Why did I entitle this particular post “The Seventh Day”? It is because I was particularly enthralled with a David Brooks editorial recently. Mr. Brooks, who writes for the New York Times, has become an inspiration to me. Should you need to know more about this philosopher of contemporary times, you can click on a link to his bio, here. Mr. Brooks speaks to his hunger to find space in our hectic times, most particularly off the Internet. He speaks to a need to feel “timelessness”. One method this journalist uses to escape the linear march of time is to reflect upon the paintings of the artist, Makoto Fujimura. Mako uses a particular Japanese version of art called Nihonga. This artistic method uses painstaking slow methods to create layer upon layer of color and texture to create a picture. When looking at one of these paintings, one can lose oneself in the depth and complexity of the art. More on Mako’s paintings later.
The reason David Brooks’ recent editorial consumed me is because I resonated with his yearning to get off the grid of hectic life, to take a break from the pace of time, and to be able to step into a sense of timelessness. My life recently demanded so much of my energy and dedication to tasks and responsibilities. Yet, during this time with these demands on my time, I found myself wanting to step away and be still to reflect, to revamp my perceptions, and to just “BE”.
Why did I entitle this particular newsletter “The Seventh Day”? It is because I was particularly enthralled with a David Brooks editorial recently. Mr. Brooks, who writes for the New York Times, has become an inspiration to me. Should you need to know more about this philosopher of contemporary times, you can click on a link to his bio, here. Mr. Brooks speaks to his hunger to find space in our hectic times, most particularly off the Internet. He speaks to a need to feel “timelessness”. One method this journalist uses to escape the linear march of time is to reflect upon the paintings of the artist, Makoto Fujimura. Mako uses a particular Japanese version of art called Nihonga. This artistic method uses painstaking slow methods to create layer upon layer of color and texture to create a picture. When looking at one of these paintings, one can lose oneself in the depth and complexity of the art. More on Mako’s paintings later.
Images of Grace Maktoto Fujimura
The reason David Brooks’ recent editorial consumed me is because I resonated with his yearning to get off the grid of hectic life, to take a break from the pace of time, and to be able to step into a sense of timelessness. My life recently demanded so much of my energy and dedication to tasks and responsibilities. Yet, during this time with these demands on my time, I found myself wanting to step away and be still to reflect, to revamp my perceptions, and to just “BE”.
Some of my yearning for a break was due to my involvement with my now deceased mother who became critically ill after a chronic struggle with an ongoing infection. Her health crises started in late January this year with a visit to ER and ended on March 13thwhen she passed, having spent her last few days in hospice. This required my taking leave of my work and my home responsibilities to travel to Florida (from California) to be with my sister and family. I returned home a day before the Spring Equinox. Of course, a loved one’s transition brings up issues of time and mortality. This may be why I yearned for time to be away from the demands of life. Hence, my reference to the “Seventh Day” in this newsletter. This is a metaphor for the Sabbath.
In the Jewish and Christian religious traditions there is the practice of setting aside one day a week to turn one’s attention to the sacred. For many of us, the Sabbath is a day to worship not find ourselves at work. Yet, what is implied here is not the rote habit that “Sunday” brings up for those practicing Christian faith, such as going to church and connecting with the larger family and community. Instead, the term Sabbath, as in the Seventh Day of the week, implies a time to devote to the Sacred and the Divine. This “Day” is not to be meant literal so much as it is metaphorical. It is time to experience the absence of TIME and to glimpse eternity.
We do not have to go to church or practice a particular religious doctrine to find ourselves in communion with the sacred or the divine. We can feel timelessness when we are walking in nature, or intensely involved with a sport, or creating a work of art, or simply preparing a meal. The Greeks had a concept of Kairos time which is different from Kronos (Chronos) time. Kairos time is qualitative, not quantitative like our normal concept of time. When we are with beauty, nature, with art and music, we are in Kairos time. This is what I feel is one of the major yearnings in our world today. We are turning to mindfulness, meditation, and examining our spiritual nature in an effort (I believe) to step away or outside of the cacophony of our everyday reality.
But, there is the huge difficulty of stepping away from the noise, social media, the constant frenetic to make sense of the heaps cognitive dissonance that seems to face us more and more each day. Thus, I return to the work of artist Mako. Let me use his work using the Nihonga process as an archetype to explain how we can solve the dilemma of finding our sense of transcendence from the ordinary or mundane, even from our pain and suffering. This artist uses an intensive process of taking elements, gems, rocks, such as azure, and malachite and pulverizing them into fine particles. The intense color from these various minerals are applied to paper which takes time to dry. The process of creating these paintings takes a great deal of time as there may be as many as 60 layers in a single work. The Nihonga process is slow to make and consequently slow to see. One must view the single piece for many minutes to go deep into the painting. One loses oneself as one falls through the many levels.
The message of this Artist archetype may imply that:
One must destroy or pulverize the obstacles in one’s way to open up a new path.
Things must die to create the way for “new”.
The process of creating allows one to escape the structure of time.
Being in tune with art, with nature, and with spirit creates transcendence from the ordinary to the luminous.
Astrology’s message:
Taking my narrative and the example of this one archetype brings us to an aspect that we are Dancing with the Energy of the Universe. While the movement of celestial bodies does not cause specific actions on our part, neither do we stand alone nor separate from the cosmic energy surrounding us.
Currently we have several transformational and transpersonal planets carrying our personal life to a transcendent and otherworldly experience. For the last couple of months, we have really felt some of the influences of planets Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Also, let us not forget we are still pushing through the shadow of the recent Mercury in Pisces, retrograde. This retrograde influence covered most of March.
Starting from the end of our planetary zodiac, Pluto has been in the astrological sign of Capricorn since 2008 and will remain in this constellation until 2023. Pluto is the archetype of the Destroyer and Creator. This is the message that is coming up strong these days: many of us bear witness to old patterns breaking down with new ways being formed. Many astrologers and even philosophers feel that we are seeing the demise of the top-down hierarchy and patriarchy taking place for the last several years. Pluto rules power and even economic structures, and Capricorn rules traditions, structures, hierarchy, big business, corporations. Pluto in Capricorn is transforming how these structures and forms of government and the economy serve humanity.
Saturn in Capricorn is working in tangent with Pluto and is supporting a close examination of our concept of time. Saturn in the zodiac represent s“Father Time”. With the transformational and creative energy of Pluto conjoining with Saturn in Capricorn we just may be breaking free of old patterns and structures, plus evolving a new concept of time.
Neptune in Pisces – Spiritual Neptune is in her home sign of Pisces from 2012 to 2024, continuing to fuel the fanaticism for crystals, astrology, meditation, and ritual that’s swept through the world in the past seven years. We can expect more high-vibe hits from Neptune to continue throughout the next months and years. Mercury in Pisces retrograde for most of the month of Marchhad many of us going back over issues that have been submerged in our subconscious mind. Neptune in Pisces dissolves the boundaries of our individual identities and pulls us into a collective consciousness. Spirit knows no boundaries; it transcends space and time. Neptune’s energy potentially dissolves the ego-mind to bring a sense of connection with all that IS.
All these planetary influences bring us back to the narrative above: Our consciousness is shifting to a sense of “We-ness” yes, even cocerning the "Me, Too", movement.... rather than an ego-centered lens. Okay, we all come from an individual view on life, but there is something that has been sparked in us: An Incantation to bring Spirit into our bodies and our lives. We are joined together in spirit, in a unified energy that transcends our everyday reality.
To identify with the luminous world of Spirit, I invite you to bring the practice of the Sabbath into your life. Find time to step away from your external world to go within to find the stillness and quiet to restore your psyche.