William Morris: Golden Lily
Will Day:
Creative Arts Therapist. Practitioner of various creative arts. Camaldolese
Oblate.
A Quiet Day
with a Friend.
Over the past few
years I have met with a friend at Holy Cross Retreat Centre in Templestowe. We
find a small room with a table and we lay out our art materials. Sometimes we
light a candle. Then we sit quietly allowing the silence to nourish us for a
while... out of which one or the other may share a poem or short piece of
writing which speaks to them at the time, or we may share a concern, or
delight, or some other thought about an aspect of our lives and spiritual
paths... we sit with that, and reflect on it a while, exchanging responses...
then back to silence.
During this first
phase of the session a particular mood is established, certain interests or
concerns are there in the air... and
from this ground we commence to draw. We draw in silence for a period of time,
simply allowing ourselves to express, explore and discover.
When we have
finished drawing we sit for a while in silence, then return to a period of
discussion and reflection based around our drawings, our thoughts, our lives
and our respective spiritual paths. And then we bring the session to a close
and go into the gardens to share lunch.
We both find these
sessions particularly rich, nourishing and encouraging, feeling held by the
Silence, the Presence, by the atmosphere of the holy place, by our friendship
and our shared creativity. I believe we learn and grow.
And of course
there are many possible variations on such a session. The energy of the session
may move to a place where you flow into a chant or song, then back to drawing.
You may conduct such a session in parkland, or go into your garden and make
assemblages in situ with what you find there, then look at each others and
reflect on them (What do you See?).
This kind of thing
is a special mode to share with a friend; in the contemplative mode, and in the
creative zone, the talk that arises is different, the rhythms and patterns of
our speech change. There might be a lot more natural silence, and out of that a
rich, more spontaneous and gently enlivened conversation emerges. Time changes
too. I particularly notice, in the creative zone, how time evaporates and we
are dropped into the nowness of now – we become different people too in that
zone.
If you participate
in a series of such sessions you build a container for these particular ways of
being, of exploring, a time of revelation and sharing. And these modes may more easily enter into
other parts of your life.
Sharing
Creativity with Others.
It is so very
beautiful to meet with a friend, or friends, to engage in creative pursuits and
creative exploration.
Instead of going
out for coffee, or to a movie, or to a talk, you might gather with friends to
have a sing, either the shared songs in your heads (childhood songs are great)
or print off some words so you are all 'on the same page'. You can experiment
with harmonies, and percussion instruments. Printing off the words is
preferable, it seems to me, to finding lyrics on our phones while gathered
together. Smart phones are miraculous but also invasive; ABC radio recently
informed me that research indicates that conversation is more superficial if a
phone is in view, and apparently there is also research indicating we sleep
more lightly if our phone is in the bedroom.
My friend Paul is
an artist who doesn't drive. Most days he is on public transport, and he draws
while he makes his way into the city, or out into the suburbs. He often draws
portraits of his fellow commuters and so he makes all sorts of incidental
connections with people who are curious about what he is doing. He regularly
tells me about a sweet exchange he has had with someone on the tram during the
day, and he sometimes establishes ongoing friendships. I think of him as
bringing the spirit of lila onto the tram with him; he begins to draw and
others catch that spirit and want to engage.
He told me he
recently met a young Pakistani fellow. They began talking about smart phones.
The Pakistani guy works in IT. He told Paul that when he meets up with his
friends he asks them to give him their phones. He turns them off and puts them
away in his bag until their social event is over. There's a thought.
Gather to share
poetry: Have a meal together, then sit and read poetry and share your
responses... the shared poetry opens a new kind of conversation. Experiment
with accompanying your friend’s poem with wordless singing, or humming, or
toning, or hand claps, finger clicks...
Gather together
specifically to share stories from your lives, or your ancestors' lives... tell
them artfully.
If you have a
friend who is a musician, writer, dancer or poet, it can be lovely to organise
to meet for a coffee simply so your friend can talk about their creative work
and their creative process. You might be surprised at what they tell you, and
you might be surprised at the questions you find yourself asking. This will
nourish your own creativity.
If you have an
artist friend, invite them to an art gallery to show you some of the work there
from their point of view, to talk to you about the art works which
captivate them.
Give
Yourself a Retreat.
Give yourself a
Retreat Day, or Retreat Morning. If something is on your mind, or you feel you
need some space and quiet, or you simply feel drawn to be more completely with
the Presence, the Silence for a while, you can give yourself a retreat at home.
Or if your home is a busy place, perhaps a friend will let you use their place
while they are at work, or while they are on holiday.
You might commence
by setting the intention that you will be spending the next couple of hours, or
the day, opening to silence, to your soul, and to the sacred presence.
You can design
your retreat time to suit your needs. Let your creativity guide you. Perhaps
you might include periods of Silence, Chanting, Reflective drawing, Journaling,
Dance etc.
If you've spent
the morning meditating, chanting and drawing at home, in the afternoon you
might take yourself to a park or a waterway and spend a couple of hours simply
sitting and walking, letting the natural world commune with you, and you with
it...observe, idle, reflect, pick up objects and really look at them, look closely,
reflectively at trees, flowers, birds, bark...
Collect some
objects, sit under a tree or on a bench, and make an arrangement, a tableau, a
picture, a story. Reflect on it a while. Sit in silence.
And then you might
return home, perhaps journal a little, following which you might close your
retreat with a period of prayerful silence, and gratitude.
Making
Chants.
Writing a song
sounds daunting for many of us, but anyone can find a line of scripture,
poetry, song or text, which speaks to them, or intrigues, puzzles, delights,
comforts, strengthens... You might invent a line that speaks to you, or it may
be something a friend has said, or even wordless sounds which move you. You
might like to add Allelulia, Amen, Gloria to your chant.
And you can make a
tune to fit it. Just experiment. If you're unsure, start with a tune you
already know and change it a little, experiment...enjoy experimenting and
discovering... choose a simple line... choose a simply tune...
If there is
something on your mind, something troubling you, you may like to choose a
relevant line, or write a relevant line, and make a chant that will work in
you, will work with the issue.
If you play an
instrument you may like to accompany your chant, or you may use handclaps or
other body percussion. Karatalas also known as 'bells' are small finger cymbals
popular in various parts of the world; they are a lovely simple way to add to
your chant and help you to keep a rhythm. Investigate.
So once you've
made your chant, when you've got your line of words, and your tune, you simply
chant the line over and over, perhaps varying volume and pace. You might
initially like to experiment, but eventually the Spirit will guide you. In the
Hindu world a very common pattern is to begin the chant slowly and reflectively
for some minutes and then build pace and volume to express an intensity of love
for some minutes, then winding down again until the chant almost disappears
into silence.
The silence that
opens after chanting for a while is very very special. Everything seems so very
still, the atmosphere resounding silently with the devotion of the chant. The
Presence can be so palpable.
A friend of mine
was up at Tarrawarra Abbey many years ago speaking with one of the very old
monks who was regarded as a holy creature. The old monk told my friend that
many people came into the chapel there to pray but few stayed after praying to
hear God's answer. It seems to me that the silence after chanting is like that,
it is full of God's answers…
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