Beloved friends,
This painting both soothes and inspires me. I love the colors, the softness, and the simplicity. What is depicted here could, aside from the design of the chair, be a thousand years old, or a couple thousand. I believe that I'd feel at home in the life depicted here: a window, an inviting seat, flowers to enjoy, apples to snack on, the light dancing over all of it. I find moving the lack of people and the absolute sense of the presence of human living. I love the idea inherent in all still life painting that a handful of natural elements are worthy of the artist's attention, and of mine. All of this brings me tender comfort. What inspires me here is what the artist has done with this work: it, like all of the other pieces in the show she opened on November 5th, has a title which pairs a small, elegant description with a phrase from the United United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This piece is "Autumn: 'General Elections'." Others include "Water Street: 'Freedom of Movement and Residence'" and "Backyard Landscape: 'Human Family,'"
This is the work of artist Melora Kennedy, sister to Leah Kennedy, my dear friend and longtime sister-on-the-path. I hope that you'll read Melora speaking with Vermont's Seven Days about how the poetry of Frank O'Hara and music of Max Richter inspired her here. "It was a freeing moment to realize you could just do whatever you want," Kennedy said. "That made me figure it out: how I could be a political artist." There is more of Melora's gorgeous work on her Instagram. The painting above is not shown in full; it was necessary to crop it for the newsletter format; the full piece can be viewed in the article above.
Melora's vision resonates for me with the way that meditation can help us tap into appreciation, cherishing, and wonder so that we find again the glorious magic of our everyday living, the satisfaction and pleasure which are right before us all the time, no matter how much capitalism tries to convince us that satisfaction lies in what is next, that it lies in what we do not yet have. Meditation helps us to see through this and is in this, as in many ways, a revolutionary act. The little Zen Page-a-Day calendar which has been a beloved ritual in our home for long years spoke of this ease of access to pleasure and relaxation this week with the words of poet Elizabeth Searle Lamb:
This naked moment is the only guide that we need to relax our mind. We need to trust this: in the midst of our daily life activities, the possibility to slow down, to stop, and then to appreciate naturally unfolds. For a fleeting moment we pause and note the sunlight on the sheets as we make the bed, note the warm sun on our cup as we sip tea, or note the fading light on the curtain as we enter the room. And we let out breath or sigh. Pausing.
The weeks ahead are unique in our year: routines change more and for longer for more people than at any other time of the year. Big emotions tend to gather around these winter holidays, both joy and sorrow. Whatever you are feeling, I hope that you are able to find some moments of cherishing in this season. I hope that as the year turns and we head farther into the manifestation of our changing political climate, you find inspiration in Melora's creative determination to bring her values to her art.
My last event of the year will the weekly hybrid (meaning folks are both live with me in my temple and also online) yoga session of The Soft Animal this Saturday morning at the solstice. I'd love to see you there! My regular schedule will resume on Saturday, January 4th.
Last week I said that I'd open registration for my first course of 2025 this week, but the final details have not flowed as I imagined, so it'll be a little longer. What I can share with you now is that the title of the course will be Energetic Integrity, the structure carry on the innovations of 2024 that have been so warmly received, and that the intent of the work will be to help you establish connection and cohesion with yourself so that you are able to bear up well in the wild weather that seems to lie ahead for the world. Another thing that the little Zen said this week was from the Sōto Zen priest Dainin Katagiri:
We sit to settle the self on the self and let the flower of our life force bloom.
These are the intentions that I hold for the space I will open for you in the new year: refuge, resourcing, connection, empowerment, integrity.
I am wishing you a blessed solstice, dear one. May the long dark offer you rest, dream, and healing. May the turning tide of the light be gentle and resounding. May whatever other holy days you honor be nourishing to your heart.
Resources
Wider-Than-Human Culture
Have you heard that the orcas in my neck of the woods have taken to wearing salmon as hats again? It's been 37 years since this fad was last observed and it's come around again. This says to me some of what I hold most dear: the world is full of mystery and there is so much more wisdom and culture than we humans can yet, perhaps ever, understand.
Leaning in to Kiss the Cosmos
What a joy it was to learn that NASA shares an astronomy picture of the day. Thanks to Lucie.
The Art of Connection
This NY Times article is entitled, "How to Get a Party Buzz Even When You’re Not Drinking – These tips for sober socializing may not have you dancing on tables, but they’ll help you have plenty of fun." but the title sells this fine piece short! It's got some great and accessible tips for how to enjoy socializing, particularly at parties. "Choose low-stakes, high-drama topics" of conversation, for instance, sent little ripples of delight through this introvert. Gift link.
In Song
Olivia Fern's "The Moon's Song" has been on endless repeat in my heart and home For playing it in yours: Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube. The lyrics of this modern folks song are a sweetness themselves:
The Moon's Song
I went for a walk under the moon
and I asked her for a song, to guide me on
through the darkness
through the darkness.
The darkness of my fears, when all else disappears
oh the darkness of self doubt
will burn out
all your lightness
all your lightness.
So let go, of the shadow
of shame and blame,
praise and gain.
You are more.
oh just be who you are.
And she sang "Child, be unafraid to shine. Be bold and bright, reflecting the light."
She sang "Child, be unafraid to shine. Be bold and bright, reflecting the light."
I found so moving the idea that we might, like the moon, shine by reflecting light rather than generating it. Of course the moon would know this; she shines the night's darkness by reflecting the light of the sun. What a relief to think that we do not have to spend energy or even generate light to shine! We can simply allow life-and-light to be reflected by our being. This, too, weaves for me with the ease and beauty in Melora's work: life, here, shining with glory. Ahhhhh.