In An Orderly Fashion

 

   

       Passion flower,  Passiflora caeulea, an exotic looking vining perennial with a quite distinctive  flower seems an especially fitting representation for the energy of this pathway entitled Putting Things in Order. In my continuing journey to explore The Sufi Book of Life- 99 Pathways to the Heart, by Neil Douglas-Klotz, through art, I am always pleasantly surprised by the images that call
to be used and later prove to be symbolically apropos.

     It seems to me that during this extended period of quarantine and isolation that many of us have been doing just this, putting various things in order in our lives. I know for myself I have spent time organizing closets, kitchen cabinets, drawers and art supplies (always a never ending battle). Everyday I hear from friends and family busy tackling house renovations from flooring to painting rooms; putting in gardens; and cleaning out garages and basements. The quest to keep busy. Psychologically I wouldn’t doubt that some of this activity is a reaction to feeling that we have no control over what is going on in the world around us. So we channel our energy into what we feel we can control, our immediate surroundings and our little corners of this world where we have some sense of belonging that brings us comfort.

     We don’t have control over anything except how we react  to these challenging times. On so many levels this is a time of great change, a call to return to balance by putting things right. This isn’t just about physical, material objects though. This is about going deeper in mind and spirit and starting the healing process by illuminating that which has been lurking in the shadows of our group subconscious. Issues need to be addressed, cracks in the foundation need to be repaired, and outmoded ways of thinking and Being need to be released. We need to re-view, re-vision, and re-store. And that all begins within the stillness we must create within ourselves.

     In this pathway the author directs us to examine the place within ourselves that is capable of organizing and putting things in our lives into order. This ability manages our mental, emotional and material needs. It is the inner practical  you that balances the check book, that is able to nurture yourself when you are ill, that deals with relationship problems or that plans a diet and exercise plan for better health. However just as this inner manager organizes the details it is equally important to seek balance from your inner “Soloman” or judge. We can be our own worst critics and judge ourselves harshly if we don’t stick to the rule book we have laid out. No one likes to be micro-managed! So as we put things in order we need to do so with “loving wisdom”. Be  kind to yourself in the process. Life is dull and meaningless without joy, spontaneity, inspiration and sweetness along the way. Don’t starve yourself.

     In our society if you are not doing, not reaching goals you are judged as lazy, as a slacker or just unambitious. We label ourselves with titles and job descriptions to announce what it is we DO.  Our little bit of time is spent madly dashing from one project to another, from managing and juggling schedules, our relationships and our resumes to prove our worth. But to whom are we proving ourselves to and why? The author asks us to contemplate how we live our daily lives? How do you spend your time? What is MOST important right now? Is what you are doing furthering your life’s purpose? The answer to all of these questions should be ultimately the same thing...love.  

     Time spent doing what you love leads to a state of Being rather than a state of doing all the time. For me, in my career as a florist,  flowers, design, creating environments and helping people express their emotions with the help of  nature was my bliss. However I was almost always also seen professionally  as  the “manager” which so many times in my career led me to be put into that position which meant I had less time for doing that which I truly loved.  When I was surrounded in and immersed in my profession I lost all track of time because I was doing what I loved. At that point I was Being not Doing. There is a shift. I now experience the same bliss when I write or create art. Collage for me is an exercise in putting things in order.  There is a process; the plan of action based on the inspiration, meditation upon the theme,  the gathering of images and supplies, the preparation of the paper, the laying out until it feels right, applying the medium, drying time and the finishing. There is then one more step after completion for me though and that is studying the composition for the deeper message, the light hidden within.

Pathway 29 collage.

     I actually started by painting the background white at first. I had a completely different thought as to composition and placement but then I started my search for images and it was apparent that it was going in a different direction. A woman sits upon a boulder at day break meditating. Behind her is a still pool of water. Her figure appears to be balanced upon the rock. There is a sense of serenity and peace, the stillness of the pond reflects the order of the woman’s emptied mind as she meditates.

     The image of the beautifully carved archways leading to a garden beyond is a study in precision and order. There must be tremendous strength in the foundation just as there is beauty and meaning in the carving and design. It has a sense of ascension as you pass through each archway. Each time we create a new level of order in our lives by unlearning behaviors, by choosing to not react in old ways which only perpetuates past habits of doing,  we free ourselves.

     Then there was this tent aglow in the black of night. Such a welcoming sight. To me it was a symbol of the illuminated mind and/or the spirit, the light of the soul. The light being held, embraced within the vessel holding it in the darkness. The light being what we do know and the vast darkness being that which we don’t know yet. I find comfort in the knowing and rather than fear of the unknown I hold a sense of curiosity and hope.

     So the next thing I did was paint the background black, I covered the light with darkness. Then I arranged images of knowing over that which I don’t know yet. They are each portals. But it was not complete yet and that’s when the Passion flower vine called to me and wished to connect all three. Passion flower urges us to live our lives with passion! In some cultures they believed the flower to have the shape of the sun or a clock thus we are asked to pay attention to how we spend the time we have been given. It is also believed that it has the ability to attract love into your life in all of its forms. At first I didn’t notice that the blossom also held a bee. Bees teach us to focus on the moment, mindfulness. Are you aligned with that which you love?

    So in considering my collage at this point it still felt like something was missing. Then I found an image of a perfectly ordered closet (it was an advertisement) something honestly that I have always strived for but have never been able to maintain for any length of time! I can and have maintained large inventories and have managed multi million dollar businesses all of my life but the order of my own closet  never, Lol. So I decided to affix the closet to an envelope that I have tucked my thoughts and intentions into. (Yes, one of them is an orderly closet!)

     But that being said this pathway is about Being human, about living mindfully, not filling time for the sake of doing. And it’s about being kind to myself and not judgmental of the state of my closets! When you rest, rest. When you play, play. When you live, live. When you create, create. And each time you reach a new level of order in your life ask yourself “Am I  aligned with love?” To live a life based in love takes discipline and I wish to live my life as a disciple to that love.