awakening through the body
His family had already left the table—they're leaving today, so we ate alone. He offered me beer, I declined. I won't say these snails were very tasty, but you can eat them, they're quite edible. In Eastern countries, according to Sergei, snails are something of a delicacy, but around here they're just protein crawling on the ground. )) There are lots of them crawling around, especially in rainy weather. His women—his wife, daughter, and sister—didn't like them, so he gave me the snails he'd fried up for the road, since if he took them with him they'd just spoil. I, of course, accepted his gift. At least I won't have to cook anything while I'm living here. )) And here's the recipe Sergei passed down to me, from survivalist to survivalist. )) Soak for 10-60 min., salt, boil for 40 min. After boiling, take them out of the shells, remove the innards, and they're ready to eat. You can also fry them—some people like them better that way. They turn out slightly crispy.
AWAKENING THROUGH THE BODY = Day 24 =
I spent the morning on a hike to Cape Bolshoy Utrish. I went down to the beach but didn't swim. Actually, I came here to check if there was anything unusual, like a place of power. I decided to climb the hill opposite the beach. I was aiming to find an ash tree, to later make a runic set from it. In my opinion, ash is better suited for this than any other type of wood. After all, even in Norse mythology, the sacred tree Yggdrasil is an ash. It's said to be the most speaking tree. It wasn't easy to find one on that hill—only juniper grows there. I had to descend to the foot of the hill and cut an ash branch where it at least grew. And, as my friend Roma advised, I tied six ribbons of different colors to a neighboring branch. When I got to Anapa, I bought some more things for making the runic set—cord, beads. The store had everything except a pouch. I think the one I have at home (my real home, where I live) will do. I made it back to the house, limping. Pain under my knee. Probably pulled my hamstring. An unpleasant injury. Likely it'll take a long time to heal. I'll wrap it up properly and rest for a day. I still have a lot of walking ahead—at least two weeks. But before that, I decided to meet up with an old friend, a childhood friend. His name is Vlad, and he's been living in this city recently with his wife and little kid. We walked to the sea, where there were so many people that finding a square meter without someone occupying it was possible, but you had to try. The weather was sunny, though it was already getting toward evening. In my life, everything most magical and best happens in the evening, and so it was today. After the sea, we walked through the city, sat on a bench, and talked about the things two friends who were inseparable as kids talk about—friends whose meeting happened after so many years and so unexpectedly for both of them.
To "wake up," to activate, to start the processes of spiritual transformation, one option can be to find yourself in a state of constant and prolonged stress, when many pain points are activated in an intense mode over several days. It has a sobering effect. The brain starts working differently. Previously inactive areas of the unconscious begin to manifest—areas that were unused before because they weren't needed. And you become a mixture of something new, you gain wholeness at the level of consciousness, energy, and body. Your mind is honed for survival in the best possible way, and your consciousness and body are more unified than ever.