Greeting Hidden Realms

I greet the evening like I greet the dawn -
Sleepy eyes awakening to hidden realms.
Creativity brewing in a mug, too steamy
To take a sip, until thoughts rise and come.

Welcoming the quiet like stacks of books - 
The more the merrier, in moments or pages.
Getting lost in the lines, moments lose time,
Into a perilous realm, where it isn't as it looks.

The imaginings unfold, cracking open a door - 
Leaks of light delight, and take us places.
To bring us out of ourselves, words are power.
They sink deep into our souls, to show us more.

Meeting In A Tea Cup

Strangely enough humanity has so far met in the tea-cup.
- Kakuzō Okakura

I finished reading The Book of Tea by Kakuzō Okakura, written in 1906. He comes to the pages with views of his own Japanese culture and has many comparisons of our western world. To me, this was fascinating. Reading it excites me to learn more about tea and the Japanese lifestyle, as he details the way they decorate, how they focus on simplicity, and how they are very intentional about not being symmetrical in decor. The tea room, specifically, has meanings behind every aspect. Each detail is well thought out, and nothing is overlooked, from the shape of the vase placed on a table, the short doorway of the traditional tea room (which causes every person to duck low, a sign of humility), the dress of the patrons, the dishes, the cleanliness, etc.

Thus prepared the guest will silently approach the sanctuary, and, if a samurai, will leave his sword on the rack beneath the eaves, the tea-room being pre-eminently the house of peace.

The book is a compilation of topics -  tea, tea-houses, religion, art, culture, decor, and the western world. His words written more than a hundred years ago still speak truths to the differences in our cultures. He points out the propensity of the western world to collect more and more, and to display their wealth with grand houses and displays like a museum inside them. While, the Japanese aim to display simplicity and neutral tones. Clutter in a house clutters the mind, but the westerners always seek more. It was interesting to read from this perspective (myself being a westerner), and finding many pieces of truth all the same.

I like the focus on thoughtfulness, mindfulness, and simplicity. The desire to remove distractions appeals to me as I seek to be intentional in my life in all aspects. We have much to learn from one another, in our different cultures. There are pieces of truth in all of them.

In the tea-room it is left for each guest in imagination to complete the total effect in relation to himself.

Ancient Inn

Merry Christmas!

May the joy and light of Christmas fill your heart, wherever you are. 

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
- Luke 2.14-16

There is heard a hymn when the panes are dim,
And never before or again,
When the nights are strong with a darkness long,
And the dark is alive with rain.

Never we know but in sleet and in snow,
The place where the great fires are,
That the midst of the earth is a raging mirth,
And the heart of the earth a star.

And at night we win to the ancient inn
Where the child in the frost is furled,
We follow the feet where all souls meet
At the inn at the end of the world.

The gods lie dead where the leaves lie red,
For the flame of the sun is flown,
The gods lie cold where the leaves lie gold,
And a Child comes forth alone.

"A Child of the Snows" by G.K. Chesterton

Myth of Tolkien

In Britain ways are wild and long,
and woods are dark with danger strong;
and sound of seas is in the leaves,
and wonder walks the forest-eaves.

- J.R.R. Tolkien

Something as of late has captured my imagination in the form of myths and legends. There is the mystery in the stories passed down, the characters, the decisions they make and how that shapes their future. Tales that teach and inspire more stories.

Tolkien gathers most of the attention for the well-known tales of Middle-earth, but this poem rests in the tradition of old Celtic myths, written during a short time period in his life where he was focused on studying the Celtic traditions. This is well before he wrote any lines of Middle-earth's stories.

It reads almost like a fairy tale of a decision made and the consequences of that one decision. Lord Aotrou and Lady Itroun desire to have children, but are unable to. Aotrou makes the choice to go on a journey to see the Corrigan, a 'Celtic fairy', living in a cave. The Cotrrigan tradition is that they are known to be crafty. She gives him a vile of liquid that will help, and won't receive any payment. She taunts him that she will collect payment if he sees results, and she won't say what she will require. 

Aotrou goes back home, and mixes the elixir into his wife's drink. With a glad heart, he seems to feel that good is on the horizon. Itroun ends up having twins, and they appear to be doubly blessed. They wish to celebrate such a good tiding. Aotrou goes out to hunt to bring back a prize to help celebrate, and is drawn to a white doe that lures him. It turns out to be the Corrigan, who then says her payment is due. Aotrou is to leave his wife, and be with her. Aotrou refuses immediately and tells her he'll be going home. The Corrigan says he will die in three days...a kind of spell is on him that he cannot escape...

It is a complex mix of choice and consequence. The poem is quite short, and there are a few different drafts included in the book, which is not at all surprising, knowing how many times Tolkien would write and re-write his stories. He was a perfectionist, and a story never seemed to be finished. There were always some details to clarify.

As I read this, I could see hints of tales of Middle-earth that haven't yet fully brewed in Tolkien's mind (elves like Galadriel, and their mysterious abilities). He liked to write tales that told of some tragedy but that have a deep sense of moral at the core (especially with marriage, such as this story), and it causes us to think about lessons to be learned in the choices we make. 

Winter To Do's

When the season comes around (at last!) that we call Winter, I rejoice and jump into action. I know it is a short-lived, sporadic season, and therefore, one must take it all in. Soak it up. Bottled it in one's heart.

One thing that is always more enjoyable is walking around downtown. The city puts up all these lights and Christmas figure lights in Munn Park. A lot of people take photos as they walk through the small square. Downtown has many charms, and when the weather is chilly, it tempts me more to explore or appreciate some local architecture, and perhaps grab some lunch at a favourite downtown spot.

When the cold comes, one must wear all the sweaters, jackets, scarves, and boots one can. Finally, those lovely sweaters can be worn. Many people who live up north chuckle that we might pull out our jackets when it's not that cold, but until you have lived here in the deep, tropical south, you may not understand that we long for the day when we can wear that jacket, so if we are blessed with a cool day (even coolish), we jump on it. That chance may not coming around again for a long while!

Orchestra concerts are abundant in the Winter, I have learned. Many are free, and almost all are in my neighborhood or just beyond (at churches, or my old college, for example). I love orchestra concerts, and I almost always choose a balcony seat if possible. The sound is better, and I can actually see. I tend to sit behind someone tall every time.  I enjoy watching talented musicians play their instruments and letting the music fill me as it dances about the room. 

What are some of your favourite Winter To Do's?

We Need the Cold

The soul should stand in awe - 
- Emily Dickinson

The coldest day since last winter passed through our land. I rejoiced and froze a bit. I have been without heat, and my home is an icebox. I made cups of tea and snuggled under my soft blanket. I reflected on light and darkness. Cold and warmth.

We need the cold season. We need to experience the darker days. If we do not experience the cold and dark, how will we appreciate the light and warmth when it comes?

In a conversion with my closest friend recently, we were talking about how so much of our culture does jump into all the carols, songs, shopping, and decor of Christmas at the beginning of November, which results in a lack of any experience of the Advent season. There is never a journey of waiting.

She mentioned that it is ironic (but actually very intentional of Satan) that during this season of Advent, in which we are supposed to be focused and quiet, patient and waiting, December is actually our busiest month of the year. It becomes jammed packed, exactly as Satan would hope (isn't his hope our demise?). Anything to distract us from being centered in the true meaning of these days before Christmas is a success to him. As long as we are distracted with shopping, events, gathering, wrapping, and driving all over the place, we are potentially keeping ourselves at a safe distance from God. These events of the season are not bad in themselves, of course, but when they fill all our days, and continue to distract us again and again, we lose our centre, and therein lies the danger.

I really respect those people who hold onto the tradition of waiting to sing carols about Jesus and decorate for Christmas until Christmas actually happens, as if it were the first Christmas. They celebrate and sing Jesus's name only when He is born. Then the celebration happens. Isn't it strange that so much of our culture is worn out with Christmas before it arrives? And many times, people are keen to take it all down quickly because it has been up since early November?

There is a meaning in these beautiful reminders at Christmas. Satan will try to distract us from them, and he is even distracting us with good things. It is so easy to do this time of year when goodness is more abundant. In these few weeks before Christmas, as the calendar looks even more full (with good things), I pray that we can be more intentional about staying focused on what matters, and letting distractions glide by when they should.

Wintry Pages

I wake up to the comfortable chill of the dew's morning air. I dream about a chill much deeper; mornings when I tuck my blankets up closer to my chin before emerging from the warm cocoon. To be patient in the unknown is the theme of this whole month of Advent. With a resolute air, I am quietly determined to soak in every short-lived wintry day that graces our land, when it does indeed come. To me, the brush of the cold is a gift I can barely behold. I hang onto it tightly, and let the words linger from my pen to page, growing dim as the warmth returns. 

Eager to capture it all, I know I cannot, so sometimes I simply sit back and let my senses take it in without the urge to write it all down. Sometimes I don't feel that I can capture it well enough, for how do you write about a joy except to do as I am doing now, letting the words escape as they come to heart. Over the threshold they spill, unaltered in thankfulness.

Can it be subdued? Hopefully not, as these wintry pages are glimpses into my favourite days of weather. As one who is steady and constant, I find myself opposing that inclination by preferring a variety in weather. Perpetual summer and sun does not quench my need for interesting weather. Nothing seems to spark when the sun is always shining. Wintry weather brings interest in the form of soulful meaning tucked in each glittering moment different from the one preceding it.

May these pages continue on; filling up with all the textures and tones of these days teeming on the cusp of a wintry season.

When All the Lights are Out

Notes from the first Sunday of Advent.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,"I am the light of the world. 
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." 
- John 8:12

I entered church, and I immediately saw that all the lights were out. The usher who greeted me said there was a power issue. What a strange, and I thought enlightening, way to begin the first Sunday of Advent in a quiet, dark sanctuary. Like an Advent tiding to pay attention to, and dwell in. Light came into the space by way of the stained glass windows, and it was hauntingly beautiful. Other than having some trouble hearing the speaker at some moments in that large space, I didn't mind the darkness. It encouraged a universal quiet that everyone took part in, and a stillness settled in over the pews. We all had to pay closer attention and listen attentively to let the sounds travel into our hearts. Nobody left the service or shifted in frustration. We were there to meditate and focus on God's word, with or without the modern convenience of electricity.

Sitting there in the grand space, it all looked a bit different. Shadows lingered in recesses and the front alter was darker than the congregation pews. I imagined what it must have been like in the enormous cathedrals before electricity; before microphones were amplifying the sound. They must have been so hushed in order to hear all the nuances of the music and the words reverberating through the open space. It must have felt like today, with light only present through candles lit, and stained glass windows filtering it. Soft lighting, in my mind, causes us to become more introspective and reflective.

In the modern age of today, we fully take for granted the fact that our lights and power always work (or should, 99.9% of the time). It is expected that we have all the light we need, but in church on Sunday, we were transported back a hundred years. And in fact, even that morning we had all the light we needed, in Jesus. May we not miss such moments of grace and His ever present light, so that in the darkest times, we can know that we are taken care of, we are loved, and God is with us.

It is more difficult to see the light when we are always present in bright light. Sometimes we need to sit in some darkness, as in the very timely dark service of the morning this Sunday, and imagine ourselves in the time just before the Incarnation and ponder it in our hearts as Mary and Joseph would have pondered. Did they feel like they were in darkness for while? Did they have any idea what their legacy would be? Could they even imagine what God's plans would include for Jesus? A myth becoming fact before their eyes, entering history, and restoring to us the greatest of all, hope.

Advent Tidings

O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!
(O Antiphon from 8th century)

As we are now upon the beginning of Advent, we deck our halls with beautiful greenery and lights. The scent of evergreen trees rises in our homes. We dream about it all being calm and bright, but it usually is more hectic than calm. Most of the time it is too bright all the time, meaning we don't take the time to ponder the darkness of the season and the coming of the Light.

If this season becomes overwhelming and busy, then we would do well to pay attention that we are not slowing down to experience the darkness and thoughtfulness of Advent. If we place ourselves in history, we would find ourselves in a patient state, in hopeful expectation of what is possible to come.

There is this overarching problem we all face this month. Here is what it looks like. Our days quickly become a constant barrage of hectic scheduling (work, parties, gatherings, travel) mixed with the commercial materialistic factor that began two months ago (do you notice how it starts earlier each year?), but on the flip side it also likely contains some quality time with family and friends, and thoughtful gift giving with those we care about. Those things hold a special place in my heart (and probably yours, too).

The nature of being busy leaves us lacking actual substance on which to nourish our souls. We know deep inside that this season is supposed to reach us in soulful ways. We should be learning something everyday about what it was like in the days and weeks before the incarnation. It was a dark time, indeed, riddled with uncertainty, and yet unbeknownst to them, they inched closer to the glory of God in the incarnation.

The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, 
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death 
light has dawned. (Matthew 4.16)

If you are looking for some thought-provoking words to nourish your soul this Advent season, here are a few suggestions that I will be picking up again starting today.

Each of these books is structured with a poem (ranging from ancient to modern) and then the author details the core of the poem, what it means, and extracts deeper thoughts we can take from the poem. Each poem and the subsequent summary takes up a few pages, so it is easy to read one each day, if you set aside ten minutes. These are wonderful books, with deeply nourishing words to help us focus on the true meanings of this season.

Waiting on the Word, by Malcolm Guite

Haphazard by Starlight, by Janet Morely