
as well as to those who mark the days and years of life as a series of passages
through landmark events. Life begins at 40 we are told, and many who have
passed that milestone can affirm the truth of this assertion.
Scripture tells us it rained
for 40 days while Noah and his family were on the ark that ultimately landed on
Mount Ararat in modern day Turkey. It is also written that Moses was forty
years old when he left Egypt and another 40 years passed before he returned to
seek the release of ‘his people’, then wandered forty more years in the
wilderness. Saul, David and Solomon each reigned for forty years. Jonah was in
the whale’s belly for 40 days.
To study Kabbalah a man is supposed to have attained the ripe old age of 40 years while in Islam and Orthodox Christianity the post-death mourning
period is 40 days during which the spirit of the deceased is still
on earth. Jesus spent forty days meditating and being tempted in the desert
then remained on earth for 40 days after his resurrection. The period of the
Christian Lenten festival, which precedes Easter, is 40 days. Additionally, Mohammed
was forty years old when the archangel Gabriel first delivered to him the
revelation of the Qur’an.
Music sales are registered a
success for reaching the ‘Top 40’, a nap is called ‘forty winks’ and naturally,
you will be aware the duration of the average pregnancy for women is 40 weeks.
Interestingly, the planet Venus forms a pentagram, or five-pointed star, in our
night sky every eight years, with five star shapes in succession it returns to
its original point every 40 years (5x8=40). Many historians, numerologists and
religious scholars believe this cycle of the morning star may be the reason the
ancients attributed such significance to 40. Venus is inextricably connected to
Earth through mythology and astrology and retains symbolism that still affects
understandings of personality in even the least superstitious of people, after
all who doesn’t appreciate Botticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’ or know Venus is
goddess of love?
The examples continue, but
you get the point. Forty is intrinsically linked with a time of change and
renewal; it represents testing and purifying through the passage of time
combined with extraordinary experience. So, in maintaining tradition with the
wise and the mysterious, after this 40th travel adventure post, I
too will revise the way Edge of the Map is presented now that it has
matured (and I'm bored with the style and too busy to continually work at it).
*
I pulled back on the
throttle and drove down the winding gravel road toward the seafront. A couple turns of the wheels and I was gliding above the
sea cliffs past the marina. I took in the majestic scenery around the cape,
easing round the bends to enjoy the view unfurling in panorama before me.
Starting up the coast I left the wide expanse of the clear blue bay in my
mirror. Reaching higher ground, the wind in my hair and the sun on my face
brought my senses to life and I felt the freedom and exhilaration that comes
from knowing what lies ahead is open road.
I had a couple stops of personal
interest before arriving at the rendezvous point and boating off to the tiny
secluded village on the turquoise coast that was my eventual destination so; I
turned off the main road through thick woodland.
After my second sunrise of
the day, I traversed the high grey mountain peak and entered the upper plains
of the other side cruising toward the Asklepieion. Heat ripples rose like the
waves of a desert mirage from the softened black tarmac as the tires of the
motorcycle spun softly into the stones along the side of the road. Swigging
water from the leather cask slung over my back I surveyed the local countryside
of green and yellow meadows, dusty red mountains that rose up from fertile
olive groves and dark pine forest where boar and deer roamed free and gave
thanks for this earthly creation.
Looking out over the Aegean
this site dedicated to the son of Apollo was originally built early in
the 3rd century BCE as a temple and altar of some significance to the ancients.
The king of Pergamon further enhanced it when he added stoa of the Doric order
a couple centuries later. The massive marble staircase, 38 metres wide, that
led up the hillside was lined with columns and statues of gods and important
figures of the day. Much of what actually occurred here in terms of ritual is
lost in the annals of history, however its importance as an altar is underlined
by the location and many artefacts uncovered in and around the temple grounds.
The best thing about it
today, other than a few interesting relics, is the natural beauty of the
setting, with an incredible view across the straits to the islands in the near
distance. I stayed long enough to enjoy a freshly squeezed orange juice under a
mossy shade tree before setting off toward the 500-year-old fortress that was
built to protect the region from marauders and armies from near neighbours that
patrolled the coast seeking opportunities for expansion and conquest. The fort
and its battlements, though abandoned in recent years, still impresses with its
scale and stunning position on the cliffs high above the town. One can imagine
the mighty cannons that would have boomed warning shots across the bows of
invading forces and the echo of victory accompanying the many battles seen from
behind its towering walls.
I was alone and undisturbed
as I enjoyed the spectacular view from the summit, and walking around the
crumbling castle I could only imagine the many stories of the brave men who
lived within these solid walls to protect the villagers’ ordinary lives in the
valley below. A citadel of immense proportions with cannons aimed out over the
blue sea, its purpose now rendered useless by the jets that occasionally stream
overhead, it served as home to hundreds in an age now long past.
Today hawks
and ravens swoop on small prey along the edge of the rock face while a small
troop of soldiers practice manoeuvres in a fenced arena on the plains at the
base of the mountain where only a herd of goats foraging for sweet grass
provide any threat.
I had an appointment to keep
and after a brief moment of daydreaming I hit the road again, cruising down the
other side of the mountain until the rocky peaks receded into serrated grey
shadows above me.
A few fishing boats bobbed in the sun-streaked ripples along
the seafront as I drove into the harbour and I located my friend in the little
café on the strand. We wasted little time wading out to the boat and kicking
the little motor into life. The journey along the rugged shore was stunning and
offered us a bit of time for a dip in the crystal blue water of the tiny cove
where we anchored for lunch.
I hadn’t commandeered a
speedboat for some years and felt a little out of my depth as we rounded the
peninsula and caught the crosscurrent with a sensation reminiscent of the day I
took my sons and dad out on an open water northern Scottish loch. The engine
wasn’t strong enough, I felt, to handle the pull of the waves where the Aegean
met the Mediterranean and although I managed to manoeuvre the speedy craft
through the drag it wasn’t the most comfortable feeling for this landlubber. I
was glad to round the cape and find an inlet to pause for a refreshingly cold
drink and another swim in the azure water before the final leg of the voyage.
Dinner was a feast of local
culinary delights and fabulous entertainment including an impressive lady who
did amazing things with raw flames. Hopefully, the effort I put into this
expedition, and the groundwork I laid beforehand will spark a fire and ignite a
positive change of schedule. I have lived a blessed life with so many memories
I can only give thanks for the opportunities I have been given, the paths I have
travelled and the people who have lived with my need for eternal transformation.
Those who love me and nurture my hopes even with knowledge of my naturally
passionate and restless character are always first in my thoughts.
My own time on this earth
has been marked by a sequence of actions and deeds categorically consistent
with the ‘normal’ experience of living, either because I’ve simply followed
nature’s course or by imposing upon myself a set of predetermined expectations
that became self-fulfilling. However, it hasn’t been an ‘ordinary’ life. I’ve
experienced most of the usual chain of events, university, marriage and
children and a regular job, to arrive where I am now with a reasonable
understanding of how each subsequent action was informed by the previous
providing me with appreciation of both a linear and cyclical vision of the continuity
of human existence.
What goes around comes
around, like instant karma and the stars above, and we become renewed in faith
as we dare to dream. I believe we learn by opening our hearts and minds to all
potential experiences and applying those lessons. Unfortunately, I meet many
people who haven’t a clue about our origins or latent power and fear their
dreams of discovery remaining ignorant of the rainbows that swirl as
kaleidoscopes in our minds.
Most people it seems are
obsessed with notions of success that remove them from true knowledge – a new
kitchen installed every three years according what some arbitrary design
consultant tells them is fashionable, a faster and bigger car every two years
and recognition of achievement amongst strangers; seriously, what is this
pedestal of fame and why do so many clamour after it as though it were the holy
grail of life? Everybody wants to change the world – but look where that has
taken us. The only thing worth changing is your mind. That’s where real change
happens.
A change is as good as a
rest they say, and I had so many changes over the years that it became a way of
life for me; I must be well rested by now.
I enjoy change and the challenges it
brings; I’m happiest in a liminal state where transformation leads to acquired
knowledge and growth. The Chinese character for change denotes both opportunity
and risk, and that appeals to me because I see no joy in a life that is forever
mired in habit. The same people, the same job in the same place, the same food
and the same thoughts signify stagnation and boredom to me. So, I present
myself with challenge to develop interests and discover opportunities for
spiritual and intellectual growth. Constant renewal helps to keep me feeling
alive and vital. 
Though not everyone handles
change with the same determination and enthusiasm, everyone knows it always
feels good to come home, so I do believe some routine is essential to stability
of mind; continuity represents security for most people. Continuity and change
are two sides of the coin that buys wisdom and happiness. So, while life goes
on with its endless custom of change so too the things that keep us grounded
reinforce our sense of identity and connectedness to community.
We all need
change and experience to grow and we all need continuity and security to feel like we belong, but as
Sitting Bull, the great Sioux Chief said, “we belong to the Earth, Earth does
not belong to us.”
So, as summer will become
autumn and the stars above us shift in alignment with nature’s laws of physics hold that thought in mind, and remember that maintaining a balance of
reality with the ambition of imaginings is key to a happy life, and living in harmony with nature is essential to future life on this earth. I too will
adapt and move on regardless of past dreams and aspirations, plans that succeed
and those that don’t, people who come and those who are gone, but I recognise age is but a
number and all numbers though significant in their own way are but abstract
signs on the road to paradise.
Whatever your personal situation, whatever times
we live through, the ups and the downs of experience, all of life is connected;
as history flows from the past to the future so too we continue to change and
mature with our own unique and wonderful story of being and becoming in harmony
with the beautiful planet we live on.
* * *
Each team plays 40 matches in a regular Premier League
season, but unfortunately Arsenal, the team I’ve been following since 1971,
exactly 40 years, are having their worst start in many years. Thank goodness my
hometown team, Peterborough Posh are having one of their best seasons in a long
time. After being promoted into the Championship (one division below the
Premiership) through the playoffs they’ve been having a terrific run. Two
seasons ago, following 2 consecutive promotions, they crashed out of the
Championship with one of the worst ever records. However, with Darren Ferguson
(son of Manchester United manager Sir Alex) back at the helm, the Posh have
returned to winning ways and are maintaining a reasonable position in the top
half of the table. I, like most Posh supporters, will be happy just to see them
stay up, but so far they’ve exceeded expectations, beating Ipswich by a
stunning 7-1 and thanks to a last minute own goal, we beat the recent FA Cup winners from the south coast on their home turf
3-2. Up the Posh!
* *
*
