Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Now in Chicago!
I'm pleased to announce that I will be offering shiatsu at the Garret Wellness Center in Logan Square, at 3020 North Kimball. They have a parking area, and it's a half mile to the Logan Square Blue Line. I'll be doing my own bookings, so contact me directly to plan a session.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tile for Spring, Growth, Passover, Easter & Heart-Center
I set out to make a Sedar plate for passover, and took some severe diversions. The more I thought about it, the more it seems that everything is related. I know that’s corny, and I’m stretching my understandings a bit here, but it’s hard to overlook.
First, it occurred to me that the Fourth Chakra (Anāhata) has some outstanding conceptual crossovers with Passover. Passover remembers the Jewish people’s escape from centuries of slavery.
On the one side, the Pharaohs completely lacked compassion - one of the Fourth Chakra’s associations. Oh the other hand, the Jewish people had to have unceasing “heart” - unconditional love - to endure such hardships, and upon their escape these feelings must have been overwhelming. Similarly, the Chakra encompasses the ability to follow your heart, to be your own person -- something one couldn’t possibly do under slavery.
Physically, the symbol for the Fourth Chakra prominently features a six-point star, called the Shatkona, which looks much like the Seal of Solomon or the Jewish Star of David. The Passover plate usually had six divisions for foods, though that varies by community. The Fourth Chakra has twelve petals, which I split into two divisions of six.
In the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the middle Sephirot, Tiferet, has associations with the Heart Center, and as such runs parallel to Anāhata . There is a reconciliatory component to Tiferet -- a middle ground, if you will -- between giving and receiving, between the corporeal body and the spirit. Unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness are all associated with Tiferet. In Christian Kabbalah, not surprisingly, Jesus Christ is associated with Tiferet.
The Easter connection to Passover is also strong -- the Last Supper IS Passover. The outline of my tile mimics the Crown of Thorns.
In Chinese Medicine, Green is associated with Spring. Likewise, the Fourth Chakra features green. Passover has no official color, but it is unmistakably a Spring holiday, celebrating rebirth, so green fits in nicely. The same goes for Easter.
d=11". Glazed stoneware fired to Cone 10.
Note: this is the first casting, and developed a crack. A bunch more are on the way, hopefully intact, but they might not show up until Summertime. Contact me if you are interested in purchasing one of these. I am also working on designs that mate so the tile can fill a field. Photos of my other tiles can be found on my flickr page
First, it occurred to me that the Fourth Chakra (Anāhata) has some outstanding conceptual crossovers with Passover. Passover remembers the Jewish people’s escape from centuries of slavery.
On the one side, the Pharaohs completely lacked compassion - one of the Fourth Chakra’s associations. Oh the other hand, the Jewish people had to have unceasing “heart” - unconditional love - to endure such hardships, and upon their escape these feelings must have been overwhelming. Similarly, the Chakra encompasses the ability to follow your heart, to be your own person -- something one couldn’t possibly do under slavery.
Physically, the symbol for the Fourth Chakra prominently features a six-point star, called the Shatkona, which looks much like the Seal of Solomon or the Jewish Star of David. The Passover plate usually had six divisions for foods, though that varies by community. The Fourth Chakra has twelve petals, which I split into two divisions of six.
In the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the middle Sephirot, Tiferet, has associations with the Heart Center, and as such runs parallel to Anāhata . There is a reconciliatory component to Tiferet -- a middle ground, if you will -- between giving and receiving, between the corporeal body and the spirit. Unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness are all associated with Tiferet. In Christian Kabbalah, not surprisingly, Jesus Christ is associated with Tiferet.
The Easter connection to Passover is also strong -- the Last Supper IS Passover. The outline of my tile mimics the Crown of Thorns.
In Chinese Medicine, Green is associated with Spring. Likewise, the Fourth Chakra features green. Passover has no official color, but it is unmistakably a Spring holiday, celebrating rebirth, so green fits in nicely. The same goes for Easter.
d=11". Glazed stoneware fired to Cone 10.
Note: this is the first casting, and developed a crack. A bunch more are on the way, hopefully intact, but they might not show up until Summertime. Contact me if you are interested in purchasing one of these. I am also working on designs that mate so the tile can fill a field. Photos of my other tiles can be found on my flickr page
Friday, May 20, 2011
Flat tire
Sometimes things don't work out the way you plan. It is important to differentiate between a totaled car and a flat tire. Recently I've had a lot of Spring Energy - I have been running around, getting a lot done, and laying a lot of plans. With one thing or another, it’s been pretty non-stop, so when I do stop, it’s sometimes jarring.
Last week, I was heading out and found a completely flat tire on my car. I was stuck (considering where I was going), but fortunately it was a beautiful evening - sunny and a little warm. It took about an hour to switch to the reserve, drive to a tire store and get a new tire installed, and I was on my way.
Granted, I lost an hour of my planned productivity. I had to roll back my plans for the day, which meant my plans for the next day would also be altered.
Dealing with such events can bring total exhaustion, which can escalate, circumstantially -- imagine if I was wearing a tuxedo, on my way to an important event, and it was 35 F and raining. Really, as it was, it was just a hiccup. I try not to sweat the hiccups.
Last week, I was heading out and found a completely flat tire on my car. I was stuck (considering where I was going), but fortunately it was a beautiful evening - sunny and a little warm. It took about an hour to switch to the reserve, drive to a tire store and get a new tire installed, and I was on my way.
Granted, I lost an hour of my planned productivity. I had to roll back my plans for the day, which meant my plans for the next day would also be altered.
Dealing with such events can bring total exhaustion, which can escalate, circumstantially -- imagine if I was wearing a tuxedo, on my way to an important event, and it was 35 F and raining. Really, as it was, it was just a hiccup. I try not to sweat the hiccups.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Notes on “Spring Energy"
Spring energy is upward. There should be no surprise in finding that Wood is the element of Spring in Chinese Medicine. It is green. It is swirling, dancing, sometimes dipping down then springing back. It has to be bendable, flexible, seeking suppleness over rigor. It is twisting and we access it by twisting, casing off the old shell and surging upward and downwards -- simultaneously striving for the sky and laying our roots. A beetle, underground, molting and then squirming up, pushing off the Earth to extend fatigued wings that have never flown. A bear waking up, stretching, starting a morning ritual to shed off an entire winter’s accumulation of grogginess.
Spring is when we need to start moving. Get going even if getting going is not what you want to do. Let out a groan and a sigh. Rub your feet that have been bound up in boots for so many months. It’s not a bad time to get some shiatsu, while you are at it. Lay the plans for the year’s growth, plans and goals. Eat a few more sour and bitter things -- chew well and really get the flavor. Anger is also associated with Spring in Chinese Medicine. With all the swaying and all the ups and downs, it's easy for spikes of anger to come. Make an effort to take a few nice slow breaths a few times a day, particularly when there are anger spikes. Increase general activity level, but stay centered.
Spring is when we need to start moving. Get going even if getting going is not what you want to do. Let out a groan and a sigh. Rub your feet that have been bound up in boots for so many months. It’s not a bad time to get some shiatsu, while you are at it. Lay the plans for the year’s growth, plans and goals. Eat a few more sour and bitter things -- chew well and really get the flavor. Anger is also associated with Spring in Chinese Medicine. With all the swaying and all the ups and downs, it's easy for spikes of anger to come. Make an effort to take a few nice slow breaths a few times a day, particularly when there are anger spikes. Increase general activity level, but stay centered.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tile: Work in progress!
I'm quite happy with how this Ogre head is turning out. It's based on a Tang Dynasty piece at the Art Institute of Chicago. Next step is pressing tiles.
Friday, February 4, 2011
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