Wintry Symbols

Icey Winter Ornament - MS 2021

 

Wintry Symbols

The textured note,

How minute in scale,

To dissect and split

And measure the woven waves—

Yet breathing life,

The ears receive

Pristine chimes

And enchanted tunes—

The wintry symbols,

So clear in form

(The star, the wreath, the bell)

Put mind at ease

And light the heart

With warmth amidst the frost—

From macrocosmic cut-outs

To natural forms in paper,

The shapes bring forth

Their light and truth

Pointing thus to

A loving world,

A timeless

Single

Note.

MS21

(The following are some parts I cut out of the revision but feel they have some potency yet):

The unchanging Forms

With multitudinous reflections

In paper, in plastic, in gold

Do embody the unspeakable truths—

On these wintry days

When warmth we seek,

A bell, a cane, a ball, a flake—

May bring a song, a lucid tune

To light our hearts aflame.

Non-Local Movement No.8

 

Non-Local Movement No.8

The Non-Local Movement series refers to the idea of a timeless field ungraspable by time-bound cognition. The notion of "instantaneous action at a distance" is related to this.

The busy thoughts
Like criss-crossing highways
Seen from above
Course through my mind
Consuming power
And unceasing—

The Notion arises,
The quenching brook
Trickles through
Consciousness
And gently
Washes away
All confusion.

MS21

This, the 8th of the series embodies contrasting motion, in both material and space. The formless shape, only visible through the embracing wood form may move attention away from thoughts and into the spacious realm of timeless quietude.

Free Write and Poem

 

Appearance of Being No.2

 

Free write for this quiet, rainy, serene Thursday morning in Guildford, Surrey, BC, Canada, North America, America, "West" (sarcasm), Earth, Systema Solaris, Milky Way (named from its appearance from the earth's point of view).

Our own planet continues to mystify.

How much more the galaxy!

Yet a partial name from an internal perspective (as we are part of the milky way) it is. A simple and poetic description of such a majestically moving body which we can never Know—not through observable data (or even hyperlogical induction) that is. Heresay has me believe there have been and maybe are some who can access direct Knowledge of "heavenly" ("archaic" use) bodies. Is it true or a myth?, yet how much Truth do "myths" (ancient) carry? I say "boundless" amounts packed into symbols. This is why archetypal symbols found in various cultures are so "delectable".

Now, what is behind this curtain of "life". I use "life" in a presumptive way to refer to a "common" way of perceiving. I am inclined to accept the outlook from the centre, the me, to be like naming the milky way based on its appearance from a specific interior view point. This is clearly limited, fragmented and partial at best, totally false at worst.

Behind the curtain,

The metaphorical curtain,

Woven with fibres of fear—

Flashing in and out of existence

The curtain, not real

But a mode,

A description of a mode,

A mode so deceptive,

So stimulating to the core—

This spherical curtain

Within which I abide,

Nature's virtual reality,

The Cosmic Joke.

MS21

The poem is structured as if getting glimpses (like a shutter opening and closing) of a pulsating and continuous thematic object (the curtain) beyond. This enables brevity if not abrupt omission, and multidirectional approach (cubist, if you will). Did you notice the last line of the poem reflects the last line of the preceeding text?

An anecdote and a poem

 

Parallel Forces No.6

An anecdote and a poem:

For some reason, all the people I interacted with in my community today seemed to be shining internally. Can you believe it? I didn't get a "nasty attitude" from anyone! I will mention one of them: the place I ordered curry for lunch. The rice was truly beautiful. There was an essence to it—the artful way it was made echoed centuries of cultural evolution. I know I cannot make rice like that at home, I just don't have that kind of cultural knowledge and memory in me. It's like the cook was not playing the role of the cook but had the beauty of the craft flowing through his being. After eating the palak paneer, I was invigorated. The freshness and quality of the ingredients are not the only factors at work here. Anyway, the vitality which I came in contact with today oxygenated my internal flame and inspired the following poem.

Anything and everything—

The pristine clarity of Love—

Moments are moving,

Time factors not—

The crystalline World

Asks not for a thing—

The silence prevails

Underneath the act.

MS21

A Short Dialectic on Art

 

A Short Dialectic on Art

 

In order to improve something, something has to change; like when humanity learned that the earth is not flat. At that time, our understanding of the solar system improved. So improving our understanding of nature must involve a change—either new knowledge or remembering forgotten knowledge. What I'd like to share here is something that I think fits into the second category.

The question is: What is art?

 

A: Art is action done properly. This includes riding a bike.

 

Q: No, I won't accept this. Painting an artful picture requires something extra.

 

A: False. That which you think is extra is actually ordinary. When someone does anything with a sense of beauty and order, they are using the same faculty as a painter. The difference is a superficial one. The painter has knowledge and skill with colour, form, composition, etc. and the biker has riding skills. If one has skills in playing baseball, they can play it beautifully. Every action has the potential to be artful.

 

Q: So, why is this important?

 

A: Because we have been taught to believe that art is something different from everyday activities and therefore fail to understand the beauty of just being alive. The greed of modern society has blinded us from this ancient understanding of art. In order to become richer, we have crossed the moral line and sacrificed the beauty (art) in products, work, business, services, etc.

The Absurdity of War and The Human Problem

 

The Absurdity of War and The Human Problem:

Any rational pair of human beings will not resort to physical violence when finding themselves in a conflict. They will find a resolution even if it is parting of ways—agreeing to disagree so to speak. There is respect and love behind the disagreement. Why should international relations be any different? Why is killing other human beings acceptable? It is not. If we are going to be a coherent species and to also respect mother earth, we will have to start seeing each other as family—every single person whether they are mad or sane. The sane ones must treat the mad ones like lost children (through respectful guidance).

I have recognized my egoism (thought-based reality commonly thought to be sane but actually insane) which has the lower self, the "me" or "ego" as a center around which this false reality is formed. This is the common way of existence for the vast majority of people. My objective then is to be liberated from this psychological structure which is the cause of mistaken activity in this world. We cannot change others by trying to force our ideas upon them, but by changing ourselves fundamentally (structurally, not content-wise) we have already changed the world as a whole (since we are part of the world and our effect on others is seen to take immediate effect). This is the only way humanity will realize a new way of living never before known on a global scale. We are all basically mistaken until we are free from egoism.

The work of J. Krishnamurti clearly explains my point. Most people will find excuses not to listen to it though. This is the egoic structure at work. I guess when Plato and others stated that only the initiated could begin study, they were referring to this problem of "resistance".

 

Where am I speaking from? Am I just repeating words I've heard or speaking theoretically? No. I have, through many, many hours, days and years finally started to dismantle the structure (this is just the beginning). In so-doing, there is direct and immediate validation which does not change back. This permanent eradication is the sign that it is the actual structure of the psyche that has been targeted and not just a concept (which would be superficial). The validation consists of great mental clarity which effects the ability to breath fully and consequently effects the health of the entire body. My explanation for these workings is that our egoic structure is a giant obstruction, comparable to a body frozen by fear, which prevents the free flowing of energy. The more energy flows, the more liberated we are. Yoga stretching works based on the same premise but begins with targeting muscle tension and density. The egoic mind may respond to this type of activity with a surge of force but once that is also recognized and disarmed, the positive progress (which is a negative process or negation when spoken of in a physical sense) becomes once again apparent and on we go deconstructing the system further. Oh, it's beautiful. Love with capital L.

Questioning the Ground from Which We Move

 

Questioning the Ground from Which We Move 

There is so much junk information reaching our senses.

Without first clearing most of it away (at least the big pieces, like pizza boxes, dumped furniture, rotting pineaple chunks, etc — to continue the analogy) it is impossible, yes impossible to begin questioning clearly. (FYI principles of physics apply here!)

Once there is some clean, quiet, space one can begin.

Now, sensitivity is required.

When the "miserable ground" which normally goes unnoticed is recognized, the activity of negation which will ultimately lead to vast psychological freedom, has already begun. Congratulations. It's not "far out".

 

MS21

Three Pieces, Three Poems (new poems)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Form and Formless No.8 - W 7" - Yellow Cedar:

 

With fire

And breath

Traversing mountains

Without motion

MS21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inseparability of Action No.5 - W 7.25" - Port Orford Cedar, Wax:

 

Immanent excursion,

Pulsing sea waters,

Lost nowhere

MS21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intent to Act No.1 - W 5" - Yellow Cedar:

 

That constant presence

So polite and servile

Self-compassion must reign

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First Untitled Form and Why?

WF156

This is another form which came rather spontaneously onto paper. Without an intentional direction the idea appeared vaguely in my mind and the hand (with pencil) completed the design (gave it coherence). It resonated yet I couldn't formulate a title. Normally the title dawns on me soon after selecting a sketch for production. Sometimes even a poem may emerge to supplement the essence of the idea/form. I'm not sure what it is that makes this piece so vague with regards to an associated idea. Perhaps it really is a synthesis of multiple ideas (I had written "synthesis...artist as synthesizer" at the top of the sketch page (most likely before the sketch was outputted) but did not accept it as a title). So this is the first form which assumes the sculpture (or wood form) number (WF156). Other titles I considered were "Sleep", "Dreaming" and Symbiosis No.3 but none of them felt right.

WF156 is made of air-dried yellow cedar, with a subtle grain pattern. It is light in colour and the form may even suggest bone.

Movement captured by mind,
The search for limits
And finality—

Yet on life goes,
The sweet energy prevails
In timeless motion
And shining Love.

MS21

Arch No.16

Arch No.16 - 2021

 

 

Standing straight,
The wind rushing
Against hemp shirt
And hair—

The empty meadow—
Gazing out onto
The distant clouds
Meandering above
The granite horizon—

All of humanity,
Nay, all of Nature,
So pristine and clear
Does sparkle
Within and
Without—

MS21

At 8.75" wide Arch No.16 may find placement on a side table, console or the like. Carved from a single block of Western Red Cedar, the natural grain humbly asserts itself through the satin finish of the wax and oil. The Arch Series consists of forms which are stripped down to their bare essentials. Through this exploration of fundamental structure and organic form, themes of human relatedness to nature, perception of self and other, and the ground of Love, emerge.

The Essence of Reception No.1

 

The Essence of Reception No.1 - 2021

The slight curve may suggest a stretching out or reaching, only to terminate in an open connection that may either imply turning back upon oneself in an infinite return loop, or an infinite opening to "cancel the reach". This may sound very abstract, and it is—indeed it was my feeling when drawing this form on paper. The following poem was also written at the time of the inception of the form on paper. 

As infinite as space, 

So too is Form*— 

 

Yet as subtle as presence, 

So too is sensitivity— 

 

As naturally as a leaf flickering in the wind, 

So moves the mental barrier 

In its blinding transparency— 

MS21 

 *All form in general 

After discovering the form on paper, I contemplate its origin and meaning, and devise a title, then in an elaboration on this meaning a poem may emerge. In this case the poem sets the ground for the conceptual connection with the title: "Once the mental obstacle has been removed, the pure or open "ground" may receive "insight". This particular form (one of infinite possibilities) suggests a "reaching or seeking" with an element of openness/femininity/negativity essential for this "engagement" or reception of the "insight"."

Nature No.1

 

The engagement of sight,

The silent wonders

That quiver before us—

The fluttering butterfly,

Its sails gaining purchase

On the weight of the atmosphere—

The slow moving slug

Its senses, like ours,

Engaged with the environment,

Its head turning with

Smooth trajectory

And compassionate order—

The fruit tree swelling

With such rapid growth,

Turning water into juice

And shining in the sunlight—

The bumble bee busy

In focused activity,

Unpausing to ponder,

To sit and stare

At the endless sky,

The distant moon,

The light of the stars,

And the ending of time.

MS21

Thoughts on the World

  

Thoughts on the world:

The pure present within which all movement plays about is silent amidst the noise, peaceful amidst the chaos. The war-cry is insanity at its most powerful expression and is seen clearly as such only through the eyes of compassion. We hold hands in love and community, ever falling out of violence and into Sanity, Health and Prosperity. We must listen to the angry ones like we would to a hurt child and answer with love instead of hostile reaction. (Clear away wrong-doings of the past and start afresh everyday!) For this reaction is simply more of the same violence. And, this is the cause of perpetuation. This "non-reaction" is the important change in society. Society consists of individuals, so each of us must change and this is how the world is changed — not by trying to control "others" (or ourselves) and manipulate the internal or external system and our surroundings and interior — proper and liberated expression comes later because we don't know how to act properly until we have changed. Before changing (ourselves), our actions will be partial and reactive, causing more conflict. Action is an expression of the core self. If there is peace, love and wholeness at the core, there will be an outward expression and working of the same. So-called "society" is a reflection of our individual selves. 

 

Note: 

This change in ourselves will not occur if we attempt to control ourselves, because this is more violence, just directed inwardly. Real change and liberation can only occur when the fundamental way the psyche works is seen actually — not conceptually. This is the important point. We must see ourselves directly, not through the interpretation of comparative (dualistic) thought. Seeing this way is the action which ends in dissolutionary change; and therefore freedom, love and wholeness.

Self-Inquiry No.1

 

Self-Inquiry No.1

 

 

Carved from a block of air-dried yellow cedar with tight growth rings, the form of Self-Inquiry No.1 reflects the nature and delicacy of the material and craft. The subtle form invites the viewer to peer inwards only to find more space and openness. The irony of self-inquiry is just this. The looker seeks to find oneself, but the self is the looker who cannot possibly see itself (like a sword cutting itself in half). When the self is thought to be perceived, it is actually only a construct through thought. So, our common self-image is this imaginary self. When this ironic fact is grasped by the higher or true self, then there is wholeness and Love. Is this the cosmic joke?

Nothing.
Or is it something?
That empty space,
The vast arena,
The pure silence
And rest—

I look
Yet my eyes are met
With pitch black
And infinite quiet.
But yet, I am,
Not of time,
Nor space,
I am here
And everywhere,
Yet nowhere.

MS21

Transient Reflection No.1

 

Even fleeting moments

Never were

But transient reflections,

Appearing densities,

Only to fade just as easily

In timeless flux—

 

The moon-cast shadows

Of crooked pine

Dissapear as the shoji screen

Slides open

Revealing the dark night

And endless transformations.

 

MS21

The Boundless Nature of Truth No.1

The Boundless Nature of Truth No.1 - 2021

 

 

The towering aspen tree,
Its leaves flickering in the breeze—

The mid-day sun light
Shimmering across the rippling water—

The quiet mind,
Unoccupied by events,
Like a crystal,
Reflects the shining
Nature of Truth.

MS21

Gesture No. 5

 

Like shells, skin

Attached but separate

Like all

 

The colours of motion

Spin and turn in splendour

And yet the unmoved

Remains

Watching, being

Involved yet

Untouchable

 

MS21

The Inclusive Nature of Events No.1

The Inclusive Nature of Events No.1

The wild cry of the child on the beach,
Muted into the atmosphere amidst
The multitude of voices—

The hot sun casting down
Upon umbrellas, bodies, sand,
And sending its glistening glare
off the wavy water in infinite directions—

The "day" is not,
But only this,
This measureless motion,
This endless sky,
This absorbing beauty.

MS21

The Moment of Reflection - Part 2

 

 

As the glowing orange sun

Continues to reveal its fiery existence

The dim yet profound essence

So permeating at dawn

Is filled with warmth and action—

The city morning noises do send waves

And ripples into the infinitely sensitive

Pure waters of life.

The motion thus reflects the physics

Of the immediate environs

And the humility of oneness

Seeps in, in unconditional surrender—

Eyes closed, set aglow by the intensifying sphere

Amidst the world's physique, and with the world's physique

The vast essence of purity remains

Untouched

MS21

The Moment of Reflection No.1

The Moment of Reflection - Part 1

 

 

As the cacophonous fragments

Gradually dissolved

There remained the

Pure sea of weightless depth

So clean and clear

Like a trickling brook

Through the jagged granite mountain slope—

Have I dipped my fingers into

The cool waters of the essence of life?

Like the serenity of a calm lake

Reflecting the orange light of the emerging sun

Does this sweet energy permeate

As I bask in it, this invisible and indescribable

Boundless delicacy

 

MS21

The Moment of Reflection No.1

The Humbling Sun

 

The humbling sun,

Our earthly mother,

In your sight,

How can wars persist?

Life itself are we

As we hustle about

And sit and pray

For real peace,

A true reflection

Of our fiery source

Of which we are,

Life itself.

MS21

A Hot Day Ahead

 

Knowing the inevitable outcome,

The gradual accumulation of heat,

As the sun rises up over the mountains—

A sin it would be to fear,

To fail to bask in the light of life,

The one true mother of this

Collection of rocks so special,

But what's so special?,

When all is exactly how it must be,

Ceaseless motion—

The endless musing,

So futile in essence—

With piercing laughter,

At once the quiet chattering

Is not.

MS21

Supplemental Text for Sculpture "Intent to Act No.1"

 

 

Intent to act No.1 - 2021

Whilest drawing, I am sitting at the desk (for optimum posture) or in the park or coffee shop inviting inspiration—the success of which is directly dependent on the quality of the mental state—and working within certain structural limitations. A given group of sketches may consist of forms following a variety of directions but are nevertheless related through proximity of time and therefore memory, and due to their parts being of potential relevance to a future consummation, a future form. It is from memory, whether subconscious or conscious, wherefrom the ideas emerge. The ideas come in fragments and my conscious mind along with my pencil is piecing them together in coherent ways. The more the intent to make the forms structurally sound is at the forefront of the mind, the more it interferes with the free flowing exploration. I propose that this free flowing exploration which uses memories for content is fueled by Nature's force which is beyond the body. An indication for the truth of this statment can be found in the fact that the more the mind is occupied with some trivial or practical matter, the less space it has to allow for this extracorporeal energy to flow through it.

In the case of the present piece, Intent to Act No.1, the form emerged on paper and I was intent on making it. However, only after contemplating the name for the piece, did the complete relevance or meaning of the form reveal itself to me. This order of events indicates the significance of the subconscious process of development on paper, in that unless I allow for this Natural energy to flow through, the discovery of an inspired form may not occur. And when an inspired form does appear, it requires another step for me to fully understand it. The title of this piece was inspired by the variety of directional motions involved in this piece and their subtle yet specific relationships toward one another. Further explanation would get complicated so allow a poem to express the meaning at the core level.

The hesitation was there;
The human mind, so complex——

The immediate action
Of the crow or the king fisher——

The greater intervention, however,
Does impart a purifying stream
To trickle through the mind's
Valleys——

The clean stab into water,
The fish firmly clenched,
The bird alike dripping heavily——

Inspired we are to Act,
So swift in movement,
Involved completely
With place and others—

Carrying with our motion,
An opening, an absence,
Neither dictating intent,
Nor sleeping, but awake,
Totally—

The stillness of a sculpture,
The silent motion therein,
Human abstraction,
Metaphorical expression—

In contemplation,
The abstract reflects
The omnipresent truth,
The never flinching
Fire.

The Order of Words and The Heart of Light

 

Occurs not 

The transformation negativa

Yet, because

It's still the intellect

 

Why, this intellect

So strong it be

Remains the truth,

Cunning, persuasive,

Story of who?

 

The knowing beatitude,

Smiling in freedom

Toward we does it glance

O laughing one,

O laughing one!

I feel taunted

But your space,

Endless in expanse,

Does reach thru me,

It does

 

Irony, so powerful,

Yet subtle,

A soap bubble like,

Yes, a soap bubble like

 

If words be broken,

 

Broken be words,

 

Then what thru shines?

 

Shines what does thru?

 

This vast expanse,

 

It calls,

 

Voice with not,

 

Already here.

 

Yes, here.

 

Al ready

 

.

 

MS21

 

 

The White-Crowned Sparrow

 

 

The bright melodious call

Sat in stark contrast to the

Surprisingly mundane warm greys

 

The whirlpool of electrostatic

Vibrations tingling the air

With lively song

Remained as always

In clear invisibility

 

One's penetrating glare and the

Perked ears did entreat strongly

But Nature's want of concession

Remained motionless

In sage-like austerity

 

As the focus faded softly,

Diffusing gently into the vast arena,

Only the reflection was left—

A translucent memory,

A depthless sheet of wobbling glaze

Standing quiet in feeble fragility

Yet so enduring it be,

Teetering on the edge

Between matter and light

 

In swift retreat,

The totality of memories were

Left twinkling in crystaline fragments

Like leaves of the aspen,

(Yet devoid of pigment)

Quivering on the verge of disappearance

Falling away, further still,

 

The specks of shimmering light

Reminded of stars in the

Vastness of space

And at last, the breath

Returned in Life-giving purity

 

The colours reappeared in 

Their homogeneous delight

 

Nature's symphony resumed in

Its haunting harmony

And variegated similarity

 

The inaudible wail

Rang through the cosmos

Sending atoms shivering at the core

 

MS21

Children are Whole No.2

 

The sunlight broke through

The leaves in a fragmented pattern—

 

The hefty chuckle

Reverberated through the night air—

 

The question of "Why?" did arise

So piercingly, so suddenly—

 

"Why all this chaos? Why!?"

Again, the throaty laughter

Ejaculated in vibrations

Through the damp fog—

"Why is this happening?"

The incessant insanity,

The selfish pursuits,

The utter lack of wholeness—

 

The night was still and silent

Apart from the occasional

Dripping of condensed fog

Collecting on the colourless leaves—

 

Suddenly, the horrific roar

Of a 10 year old boy

Skidded through the sky

In an elongated stream

Of terror—

 

The shaken shrubs

Stood numb in disbelief

As their molecular constitutions

Slowly regained equilibrium—

 

The memory, though, did remain,

As all memories do,

In the cosmic eye,

The Knower of knowing—

 

"I hear your cry, young lad,

It has been registered, indeed.

You may not have the words,

But your protest is an honest one—

 

The injustice which prompted

Such violent outrage

Is mirrored in thee

O, young one—

A mirror you are.

Your service is acknowledged.

But heal you must,

For the greater wicked,

Is yet rampant—

Polish your mirror

And shine your reflection

Of all who pass,

So that they may see

Their true selves

Without distortion or blur—

 

And if the timing is right,

The memory of their childhood

May too arise, clear and undisturbed.

And they will heal and polish..."

 

MS21

 

 

 

Children are Whole No.1

 

The flame burns clear

With silent intensity,

Diffusing calcified clumps

Into impotent particles—

Sitting, standing, walking;

Here we are,

Smiling in glory,

Light and peace—

The horrible ideas,

Swirl within the mind

Like putrid mustard gas

Intent on harm and war—

The violence concedes not

To interior borders

And naturally the nations

Are their intensified selves—

The Earth is cracking

Like a dried desert floor,

From aeons of strife and pain—

The Cosmic joke

Permeates space

And matter alike,

And infuses ironic

Humour in sin as well—

The wars will only end

When children born free

See the mistakes of their fathers,

The blindness of their mothers—

Tradition is perpetuation,

Liberation is clarity,

The space to see afresh,

Anew, the beauty of people,

The Love and joy of life—

Empowered children,

Unharmed by the grown,

In Love and wisdom,

May emerge Clear.

MS21