Spring Poem for Peace and Presence

 

Arch No.56

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Befitting of Nature,

That thoughtless duration—

Nay, dimension of space

Comes forth—

Nay, is present.

And intention is astray,

Along with the object sought—

That dual pair, of incessant motion

Now transparent in quietude

Leaving only

The timeless Present.

 

MS

Notes

 

Line 2: thoughtless duration - period of mental quietude 

Line 3: nay - or rather should I say...

Line 5: Nay, is present - rather than suggesting movement, which would imply physical and time bound, presence is immediate

Line 6: intention is astray - as intention interferes with presence

Line 8: dual pair refers to intention (representing the "thinker") and object of thought

 

 

 

 

Winter Solstice Poem

 

 

Winter Solstice

 

The silent darkness

Drawing attention

Into the vast cold

And inwardly too,

Swirling together

In clean yet gentle

Vortices of power

 

The motion of time

Unmoving in essence

Calling souls to meet

And dance and play

In a world of light

Yet unseen by the eye

 

 

MS 2025

 

Midnight Star Wood Form Ornament, 

carved in 2023 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over 30 hand-carved, abstract sculptures in the Wood Forms Etsy shop: mikesasakiwoodforms.etsy.com 

An Early November Morning Poem

 

 

 

 An Early November Morning

 

 

As the night turns

Quietly into day

The soft pink glow

Arises above mountains,

Kissing edges of clouds

Still carrying the dark grey

Of sleep and stillness.

Indoors, the watcher,

Also carrying the remnants

Of sleep, in deep connection

With the infinite view,

Shares intimate space

With the delicate glass lights

Of the humbly sized tree

Adorned of late

With reflecting forms

Hanging restfully Awake.

 

 

MS 2025 

 

 

View the wood forms sculptures inspired by love, peace and harmony at mikesasakiwoodforms.etsy.com

Light of Light Poem from the Appearance of Being No.2 Listing Description

 

Appearance of Being No.2 - 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The warm glow of the sunsetting sky
Fades from midnight blue
To a charcoal black reflecting
The city lights in an opaque mirror
Of empty cold. 

The citizens recede into a warmer place,
A jolly drink and silence-shattering laughter
Fill the tavern with roaring energy,
Echoing into the night.

The lonely man sits outside,
Dressed in bulky layers,
Staring at passers-by with blank sincerity
And in his hopeless container are bits of metal
Scarcely scattered along the bottom.
He holds on without attachment as the warmth
of his blanket cradles his hollow heart.

The exhausted working man
Walks home with a hoppy gait.
The thoughts of supper twirl in his mind,
As he allows the pull of the warm image
To lead him home through the night.

Behind the curtain,
The actors are fidgeting around,
Preparing for the first act.
An unexpecting draft moves the curtain,
Allowing a sliver of light to shine out
Into the black seating area of patient guests.
The silent flash screams with potentiality
As the onlookers await the next light.

So mysterious, so evasive,
This flash of potential.
We wait in vain,
For it is already alight.

 

MS 2018 

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Morning Poem: In the Darkest of Shadows - Inspired by sunlight on wall scupture

 

Interacting Forms No.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Darkest of Shadows

 

 

In the darkest of shadows

What waits to be found?

Imagination runs wild

As colourful figures

Shift freely around

In the inner black space

Fantastic gnomes

Dance gaily together

Singing songs of old

With fresh vigour

And splashes of light

Twinkling most invisibly

From reflecting bells

Shak'n silently in the night

And the central fire

Consumeth not its fuel

Burning dark and long

For the dim-lit forms

Which twirl and circle

In an endless display

Of quiet rev'rence

And humility blind

Heard almost inaudibly

The flickering movements

Return to a rest

As the moon descends

From the vastness of space

Leaving only the shade,

The privation of sight,

Whence images sprung

Once vibrant and true

Now only memories,

Left to diffuse 

In the quenching darkness,

The darkness of Life.

MS

2025

 

Themes:

- reality as an appearance, in some ways similar to dreams or imagination 

- a light or power prior to illumination ("dark sun")

- implicit references to Plato's cave analogy and imagery

- "privation of sight" used rather than "privation of light", the common latter term referring to a shadow, is a slight play on words with a strong thematic clue or reference regarding the role of visual perception in the construction of a reality based on "appearances".

Available sculptures in the shop: Wood Forms Etsy Shop

Some Notes on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: an important gem; an investigative approach to study

 

Why I read the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (an investigative approach to study)

 

The reason I read the Yoga Sutras is not to learn a system to follow.

 

The reason I read the Yoga Sutras is to learn what has been said about the human.

 

I am interested in liberation, salvation, ascension and Truth.

 

I am not interested in believing any theory, dogma or anything. I am interested in testing it out with the purpose of recognizing or arriving at Truth. Truth will not need to be proven verbally, but will be undeniably known to be true, like when it is realized that one is creating suffering for oneself due to some unattainable desire and by seeing the fact that it is of an imaginary nature, the problem disappears.

 

 

An Important Gem

 

A point that screams for attention is the distinction between thought and Purusha. In english, words are insufficient, so the sanskrit terms must be explained (explained in the Sutras; not here : ) ) I will briefly describe Purusha, because I am not an expert. It is that consciousness before the content of consciousness—that is, the higher Self before the self-image or thought-identification. The common man (I use the term "common" loosely), perhaps has thought about the difference between thought and such a consciousness, but even so, the thought is not the clarity. The clarity comes from direct understanding, non-verbal understanding, contact with the actuality. After all, a mere concept or theory of the distinction between thought and Purusha, would be just that—a concept, which is thought. It is said in the Yoga Sutras that this "intellective discriminination" between what exactly is thought and what exactly is the Purusha, or higher Self, is a necessary step in the process of liberation or union with cosmic divinity (if you will). In other words, when this distinction has been realized, there is a great shift in perception. This will be known to be True, without need for further proof. The change is the proof.

 

As this is the first of such a blog entry, I am not certain what will follow, but my thinking is that I may continue to post more points from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which I find are of particular importance to be shared with those who are not yet familiar or who feel they may benefit from this condensed presentation of such points.

~MS 

Wood Forms Shop

Return to Equilibrium No.5

A New Painting: "A Cat: a question of perception" - with a rationale highlighting the conceptual direction

 

A Cat: a question of perception - 2024

The conceptual and thematic directions for the acrylic painting work on flat surfaces are becoming more and more clear as exemplified with this 2024 piece "A Cat: a question of perception". The recent work highlights psychology and perception, with a formal style consisting of flat, highly-abstracted representations, taken almost to the point of pure geometry. Symbolism of course is playing an important role providing the inspiration, meaning and raison d'ètre underlying the compositions. The contemplation of this piece begins with the first thought that may arise, which is that this animal may appear more dog-like than cat-like. This is a good start as it questions form, appearances and familiarity. It may already be apparent at this point that the title is referring not only to the theme of the painting but also the viewer's very perception and experience of the painting. How much do we know about cats? As much as we know, we will never have the experience of being a cat. Knowledge is always interpreted through the human faculty. The painting goes on to display a flurry of coloured shapes overlapping and intermingling with the cat face, hinting of naturally occurring spots on animal hide, as well as suggesting an imaginative and vague world prior to everyday existence. The mixing of the ethereal shapes with the cat face in fact threatens the existence of the cat image, again calling up questions of appearance vs. reality. After all, the real cat is never a fixed image (as in a realistic painting of a cat) but an incessantly moving form (as are all objects and creatures in this world). And if the whole quality of the painting does not already pull the viewer into the realm of contemplating perception and reality, the circular eye of the cat—blatantly disregarding any true perceptive data of an eye—will certainly remind the viewer that this work is addressing with force our abstracted ideas of objects in our world. 

Acrylic on Wood Panel 

18" x 24"

The Motion of Life No.1 - Sculpture and 3 line poem

 

The Motion of Life No.1

 

 

 

 

The swelling creek

Reaching beyond its limits;

Life force of water

MS

Notes on poem:

Since a creek's limits are only perceived and based on past motion (shape of eroded ground), the idea of "reaching beyond its limits" is purely fictional and contrived. Thus is the nature of life (always new and fresh resulting in surprises to the mind stuck in time and past memories; this mind being the limit). Water is required for organic life.

 

 

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Spring: A Poem

 

SPRING

Sleeping intelligence,

Awakened once more

By the piercing cry

Of the eagle.

The fiery blossoms,

The rushing ravines,

And the quaking trees--

All stirred into motion

By the cosmic breath,

That enduring wave

Of life and death.

MS

 

Involution No.3

The Return to Equilibrium - Wood Form and Poem

 

The Return to Equilibrium

 

The friendly rock

And earth so dear

Does daily speak

In whispers wise

The massive turn

With which I breathe

Induces awe

And tender bows

Yet gaze I do

Within the "rushing",

Scribbling tracks

Upon the ground

The restful quiet

Returns again

As m' eyes once more

Behold the Fire*

MS 2025

 

*Fire refers to the sun

 

 

The Return to Equilibrium No.1 - 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Warm Light - A Poem

 

Warm light

Finding Balance

Is not so hard,

But soft, quite soft

Nature's silence,

That Guide so pure,

Doth instruct

The mind so dark

In actions prior 

Thought complex,

But in thy Light,

Thy holy Light

Do all confusions

Float away

Like fireflies

Dim'n into the Night.

MS

2024

Being No.4 - Wood Form - with concept notes

Being No.4 - 2024

Meet the 4th piece from the "Being" series of forms. As the round mass provides the majority of the weight, the extended form is allowed to gently curve into its contact with the ground by way of its tip. And there is an interplay between this structural component and the more formal component which includes the piece's visual dynamics, directions of force, stresses and resolutions.

In my sculptural work, I find that these visual forces or vectors function to build an "interior geometry", an internal relationship of parts within the encompassing whole.

In Being No.4, the round mass metaphorically—yet loosely, vaguely, ambiguously—could represent the human or the soul, whilst the opening presents a window upon "infinite nothingness". Is this ocean of nothingness the spaceless and timeless field of pure potential? Personally, contemplating this vast field beyond the psyche, beyond the sense of being tied to body and senses, opens the mind to a quality of peace and serenity. Does "Being" then end with our sense of existence in this world, or does it extend beyond ourselves—emanating through us from an everlasting field of pure Love and Clarity.

Form and Formless No.12 - with description including reference to art and beauty in general

The simplicity in form conceals a greater complexity upon longer viewing. Form and Formless No.12 in fir was conceived on the sketch page with the precise angles and proportions seen here in the final piece. The sensitivity and subtlety of the form always baffles the sculptor in its implications regarding the laws of nature, perception and existence. The conclusion is made, that art, form and nature contain a beauty and mystery infinitely revealing in depth, and we as humans can dip into this beauty as long and as far as desired without ever exhausting its possibilities.

To the sculptor, the piece constantly reminds of a "key to truth hanging on the wall", where the form and its absence are in eternal communication, forever engaged in an inextricable relationship of total wholeness, beyond the fragmented patterns of dualistic reality.

 

Form and Formless No.12 - 2024

 

What is Art?

 

 

Contemplation on the falseness of ordinary perception results in the revelation of a very quiet mental mode where beauty is all. The motion of the bird in the tree carries a delicate purity.

Art comes from this mode of being. It can be shooting an arrow, fine cuisine, constructing a cement wall, speaking with elegance and lucidity, taking care of a sick person, even just sitting. Life is Art if action springs forth from this mode of wholeness.

The Motions of Life - a poem

 

The motions of life

In their natural course

Showing signs

And symbols

Of grand order

 

Participating,

We dance with the rhythms

Of the cosmos

And feel that

Overwhelming sense

Of joy

 

The beauty of a falling leaf,

A raging protest,

Or a drifting canoe;

The pure love seeps

Through all

 

MS

Reception No.1 - With a Short Poem

 

Reception No.1 - 2018

 

 

The compassion of absence—

The soft reception

Of emptiness—

The bed of nothing

Upon which we return

Every moment

In unceasing peace,

Tranquility, light,

Joy, surrender,

Love

 

MS

Self Judge: A Short Poem

 

Self Judge

 

Incessant effort

To convince myself

I am worthy

Of my self judgements

These judgements

Are learned

From the crowd

We suffer collectively

 

Rejecting all that is false,

Turning toward truth,

Finding truth

In being

MS

The Opening of Space No.2 - 2023 - The Inspiration From Which the Form and Title Were Drawn

 

The Opening of Space No.2 - 2023

In this title, space refers to that non-physical, non-electromagnetic space. What is this space? In the popular mind state there is a tendency to accumulate ideas, holding bundles of them, projecting same and modifying them in a seemingly endless cycle. Perhaps this existential space, the reflection of which being the physical art object, begins to "open" through the negation of these accumulated falsehoods (ultimately arriving at the falseness of conventional time, dualistic thought and fear which constitute the foundation of the whole false reality in general). 

The next question is "How does negation of falsehoods occur?". There are two ways of seeing. The conventional way is through dualistic thought, through this false perception based on comparison, this narrative of our "life". Looking at one's thoughts and beliefs this way only continues the same cycle of fragmentation. The second way of seeing is holistic observation. Seeing this way results in realizations where something dies. That which dies no longer occupies and obstructs this shining light of silent love.

 

The Opening of Space No.2 - 2023

 

 

 

The Inclusive Nature of Events — Sculpture and Titling Process (specific and general)

 

The Inclusive Nature of Events No.1

Languages spread ironically between warring states. We are influenced by the environment whether pleasant or otherwise. Feelings of isolation are psychological and ultimately false. We are the whole, this vast masterpiece that is the cosmos. Our human life can be sailing on the ocean of Love, in a boat of Love, experienced by Love.

Thus is the inspiration for the title of this piece. The title is discovered through contemplation of the drawing of the form prior to carving. Through contemplation on the form, the essence or Idea of the form is met with and it is from this Idea or "Form" whence a title or "name" manifests. There are potentially multiple possible titles and the chosen ones are filtered by the persona, but as long as it is a manifestation of the Idea, it will be a "true" title.

Thus, the title is poetry.

 

The Inclusive Nature of Events No.1 - 2021

 

Single Rain Drop - A 4-line Poem

 

Single rain drop

Soaring into earth's centre

Gracefully obstructed

By a blade of grass

MS