My thoughts have been about togetherness, groups, debates and forums in the last few days. I wish to find more ways of interacting with new people, different committees and discussion groups. Good and bad relationships, as well as our emotions in regards to others are vital to our personal and public life. They are equally necessary to support our wellbeing and required for good health and stability. We love a certain form of constancy, a non rigid one; one that keeps us “together” within ourselves. We don’t like to feel scattered, shattered or in pieces. Nevertheless, once in a while we do feel dishevelled. And what a joy it is when we find a way out of that out of order state!
From thinkers to musicians to politicians to spiritual teachers, we all work at making sense in the midst of disorder. We try to clean up the clutter after mild or severe storms and we should all come to this conclusion: we cannot do it alone. There is joy and no shame in asking for help. Tackling our shortcomings with help from friends or professionals creates an instant feeling of wholeness, even if only for a short period of time initially. There are many expressions in our vocabulary which mention groups as potential success options: “power of the union”, “together we can”, “united front”, used as political slogans also. “Teambuilding” is a tool for many human resource workers. You may like this spelling of TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More. I love this one: “none of us is as smart as all of us”. Most of our friends are happy to be of help with our needs and strangers can do be outstandingly caring when asked. Asking for assistance can generate new relationships; it may also stimulate reconnections.
Here is a song for you with this theme in mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X5_XsFtXtw
Today I would like to introduce you to two of my marvellous friends. One is a musician, the other is a painter. They are both light workers and strive to connect people and mentalities. They coach us into new ways of looking at our intentions. They query the philosophy of people, the meaning of attitudes; they challenge our own creativity and they motivate us in our search for truth and a better quality of life. Zohara and Louise use their working tools to help us understand how we deal with relationships, society and ourselves. How do these two courageous women do it? They are creative with their passion! You might agree with me on this: when we are on a personal mission we get better results than when we “just try”. Let us use our passions! We might get hurt in the process as everything to do with fervour is fiery. We want victory when we create, but it is tough to achieve. I believe it is a good idea to work on the process, rather than on the potential outcome. The process is not only a means to achieve; it is innovative on its own. Let’s make it a work of art. Somebody said “peace is the road”. Let’s open the map and walk on the path that makes things happen! We have all experienced excitement. We all know love. We can deal with fear. Why should we not make the most of our passionate beliefs?! Pain is inherent in life. Think of birth: it hurts to be born and to give birth. It evenly hurts to leave and to let go. Isn’t the journey worth it though? We surely have each other and others to support us when we struggle. I am positive that both Louise and Zohara will inspire you with this walk in the park of creative art and love of music.
Zohara runs the Sunshine Piano School. She enlightens me. Her teaching could be resumed in one simple sentence: music with love equals good life quality. She told me all you had to do to play the piano was to love music. She teaches that love leads to ability. Zohara is a musical healer. As per her website (www.sunshinepianoschool.com):
Zohara believes in the potential of EVERY CHILD and says that “if more children learn to play an instrument from early age - the world will be even better place to live in...".
She sees music & music education as a unique opportunity to build bridges of understanding & mutual respect between people, cultures and nations.
Louise is a painter. She lives in South Australia and she paints in an unusually personal and exceptionally beautiful style. She has ideas and paints them; she thinks while painting messages for us, the viewers. Louise is a believer and she transmits a spiritual message of universal truth through her art, visually. Her paintings tell us about us, about how we act, think and live. She paints about how we interact with each other but also against each other with our own individual screens of protection. She knows and questions these shields. Louise also paints resilience and effectively links suffering with healing. She is an artistic healer. Louise’s quest while painting and thinking is about relationships. In her art I have seen myself: hiding and seeking, trying to be while wanting to be recognised by others. I welcome you to view her paintings at: www.louisefeneley.com. You will see for yourself that everything is linked. There is no beginning, no end. Everything and everyone is intertwined with everyone else and with him/herself. I trust that you will enjoy her incredible skill with shape, form and movement.
I love art and I love music. I admire Zohara and Louise in how they communicate their enthusiasm and love for life.
As a story, I invite you to read: Good – Bye, a true story by a gardener. It relates to love, life and gardening! (By Swan Herbert)
“As I approach my final days on this earth and my body withers as brown barren stalks of corn in a chilling breeze, it is a source of consolation and hope to reflect on an unexpected yield that a simple plot of frozen ground behind my house has left for consideration during this winter season.
While all may look dead within my fenced in nursery, I have come to understand the miracle of seed. I have learned that beneath a lifeless hard crust new life is in waiting for the beckoning call of spring. So too, all beings begin as a dormant seed with unknown potential.
Decades of gardening has explained the cycle of life common to all organisms. The experience of sowing and reaping is but a microcosm of existence.
Seed develops roots. As a youngster I came to reject my roots, yet discovered over time that these were my only lifeline for growth and I could only work within the confines of my genetics.
Gazing upon the garden soil reminds me of my environment. Where I was planted in society was a critical factor in predicting my potential fruit bearing capability. Education would supplement
poor conditions and yet there were times I would till my crop under and start fresh in greener pastures.
As they sprouted and grew I noticed the variance of size, shape and growth rates of the various plants in my garden. Cabbage would be short and produce one firm healthy head while tomatoes would vine and produce dozens of soft edibles. And so it would be according to variety. Each grew well in their individual PH. This observation would instruct me not to compare myself with others since all creations are unique and grow at different rates.
The garden also taught patience. As in life some contribute quickly as do radishes while others yield late in the season as do Brussels sprouts. I came to perceive that each of my two children would not produce the same identical results in the same time frame and that trying to force them to be equal would only stunt their growth.
Timely rains are needed for growth in my field and just as the most severe electrical storms energized those plants who endured summer's assault, so too frightful events in life have often resulted in surge growth for people I have come to know.
Just as the feeding a crop with a balanced blend of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium produces a brighter appearance and the likelihood of a greater yield, it is not unlike human requirement. If only I would have understood the interaction of protein, fats, and carbohydrates sooner I might have avoided the devastating complications of diabetes.
There is competition on life's stage as many players come and go. Likewise, during a growing season in the garden intruders include rabbit, deer, squirrel, insects and disease. I have come to understand that none are enemies from birth. It is rather their instinctive drive to survive and prosper which results in adversity and, on a greater scale, wars.
Of course every year there have existed weeds prone to sap the energy from healthy plants within my crop. Enlightenment has instructed that it is but people with the inability to provide for themselves who leech from those around them. I have learned to continually remove these vultures from my space in order to produce a healthier harvest.
I came to agree with the Bible character Solomon who advised “as you live, work hard and enjoy the produce of your hands because there is no activity where you are going."
As now as I return to dust, it is a pleasure to be thankful for my moment in time ... and as my ashes replenish the soil so that others may prosper, I envision the thought that my decay will continue to recycle in generations to come and by that endless rotation I live on.”
As a photo, I propose this piece of art by Louise Feneley with the title:
To Rest as though You Held Me:
In light, love, art and music
Mariana
www.mariana-amar.com |