April 21, 2010
By Joan Klostermann-Ketels
Frank Lloyd Wright once wrote an essay called The Man Who Plants a Tree, in which he said tree planters will be found by posterity to be “firmer in fiber and finer in sensibility.” In my interaction with people of diverse professional talents who are interested in the health and well-being of the human spirit, I am struck by how many of them are drawn to trees. People universally seem to love them and regard them as a high form of spiritual energy.
Who among us have not found calmness in the way trees respond to a summer breeze, or been thrilled at the fiery show they put on in the glow of autumn? What children do not find comfort beneath a huge oak tree – or rush to climb branches their mothers would think too high and vast? (Never mind that their mothers climbed the same tree when they were young.)
I have always thought trees make their strongest appeals to the human spirit when the foliage falls away from their bones. November’s low light makes long shadows of their skeletons. Faces of bark and fiber that have been hidden behind leaves all summer laugh out loud and bellow their lust for life.
We fragile humans bundle against the chill. Woodland critters fur up and dig in when the wind shifts. But trees paradoxically shed their glorious wardrobes to show off their lithe athleticism. What shapes they reveal! No wonder they can dance like they do! They use their brute strength to grip the earth while rolling with the punches of the wind and rain.
Some older trees shed their final leaf each year. Some crack and bend toward the earth that they will again become. Their dance is slower but just as poignant and transformational. Their weariness and grief are natural, just as the joy and exhilaration of the younger trees shooting up all around them. For all of their youthful exuberance, some of them won’t live beyond their elders, not having gained enough strength and wisdom in time to survive hungry deer or the next big hail storm.
Every human condition and emotion is reflected in a forest of trees sans the colors of the growing season. Observing people on a city street would be as instructive if only we were as forthcoming about our experiences as trees. Trees show us how to live, how to celebrate, how to bear weight and pain, how to accept, and finally how to die – while maintaining a constant sense of dignity, honor and place.
Trees are the ultimate expression of love and faith. They are consummate storytellers. The only thing they ask in return for the opportunity to confer with them is that we quiet ourselves and slow down enough to see and listen. Given the pace of life in the 21st century, that may require adjustment on our part. But it is a small compromise given the legacy of the tree planter and the sacred information borne by the fruits of that labor.
April 7, 2010
By Joan Klostermann-Ketels
Say one word with your mouth shut! — Zen saying
This wonderful statement implores the student of Zen to convey meaning, intention and condition through simple, focused attention. The idea that a sender of communication could accomplish complete understanding on the part of the receiver by becoming the manifestation of one perfectly formed thought runs counter to our modern society, which relies more on sensory overload.
We all have noticed how a single inspirational quote can instill more meaning than other complex forms of exposition. A beautiful thought may stick in our minds for many years to good effect. Likewise, one powerful photographic image can click a switch in our brain. Such a picture can transform us. Hence, the truism, “A picture is worth 1000 words.”
The closer our proximity to enlightenment, the fewer words are required. Mark Twain, in his essay on American realist author William Dean Howells, wrote, “With a hundred words to do it with, the literary artisan could catch that airy thought and tie it down and reduce it to a concrete condition, visible, substantial, understandable and all right, like a cabbage; but the artist does it with twenty, and the result is a flower.”
When it comes to expressing ourselves, it is essential to say as much we can with as few words as possible. It is so easy to become lost or disoriented in the forest of our thoughts. Should we become enamored with the shape of our argument or the sound of our voice, we can easily wander into unfamiliar territory. Our communication quickly can become so misdirected or diluted as to be ineffective or completely misinterpreted.
Poets, musicians and artists often achieve simple and pure expression. Nature always achieves it. Flora, fauna, and the seasons provide us with a direct, spiritual connection with life forces for which there are no accurate words. The glimpse we are offered into an understanding of the oneness of which we are a part is in the shape of trees, in the movement of eagles and in the light on the horizon. Occasionally, we grasp a sense of spirit and try to use language and material to express it. It is important that we do so, just as it is important that we are mindful of simple and direct effectiveness in all of our daily communication with business associates, friends or family members.
How successful we are is less the result of form and function learned from books and classes than it is from how pure and well-formed our original intention. The greatest clarity can result when the receiver of communication is afforded space in which to relax and infer meaning, in the same way that the listener of great symphonies benefits from the rest between notes.
As stated in the Tao Te Ching, which provides the basis for the philosophical school of Taoism, “We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.”
March 23, 2010
Have you ever looked around and realized with dismay that you are stranded in a sea of concrete? Arriving at a metropolitan airport the other day I was struck hard with this sense. As the hours wore on I became increasingly aware that I had spent the entire day – most of the week actually – surrounded by cement, steel, glass and one or another form of plastic.
I’m not suggesting that there is anything wrong with these things. But often when I am flying, I find myself looking down at greenery and winding roads, wishing I could transport myself to the paradise below. Now, if I were to do this I would no doubt find a lot of people working very hard in those fields. They would look at me in my parachute and say, “So you thought this was paradise, eh? Hand me that toolbox over there and get to work.”
No matter where we are and no matter what we do for a living, we would do well to revisit the words of Greek poet Euripides: “The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.”
Technology and the pace of life have all but erased this consideration from our collective mind. Computerization, cell phones and the need for 24/7 availability have changed the very meaning of balance in our quest for success and fulfillment. What has not changed is human nature. We need balance between work and play, between the relentless realities of work life and the quiet meditative reflection that replenishes our spirit.
Escapism is not the answer. Movies, television and our world’s fanatical obsession with celebrity only cancel out our frustrations temporarily. Drugs and alcohol can destroy us physically and void our spiritual existence.
Rather, when we begin to feel ourselves wanting to pull away from tedious and superficial trappings of everyday life there are far better ways to reconnect with reality. There are good ways to re-fire the spirit. Here are a couple of suggestions that work for me; maybe they’ll be good for you, too. It’s not that you never knew about them, but like me you may have forgotten.
1) Jump into the deep end. I’m not talking about the hotel swimming pool! What I mean is, try something new — something that you think is maybe a bit over your head. Have you ever wanted to play piano but have never had a lesson and don’t have time? Why is that stopping you? Sit down at a piano and let your hands find some notes. So what if you don’t know what you’re doing? It’s all music. Never mind the so-called rules. I’m willing to bet that within 60 seconds (or less if you allow yourself to relax and forget about what other people think) you’ll please yourself beyond belief with the sounds you are making. The tones may soothe you. They may excite you. You will amaze yourself.
If music is not your thing, take that digital camera out of your drawer and go shoot pictures. Don’t forget to leave the manual at home. Don’t even read it! Again, I promise you will discover that your spirit to have fun and do fantastic things is stronger than whatever it is that has been stopping you. The point is, stretch yourself. Go ahead and be uncomfortable with the fact that you are a neophyte at whatever it is you are doing. Then relax, forget it and create your personal masterpiece.
2) Go find some green. Those fly-over fields I spoke of earlier really are paradise, and even the people who work in the most bucolic settings tend to forget that they are surrounded by it. Wherever you are, take a half day and confer with the trees. Be quiet. Listen to yourself breathe. Get over being uncomfortable that you’re being unproductive. For one, it’s not true. There is nothing more productive than refreshing one’s spirit with quiet reflection. For another, your productivity will increase five-fold once you incorporate spirit seeking into your daily and/or weekly routine.
You do not need to be in quiet rural surroundings to accomplish this. Almost any city has a place to accommodate spiritual freshening. One of the best four hours I ever spent was in the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The trees along the mall are as majestic and spectacular as any you will ever see.
It has never been more important that we establish balance in our lives. The balance between our outward and our spiritual lives must be achieved if we are to be of the greatest service to our families, our friends, our employers and ourselves. Seek it today and begin living better!
by Joan Klostermann-Ketels
March 2, 2010
With all the determination of Peyton Manning in a 2-minute offense, I reared back to throw my laptop into the icy cold of the Iowa River. Had there been a crowd it would have been roaring. But at the last second, sanity returned.
I’m glad it did. I like my computer. Besides, the whole misunderstanding wasn’t its fault.
All I really wanted was a little balance between technology and life. Admittedly, I have to stay close to the front edge of technology for pretty much everything work related that I do. I simply made the decision that it’s not going to run my life anymore. In fact, with one simple realization, I broke free of all excuses that impeded my desire to do the things I was blessed with the ability and will to do. Quite simply, I decided I am through trying to lead my life; now I am going to let my life lead me!
What happened to cause this change? I’m not sure. All I know is, it did and I like it. It’s simple. I’m a prisoner of no one and nothing. In more ways than one, I’ve become my own BOSS.
Yes, I realized, we can actually choose to live as a Being of Sound Spirit. We can define our own space. The challenge is to keep the outside noise outside.
Every year it seems there is more technology to learn, more gadgets to replace what we used to do with our own two hands. Noise is everywhere. Lights and colors flash from TV screens in nearly every room in the house. Most every person in every household has a car. People don’t talk anymore — they text. They don’t listen to each other speak because they have their iPods in their ears blasting music every minute of every day.
Kids are expected to participate in every extracurricular activity possible because, heaven forbid, they might miss out on something. There is little or no time for us to breathe and feel some open space in our lives. And without spaces our lives become one long, continual thread of unreflective and meaningless movement.
Just think about what makes music beautiful. It’s not the running together of notes; it’s the spaces between them that make one gasp. In dance, it’s the small, almost imperceptible pauses during the waltz that makes one appreciate the beauty of the dancers’ movement. It’s not the words one speaks that people pay attention to as much as the pauses between the words. The spaces one creates in his or her life are what give life meaning. We need them. They are not meant to be filled up, but need to be cherished and protected.
A few spaces is all it took to change me back into a being of sound spirit.
After all, that’s what I was when I came into this world.
I have a feeling I’m not the only one who has a thirst for new freedom and more spaces. Something is afoot. We are here by the river, in the mountains and on the lake, in different places together; wondering what would happen if we gave ourselves a little space to set our spirits free.
As one ‘Being Of Sound Spirit’ to another, I say, “Welcome back!”
|
|
|
