Sunday, May 30, 2010

Be in Life

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Be in life


but keep your ideas
and your ideals
within yourself



Be true to Self
in the quiet
of your own space



Immerse yourself
in everyday life



But remain your own self
inside



Participate in the world



But be of
your own inner world







Paraphrased 
from Joseph Campbell


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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Leaving a Mark

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Leaving a mark




Some talented people
leave their mark in the arts
or sciences
or in sports
in humanities and in healing
in organization 
or discoveries




But for the rest of us
more ordinary folk
I hear about the need 
to leave a legacy


to leave behind something 
tangible
memorable


to leave a trace
that the future generations 
can have as a marker
of our time on this earth
as a reminder of our presence



Some people create histories
write family records
research genealogy
create stories


Some want to leave
their creative endeavours
as their mark
some in words
others through images
or creations


and then some people
want their mark to be left
in the hearts
of their families
and friends
in the impact
that they have made 
on the souls 
of their loved ones



the Tao says that

Only by virtue of Love
does one live forever



Is it important for you
to leave a mark...
How would you like
to make your mark...






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Markings from pencil rubbings
in order:

outdoor rattan table top
 crack in my worn desk
my woven shopping basket
seam of bamboo trunk
shell
conch shell
 rattan coffee table top

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Friday, May 28, 2010

A Wabibito

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A Wabibito
is what I want to be


Ikebana


someone who understands the wisdom
of the grasshoppers and the rocks


Zen Rock Garden Kyoto


I want to become satisfied 
with my life

a simple life lived modestly

I want to pare back
and live now
and feel the peace
of the natural world
around me


Tea House


Wabi Sabi
is a Japanese view or aesthetic
based on the acceptance of transience
It suggests we find a beauty in 
all that is

Imperfect
Impermanent
and 
Incomplete


Bonsai Brooklyn Botanic Gardens


in the humble
the modest
and the unconventional

Shakuhachi Flute


Wabi Sabi nurtures all
that is authentic by acknowledging
those three simple realities

Nothing lasts
Nothing is finished
Nothing is perfect


Tale of Genji text 12th Century earliest illustrated Handscroll


The word Wabi
speaks of a rustic simplicity
a quietness
with the quirks and anomalies
which add uniqueness
and an elegance 
to a creation

Tea Cup, Hagi Ware 17th Century


Sabi
suggests a weathered rusty beauty 
and serenity
that comes with age
when the life of the object
and its impermanence are evidenced 
in its patina and wear


Kenrokuen Hanami


This is how I want to age
with wabi sabi
accepting the natural cycle of growth
decay and death
wearing the bloom of time


 Shigaraki Jar


Wabi Sabi can be considered
the material representation 
of Zen Buddhism


 
Black Raku Tea Bowl, 16th century


A wabibito
is a person
who is free in heart
who is comfortably oneself
and has the ability
to make do with less...
to appreciate the nobility
in the simple
and the common




A man is rich
in proportion to the number of things
which he can afford
to let alone

Henry David Thoreau





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Labelled Illustrations from Wiki commons


Thursday, May 27, 2010

A Double dose of Beauty

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I have two beautiful things
to show you from my walk today

the first, you may question
my descriptive terminology




But I find 
this little Bearded Dragon
to be quite a beauty



A lizard of the Pogona family
he has splendid camouflage
and patterning



an inquisitive glare



spiky scales around his throat
and the back of his head
which can expand
when he feels threatened

His gentle friendly nature
makes him a good pet

This Bearded Dragon
was scuttling across my path
He measured about a foot in length
and will nearly double that
as an adult



But with my second offering



I am sure
that you will concur



 this soft peachy sunset
over the ocean



is a beautiful way
to end the day's walk




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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The less you have...

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The less I have
the more I have 
to be grateful for...




I wrote this as a comment 
to Steven one day
and Dan picked it up
and suggested I take it further





The paradox
above
has developed
from my world view
which has changed
and metamorphosed
over the years
as I have done so 
in parallel





Paring back
having less
not needing to accumulate
acquire possessions
belongings
not needing to achieve
or gain
or fill my life with busyness
is an emptying
that has given me
a quiet peace 
and contentment





and for what I have left
in my simpler life
I feel a deeper appreciation





In my state of less
I care more
I feel more
I share more
I experience life
more fully





 I feel more connected
to people 
and to nature
Having less has become
having more






Life is fuller 
and deeper
Life is richer
and I feel 
a rising gratitude
for all of the elements
of my Less
which are so much
more than More





and therefore
The less I have
the more I have 
to feel grateful for







Does that make sense
to you...






Artist: Jose Manuel Merello


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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

No Bikes No Dogs


But it doesn't say
No Kookaburras



So I will perch here a while
and allow you to walk 
up very close



and even poke 
that black apparatus
right into my face

I won't flinch
or show I am at all concerned



and you can admire 
my splendid blue feathers
shining in the sunlight
like iridescent paua shell



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Monday, May 24, 2010

A Personal Symbology

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A Personal Symbology



At various times
in my life
I have been aware 
of powerful symbols
that seem to represent
the essence of an experience
or to succinctly capture
a prevailing emotion or feeling



At times when
significant people in my life
have passed through the veil
I have been visited by Brahminy kites
beautiful brown winged raptors
And I have also seen splendid rainbows



On the morning 
of my Mother in Law's death
I was driving my youngest to school
when the biggest and brightest rainbow
I have ever seen
arced across our town
in a vivid embrace



On the morning of her funeral
I took a walk by myself
and saw the same rainbow
and then again 
as we drove to Auckland Airport
to fly back home to Australia
a rainbow seemed to follow the car



These past few weeks
I have seen the Brahminy kites 
soaring the skies
and just a few days ago
and then again today
out over the ocean
the Rainbow of Hope




It may be a co-incidence
It may be synchronicity
It may be purposeful
It may be none of these things
It doesn't really matter
What does matter is that the symbol
is a container
a vessel that is able to hold
the feelings, emotions and energy
linked to the experience 
and of something more than the experience
The symbol holds all that is ineffable
beyond the scope of words



A symbol speaks in a language
more powerful than words
its magic and poignancy 
reach into the unconscious
and connect us to deeper realms
to deeper layers of feelings
and experiencing



They create a bridge
between the conscious world 
and that of the unconscious
and I believe 
of the Universal consciousness
Symbols yield a powerful connection 
and knowing
a communication that is intuitive 




Do you have 
special symbols
that have become a part 
of your personal symbology...




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