The Raven
Saturday 1st March 2003
I have been driving around downtown Los Angeles all day. One difference is that I decided to use the map to guide me, but as I know when I rely on sources outside of myself the result is that I screw up even more and get even more frustrated in the process. I did get a reminder in the form of a raven while I was in a park and also on the edge looking down on the Los Angeles basin. A place where it is mostly dry but it can handle lots of rain. The raven sat on top of some branches looking at me, and I was reminded to look inward into myself again. The Raven is for me a symbol of the spiritual so I looked inward for a moment before heading down into the dry basin. I sat on the cement slope and suddenly looked back and there sat the raven on the railing above looking down at me. I felt my focus change to one of a deeper rhythm, one that slows down the system. As the change happened in the body, I turned my head to look at the raven again, it was gone, its job fulfilled. My focus had changed as it needed to.
Instincts
I continued driving around in the Los Angeles downtown area following my map just because I wanted to. I drove among the skyscrapers, and a car ahead of me suddenly turned right and I decided to follow and noticed that I had turned into a street that took me straight to 7th Place which runs parallel to 7th street. I felt that there was a lot of frustration and anger in this neighborhood and it can be a risky place to walk at night if one is not careful.
I found the place where the exhibit is to be held and drove on to get some dinner. I am now parked close to where I ate my Mexican dinner. It seemed everyone in the small home cooking restaurant only spoke Spanish. There seems to be more Spanish in Los Angeles than any other group.
It was time for me to drive back to 7th Place to see the exhibit and meet the two Norwegians from yesterday. That experience brought back memories from the time I lived in Norway. I have in the last two days thought about Norway and earlier today played with the thought of visiting Norway for a few weeks since it only costs around $400, so instead of me going to Norway, Norway came to me. I visited the exhibit and found out that there are perhaps 25 Norwegians that are exhibiting a picture they have taken. The Norwegians attend Oslo Photography school and are on a school trip visiting Los Angeles for a one week exhibit. They will also use another three weeks to visit various places to take pictures they can show when they get back to Norway. It was strange to hear Norwegian around me just as if I was back in Oslo. To see Norwegians act like Norwegians with drinking and smoking brought back memories from when I lived there. I stayed until 1.30am before heading back to the hotel.