Acting: a short poem, with an explanation of poetic approach

 

Acting

With strings to the past

Like a marionette

Tethered to a memorial beast.

Never ceasing,

The drooling monster

Continues pulling strings.

Limbs acquiescing

To the Mindless impulses

Of this cognitive machine.

The cool orange

Hint of daylight

Emerges upwards

Above the rolling hills

Through the narrow slit

In the blanket of clouds.

The day is beginning.

A new day

Where Act will flower

With every pulse

And every breath

Of pure life

And endless bliss.

MS22

*Just a note on my poetic approach for those who are interested:

There are different ways of using poetry. I use poetry as another means to convey a deeper metaphysical message. What do I mean when I say metaphysical? There is a division between philosophy based on the validation of theories and conclusions which are more concerned with winning the argument than at arriving at the one truth, and there is philosophy which is for the purpose of revelation and ascension. It is the latter with which I am interested. What drives my poems is an inspiration, a flame which works through the cognitive faculty to produce something which contains that flame. Without this, I don't write poetry. It is a prerequisite. I think this inspiration or flame is emerging from the heart field, associated with the heart shakra; and I consider metaphysics to be concerned with the conscious ordering of the "non-moving" activity Known from this field.

Craft and Gravity: a poem

 

Material curvature,

Molded by hands,

The heart flows

Through the fingers

Infusing the material

With pulsing life.

Take a seat,

Feel the armrest,

The bend, the give,

The chair receives

Your weight—

Gravity connects all

Physically and divinely,

The earthly, nay, cosmic reminder

Of renewable life

And constant flux.

MS22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View sculptures at mikesasakiwoodforms.etsy.com

Arch No.33 (description with poem)

 

 

The 33rd of the Arch series takes the bifurcated form for the second time, but in yellow cedar (the first, Arch No.32, was in red cedar) which exhibits a subdued natural grain. The sculpture thus preserves its light cream colour, a very pure and calming hue which invites attention quietly. The incipient emergence of two forms from the single and whole form not only symbolizes the ultimate unity of the dyad, but also raises geometric questions of relationship and meaning therein. As, the sense of the form varies drastically depending on the angle of view (appears to have two distinct components from the front, yet its unity is clearly betrayed (visible) from the side views as the shallow concave system is revealed), the form thus encourages the viewer to explore and discover.

The continuous yet divided
Merges yet separates,
Envelops yet is contained,
Connects yet remains alone,
And acts yet acts not
For it exists simply
As an illusion.

MS22

 

Arch No.33 - 2022

 

Morning Trees

Morning Trees

The monochrome silhouettes

Of the trees stood still

Yet alive against the soft

Brightening dawn sky—

The crows alighting atop

Sent gentle pulses

Along the long, stiff

Branches,

The leaves shuttering

In acquiescence.

The horizon behind

Was a hazy peach hue

Fading up to a

Cool white luminescence—

As the dawning of the sun

Approached, the whole

Town brightened

With lively anticipation.

MS22

 

Duality No.3

Quiet Morning Questions

 

Quiet Morning Questions (inspired by the beauty of the rising red sun through the smoky horizon)

Reflecting back on the dualistic nature of our psyche, the simple character of our thought patterns, brings great clarity and serenity. Questioning the structure of thinking, agreeing or disagreeing, deciding, hoping, expecting, celebrating success or feeling the pain of failure, trying to stay motivated, and using reward or punishment tactics on oneself—are all the workings of the dualistic mind. What a drama. Yet we need not push this all away for there is beauty in it just as there is beauty in every single motion, compound (which we may call objects or creatures), idea, scene, and ultimately insight. Insights are the juice of truth. They emerge with purifying energy, instantly dissolving related confusion. Are insights dual? Or are insights of what the yogis call a single-pointed mind?

 

Arch No.1

Thoughts on Violence and Love

There is cold violence

And cold eyes

Staring blindly into a world of illusion

A self-created world tainted by vengeance

And wrath,

And there is such precise action,

Such power, such cunning control;

Vast crowds believe

The one-sided words,

The rotting stories and promises

Of cleansing action

Which indeed cleanse not

But only perpetuate

This cycle of misery and pride.

All are innocent

Like small children,

Acting in reaction

To a disturbance,

Protecting themselves

The only way they know how.

Except, now, these impulses

Are disguised in fancy words

Designed to impress

And persuade a gullible group.

Engaging not

In these stories

Fuelled by pain

We stand and smile—

We will stand in peace,

In peaceful strength

Fuelled by wisdom,

Not hate, not anger,

Not in reaction,

But in a different world,

A world in Love.

The angry man

Strikes with a fist

And gets nothing

But air—

Untouchable is Love,

So foreign from anger,

So pure and clean,

So vast and timeless—

Faith is knowing

That Love is the Ground.

Love cannot be harmed

By thought-driven acts,

By physical motion—

Anger requires a story

Which fuels its fire,

Love has no time,

No memory,

No past, present, future,

But is timeless Life,

Shining Life.

Faith is knowing

That Love discriminates not,

But permeates all

And everyone—

If blindness will awaken

To light,

The light must shine brighter,

Blindingly bright,

Like the sun,

But not with fire,

But with Love.

The fire of Love.

MS22

 

 

Duality No.3

An Early Autumn Morning Question

 

A quiet question this morning (Sept 30, 2022):

How does one arrive upon the extraordinary initiation into the significance of holistic inquiry? Must there be a gap in the thought process, a quiet mind so to speak? Is the thought-based mode of reality hijacking the underlying current of motionless truth and being? There is the beauty of a sunset. This is easy. But is there also beauty in the basic act of life? Is there a beauty which underlies both the orderly and disorderly? There is pain, either inside or outside, and there is compassion which is not pity. Because pity implies comparison, whereas compassion is whole. Then under this compassion is Love. This love has no beginning and end, but is a field so to speak. Is this Love endless beauty?, quiet attention?, simple being?

Thank you for reading. This is my passion: inquiry into truth, beauty and liberation. I know there is a field of pure bliss and light united without the barrier of inside and outside. I know that public education is basically mistaken in the focus on ranking and competition. I know international affairs is basically an extension of immature, self-centered activity and will never lead to peace unless swallowed in Love through some miraculous insight on a mass scale. And when one acknowledges such facts, there must inevitably be an inquiry into the field of goodness which we rob ourselves of when we are distracted by competition. So, this is the fuel behind my work. When I come upon the quiet, peaceful flame of beauty, Love and inspiration, my hand and mind is then informed by that which has real value, Art and beauty. And this must be true for everyone in their work because Art is not limited to fine arts, visual arts, performing arts, etc., but extends into all of Life. (Check Coomaraswamy's writings on Art) There is a cosmic intelligence, and this underlies the egoic mind. 

 

Stopping to breathe

The crisp morning air,

The fire of the mind

Is doused with a pail.

Silence prevails,

Both outside and in,

Then the shrill cry of the gull

Courses through the damp air,

And this immanent sound,

Again reminds one of the whole,

Timeless, Act of Life.

MS22

 

Arch No.5 - 2017

 

 

Thematic Spotlight: Everything Has Meaning

 

There is meaning behind every object, so-called event, action, perception, etc. In this so-called life, there is meaning behind everything. A perception of life without meaning is involved in misery.

My sculptural work is largely metaphysically based, meaning I derive inspiration from core geometric concepts and truthful discoveries concerning the mind and nature. I am grateful to have been exposed to the ideas discriminating between argumentative philosophy (endless and superficial) on the one hand and messages which point to truths behind the logic and words on the other hand. It is the latter which leads to real discovery and real truth, which in the words of J. Krishnamurti "[Truth] is a pathless land"—meaning it is not an object of discovery, but rather a "field" of course outside of space and time and therefore nor a product of thought. The implications of this statement are beautiful if allowed to unfold.

Thematic spotlight: Everything has meaning, from the cosmic to the microscopic and everything in between, every single thing you can sense or imagine.

1. How is this connected to the so-called divine? This is a complex subject which can be researched by starting with Uzdavinys' "Philosophy as a Rite of Rebirth" which examines mainly Egyptian, Greek and Indian metaphysics. However, I will say briefly: Everything is divine. The material world is not separate from the divine—how could it be? If the divine exists, which it must (saving the definition of divine for some other written place), it could not possibly be separate from so-called material reality (read my relevant blog entries at https://behindthewoodforms.blogspot.com/).

2. Geometrically, forms are significant. Topological forms, for example, are significant in the following way: if you aren't familiar with topology, it involves the categorization of shapes based on the continuity/connectivity of their surface. For example, a sphere is distinct from a torus or doughnut because the latter has one hole in it. Something like an "8" shape would again be distinct because it has two holes in it, and so on. How does this significance appear in the "world outside of math"? A ring's utility is undeniable (as a hula-hoop, handle, wheel, etc.). An "8" shape could be extended topologically to include a rope with a loop on either end. The significance of this to tether two objects together is undeniable.

3. If my form, say a "Bipod" form, has a specific number of areas in contact with the ground (in this case two), this has meaning both structurally and metaphysically. Therefore, the number 2 also has meaning both naturally/physically and intellectually.

All that said, it may be of interest to note that my process generally involves allowing creative insight to emerge within a general structure of limitations. I do not normally attempt to piece together a whole form with a variety of partial meanings but rather allow the whole form to take shape and then attempt to decode the real (not imaginary) meaning afterwords. Of course, my personal flavour may be present superficially in the description but my objective is to get to the core, essence or truth of the form (see Platonic Forms)—the meaning which is constant for all of us. So, you can see I am concerned with core truths, which is what metaphysics should be concerned with. As A.K. Coomaraswamy pointed out, [all] Artworks (everything manufactured should be treated as such (as an artwork), unlike the prevalent modern industrial values) is not the end but a means to an [intellectual] end. I would say, it's a means to a divine end. 

 

Lastly, what is implied on an everyday level by the notions that firstly, "everything has meaning" and secondly, "everything produced should be seen as a work of Art". Well, it is plain to see that there is presently much in our world which is in opposition to these statements, so these propositions may serve as a dim flame amidst a smoggy darkness.

Duality No.3

 

Undulating Waters

Arch No.21 - 2022

 

The undulating waters,
Endless in depth and breadth—
Here before us,
Before birth and death—
Sailing timelessly
Across infinite horizons—
Finding invisible solitude,
Strength and friendship
Amidst countless waves of Life.

MS22

Non-Local Movement No.9 - With Concept

Non-Local Movement No.9 - 2022

 

Non-Local Movement No.9

What can you do without energy?
Energy flow is health. Health is wholeness. Mental illness is a product of fragmentation, separation, isolation—the more concentrated, the worse. What is holistic mentality? Thought is always fragmented—it's inherent in its very nature—so a reality based on thought will always lead to confusion and suffering. This leaves a different field of the mind, a field different from thought (which will use orderly, practical thought, but is not driven blindly by thought). This is the subject of inspiration for this series of sculptures. Is there a "movement" or force from the intelligible realm (non-dualistic, "heart intelligence"), from an hypostasis, an underlying, unmanifested substance?

This piece, the 9th in the series, uses multidirectional motion, both in the material and its absence (absence being a dualistic and therefore unreal idea), to metaphorically and conceptually suggest the notion of a non-local field of motion or force, the recognition of which will complete the search for wholeness in the mind.

Fear and Love

Swept along the

Current of darkness

 

Blindly grasping

At illusory forms 

 

The distant laughter

Ensures one of light

 

Light yet to be seen

In this tunnel of fear.

 

That loving grace

Felt deeply within,

 

Is working without

In equal part

 

Where desire hasn't place

One silently retreats.

 

In quiet surrender

Arms fitfully flail

 

The laughter louder,

It's an inner sound.

 

The inaudible light

A dawning without start

 

Forgotten smiles pulled wide

With atrophied freshness

 

Gasping for air

Now pure and clear

 

Eyes open, heart too,

The rising sun does emerge

 

Changing threatening rivers

Into nurturing lakes

 

Replacing fear with love

And death with life.

 

MS22

Fragments

 

Fragments

 

Raking up the scattered fragments of neglected memories like soggy leaves left to freeze in the wet and cold coastal winter—

Melancholic events suspended by invisible strings dangling above a crib like a baby's mobile, hardly moving—

The numbness from incessant stories told and retold with slight variation over weeks, years and centuries; a reminder of our simple motives and carnal desires—

Dimly glowing through the deep fog, the torch of humanity, never ceasing to twist and dance in the endless evening of the past—

Towards the fire we look, like ancestral cave dwellers; without thought the mind is quiet, focused and awake. We thirst for simple peace amidst the threat of neighbours; no time for dread or waiting in vain, for now is the only now, the eternal now, the now of centuries before and of centuries to come. The love impregnates the dirty faces.

 

MS22

Fire

 

Fire,

Always there

Even when unlit;

The dim embers,

Weakened by neglect

Yet haunting in potential—

The fear of the distant future,

Incessantly nibbling at Peace,

Yet in itself, non-existent

Aside from its dreamy landscape

Of threatening horrors—

The home of the heart,

Our first and only Love,

Doth remain with all

In invisible strength

And timeless energy,

The light of presence

Amidst the dark,

The cold.

MS22

The Curving Plane

 

Swept away

By fantastic stories

Fuelled by real passions

And tormented psyches—

 

Off to the land of

Deluded realities

And false guidance—

 

But yonder,

Yet again,

The sun doth rise,

The fiery lighthouse

Dawns on the curving plane,

(The sphere of continuity),

The bountiful rock

Of uncountable yesterdays.

A full breath of lush air

Does impregnate the night

And release the day

Of its natural charms and perfumes,

Its atmospheric gift to Mother,

Its strings and fields of oneness.

 

MS22

Counting the Days

 

Counting the Days

The fierce wind

Like the wrath of the Anemoi

Tears through the place

In powerful surges

Disrupting the dirt and dust

And the stagnant memories

Of yesteryear—

The unknown forces

Acting within us,

Awakened by those without us,

Send us scurrying

Into our dark holes of hibernation

Where unbeknownst to us

We maintain and nourish

The agony and misery of humanity—

Yet, we may once again find that spark,

That candle light, dim yet vibrant

Which will guide us into the rays of sun,

Shining down on a land and ocean

Of boundless Life,

Illuminating a sky of vast potential

And ethereal inspiration

Moving the entire earth

To glow and dance,

To breathe and pulse

On the endless day

Of days we need not count.

MS22