The Castle in the Pyrenees

I've been thinking a lot about death recently. Do you believe in an 'afterlife', Anna? I don't suppose you do - being Swedish and all that.

I have just finished reading 'The Castle in the Pyranees' by that Norweigian geezer who wrote 'Sophie's World'. I'm not sure what he's getting at really. The male character - a climatologist - espouses the scientific view: evolution and all that. Very persuasive. But his female partner believes we have a 'soul' that goes on when our physical body dies.

I like that idea. But where's the evidence?

Although I have told you about that dream I had, years ago, when I saw Annie's 'etheric' body leave her physical body (at least that's what a spiritualist said when I told her about it) on the Sunday evening. And the following morning I had an overwhelming urge to visit her. I could get no answer when I knocked, and there was a bottle of milk on the step.
Later that day I received a phone from relatives to say they had broken into the house and found she had hanged herself.

I do believe that Annie somehow contacted me at that final moment, in extremis. And I suppose you might say - well isn't that proof enough for you?
And yet my rational mind (she was always telling me to suspend my rationality) keeps nagging me... evidence? evidence? 

If you suspend rationality doesn't that open the door to all sorts of myths, superstitions, ritualistic behaviour... all that stuff?

Robert Pirsig suggests that rather than suspend , we should expand rationality to take in phenomena for which their is lots of evidence - even though it may be anecdotal (and therefore because of its nature is not  able to be investigated by scientific method). At least that's how I interpret it.

What do you think? 


It's raining. And as I look out of my garret window, over the suburban rooftops, for some reason I think about canals. I always liked canals in the rain. A sort of melancholy but comforting beauty. And me all snug in the cabin. And time seemed to stretch away... no rush, no hurry.


Anyway, Anna, I am going to get my haircut. I sometimes think of letting it grow, and becoming a hippy. I may do this one day.


Look forward to hearing from you,

Your George

Note: Magritte's picture is actually called The Castle of the Pyrenees