Meditation takes many forms and some practitioners suggest focussing the mind on a specific point, such as the head of a pin. I have no trouble meditating lately, which invariably ends up in me nodding off at inappropriate moments, when my thoughts drift and I go into 'lucid dreaming' mode. Whether this is a product of old age, or an over active imagination, I'm not sure, but I do find I quickly slip into a state whereby I am semi concious of my surroundings, but am dreaming vividly. Only downside is I sometimes end up snoring!
Far from being a Flynn-like zen practitioner, I do enjoy focussing the mind on a single issue and find it very easy to visualise things. Something which I find very relaxing and enjoyable to watch is a spinning top. There are branches of buddhism which use spinning tops as a means to focus the mind and prayer wheels perform a similar purpose.
However, I have always loved tops, ever since I got my first Gyroscope and felt the strange force of centrifugal power as I tried to move it out of plane. Since then, I have made a point of picking up tops when I come across them, in xmas crackers or gumball machines, or like the tin top I bought in the lot of vintage toys, on ebay for a few quid.
An early 'Progress' Gyroscope, battered with age, still spins happily on its pedestal. Most gyroscopes come with either an 'eiffel tower' style stand, or a space age conical one.
An unbranded tin top, probably japanese manufacture. The winders tend to be more or less universal, so can power most tops of the same size. This top has four holes around the rim, which make the sound.
Whereas all the others have axles which protrude and fit into the winder, this one has the axle as part of the mechanism, so on release, the top drops away. In the base are five additional slots and inside are two plastic reeds. As the top spins, air is drawn in the bottom across the reeds making an eerie wail like a small mouth organ, almost like the wind in telegraph wires. Its quite a beautiful sound, which drops by a few octaves as it slows. The smaller Triang plastic top on the right of the photo has a stem protruding into the winder and slots around its rim, but without reeds, its emits a keen whistling sound, like its tin brothers.
The Merit Saucer top, twin reeds in the base make a wonderfully mournful sound as displaced air is drawn in at the base.
Can't top this article Wotan!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece Wote! the gyroscope really took me back! There is something quite mysterious about these tops as if they are messengers from another time and place. Lovely little videos too!
ReplyDeleteIt always surprises me how a sound can trigger a memory. If I hear the drone of a distant prop driven airplane flying away, I am back in my childhood home near the docks, tucked up in bed feeling really sad. When I was about 3 or 4, I would hear my dad leave for work early in the morning and would listen for the door close on his way out. As I was awake, I could hear the planes flying off from Speke airport and as they disappeared into the distance, the sound accentuated my distress at knowing my dad was leaving the house. I could also hear the 8 o clock buzzer sound for the dock workers too, a sort of air raid siren that went off every morning. I dont know why I got so sad as my dad always came back! The tops lowering drone always reminds me of the softening sound of the aircraft engine, mournful and sad.
ReplyDeleteThat's a sad and moving memory Wote. I'm sure your Dad thought about you when he was out grafting. I have a similar sad recollection of my oldest Sister and her husband leaving the parental home every Sunday to go to their own house. I loved spending time with them as a kid and I knew when they left it was not only time for bed but also school the following Monday morning! Yuk! And we both grew up listening to the sound of the docks Wote, mine were Albert Docks in Preston about half a mile from my bedroom! There were huge hairy spiders down there in the yards!
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