Musings on Peace, Harmony and the Art of Spaces

The other day I was working at my desk, fully absorbed in reading a big document on my laptop, highlighting some points, trying to make sense of others, when I suddenly looked up. And this is the view I saw from the window by which my desk is placed.

A view from the window by my desk, one afternoon

It was not the first time I saw this view of my small garden in the back of the house. I see it daily, both when I am out in the garden and when I sit at my desk. But that day was a bit special.

It was special because the moment that day brought with it a sense of quiet and peace as I let that view sink in to me. There were a few small birds flying around the champa trees and the bushes nearby, making lovely sounds, calling each other, playing, resting on the thin branches, enjoying their freedom.

I sat there, in my chair, just sat there. For several minutes. Taking in the view, enjoying the sounds of the birds, the peace of it all.

I don't know what I was feeling in those moments. Perhaps it was some type of peace, a sense of harmony. Perhaps it was one of those moments when everything feels perfect, everything around you, everything within you, everything is just the way as it should be. There is no need to fuss over anything, no need to shift anything. As if there is nothing to disturb this moment, this sense of peace.

Have you ever felt that? Surely, you must have. Thank the gods for such moments, rare as they are in the noisy worlds we live in - within and without.

A few minutes later, a part of me wanted to go out in the garden and take pictures of the view. Even thought of taking the pictures of the birds who were still playing and singing. How foolish of me, I immediately said to myself. As if pictures would preserve the 'feel' of the moment for me. 

But still I couldn't not resist taking one shot on my phone, from this side of the window itself. The one you see above. 

The moment passed. Only to be followed by another moment, of a reflection. Reflection on spaces and harmony. And on art.

Today, a few days later, as I sit by the same window, trying to give voice to that reflection I see the same tree and the same bushes, though there are no birds at the moment, I try to recall to my awareness that moment of quiet and peace from the other day.

Maybe writing out this reflection on spaces and harmony will bring its own harmony. Afterall, minds are spaces too, and creating a sense of harmony in our mental spaces is an art, a very important art that we all have to learn one way or the other if we want to experience more of these moments of peace and quietude.

So I begin.

You walk into a space -- a home, a room, a garden, a temple, an ashram, a workplace or any other public place -- and you instantly, spontaneously feel a sense of all-pervading harmony, a quiet ambience, an effortless beauty. Nothing is amiss, everything is perfectly placed where it should be. Nothing is obtrusive, nothing is jarring, everything is quietly at home in its natural place.

And you walk into another space and instantly you feel that something isn't right. There is a sense of disorder, an artificiality to the whole arrangement of the space, a feel of uncomfortable ugliness despite the outward prettiness and 'designer-like' placement of objects.

What? You haven't experienced it? You must have. Think, think.

Well, I surely have. Many times.

In fact, I have experienced this sense of harmony (or disharmony) even in empty spaces. For example, a few years ago when we were looking for a house to purchase, many times we would walk into an empty house for sale and just upon entering the house I would immediately 'know' whether or not I would even consider the house any further. Spaces, even empty spaces have their auras, sort of like an energy around them.

Personally speaking, how I feel in a particular space generally figures as one of the main criteria for deciding how much time I want to spend there. This could be a richly decorated home of a relative or a humble half-demolished temple in a village I am only visiting for an afternoon. I have experienced a discomforting sense of disharmony at a five-star hotel and felt a deeply calming sense of joy at an almost decrepit building that serves as a guest house.

This feeling or perception of order or disorder, a sense of harmony or chaos, is not about the physical appearance -- the size of the space, the form, placement and outer charm and prettiness of objects or furniture in the space -- though these things may be part of it. But only a very small part. The bigger part is about what the space makes one feel inwardly.

What is it that makes one space feel harmoniously beautiful, even though it may be very simply arranged with most inexpensive objects? And what makes another space, sometimes even the most well-designed space, furnished with most expensive 'designer' furniture and object d'art, feel jarring, out of order almost?

Is it the aura of the person who lives, works, moves in the space? Or the aura of the person who looks after the space, its cleaning, upkeep, etc? Is it something about 'the way' things are arranged in the space? Or the consciousness of the space itself, the consciousness hidden in everything that is there in the space?

Or is it the state of the mind of the person walking into the space? The sense of harmony he or she brings to the space?

It is perhaps every thing. And more.

It takes an artist to make a space harmoniously beautiful.

If you ask me, I believe that all those who produce something artistic are artists! A word depends upon the way it is used, upon what one puts into it. One may put into it all that one wants. For instance, in Japan there are gardeners who spend their time correcting the forms of trees so that in the landscape they make a beautiful picture. By all kinds of trimmings, props, etc. they adjust the forms of trees. They give them special forms so that each form may be just what is needed in the landscape. A tree is planted in a garden at the spot where it is needed and moreover, it is given the form that’s required for it to go well with the whole set-up. And they succeed in doing wonderful things. You have but to take a photograph of the garden, it is a real picture, it is so good. Well, I certainly call the man an artist. One may call him a gardener but he is an artist....

All those who have a sure and developed sense of harmony in all its forms, and the harmony of all the forms among themselves, are necessarily artists, whatever may be the type of their production. (The Mother, CWM, Vol 8, p. 324)

It perhaps takes an artist to 'know' a space. To feel a space. To experience the harmony.

But what is this sense of harmony? Can it only be felt? Can we grow in our sense of harmony? Of perceiving? Of creating harmony? In our spaces, outer and inner?

Maybe in some other moment of grace, sitting by the window in front of the garden view, when my mind is in a state of harmony I shall be blessed with an insight into some of these questions.

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Linking with ABC Wednesday, P: P is for Peace.

Difficult Decisions

A new post in the series - Reminders to self

Photo by Hengki Koentjoro

This morning my husband and I had a long talk with our gardener. About five trees in our garden. We had similar talks before but without much seriousness. Today we had to come to a serious decision. Mindfully, carefully thought out decision.

You see, our garden space is actually quite narrow, and the previous owners of the house had planted several trees while the house was being built. Some of these trees were perhaps not really planted with much careful thought, especially not with a consideration of the fact that trees grow big and bigger. As much as we are grateful for the fact that we have a nice green space in our home which is a great source of joy and beauty, we are also beginning to get concerned about the location of these trees.

They are planted too close to the boundary wall, in fact the trunks of two neem trees are already beginning to cause some cracks in the wall. There is a very tall teak tree with its beautiful trunk, but it has become too big for its place and is really leaning heavily on the boundary wall. There is also one part of a flowering oleander tree which is beginning to look worrisome. And then there is a big palm tree with a heavy root system planted very close to one of outer walls of the house itself.

The solution has to be drastic. Just a few months ago also we had been through a lot of drastic action in the garden (read about that here). And now this.

A part of my heart cries when I think of what will be happening in my little garden in a few days.

But I have already started thinking about what I will be planting in the places left vacant. Of course, no trees that tend to grow big and bigger. Plus I take comfort in the thought that we may still be able to save part of the oleander tree. I also plan to save as much of the wood from the trunks as possible and use the log pieces to make stands for potted plants.

There is however a part of me that can't come to terms with what I am about to witness. It has taken me a long time to be convinced of what must be done. Ever since moving into this house more than three years ago, we knew this time would come sooner or later. And we had been somewhat preparing in advance by carefully doing some planting of smaller trees, vines and bushes which will eventually fill up those corners left behind by the big trees.

But still it hurts.

My thought goes to all the trees that have been removed from the face of the earth because we, the people needed to build roads, buildings, flyovers, bridges, houses etc. My thought goes to all the trees that had to be cut down because we, the people needed nice looking furniture and floors. And paper. And more paper.

My thought goes to all the trees that were cut down simply because we didn't know better.

Am I being hypocritical here? Here I am thinking about all those trees that have been cut down from times immemorial and those that are being cut down as I write this. And yet soon I myself will add a few more to the total count of the 'cut down' trees.

I can persuade myself by words such as -- my situation is different, I have no choice, I can't let these trees cause damage to the house. I can also arrogantly think to myself -- didn't I do my bit for the trees by buying all the refurbished second-hand wooden furniture for my home instead of buying new? Don't I recycle? Don't I do composting? Etc etc....I can do all these things to feel comfortable with my decision. But I should not.

I don't know what I am feeling really. Maybe I don't want to know. Because a part of my heart is still crying. Only one thought comes to mind -- Compassion for our Mother Earth. When will we begin to practice that?

Maybe we can begin to practice by consuming less. Less paper, less plastic, less electricity, less petrol, less water. Less things.

Maybe we can begin to practice by being kind to all things around. By gradually becoming mindful of the material world around us.

Maybe we can begin to practice by creating green spaces, even if they are small balcony gardens. Or indoor gardens with a few potted plants.

Maybe we can begin to practice by planning our little green spaces more thoughtfully, more consciously. So we don't have to make some difficult decisions few years down the road.

Yes, that's the lesson I am learning today. Being more mindful, being more thoughtful, being more considerate. Because true and sincere compassion requires mindfulness, awareness and humility. It requires that we be non-judgmental and non-arrogant.

Not easy things to do. Especially when we are so used to thinking that we know what is best for the world and for everyone else in the world. Especially when we are so used to forgetting that there is a force much higher than our very limited intelligence which is leading the world to a higher harmony, much higher than we can ever conceive or imagine, despite or through all the chaos and destruction and turmoil we see around us.

Indiscriminate compassion is the noblest gift of temperament, not to do even the least hurt to one living thing is the highest of all human virtues; but God practises neither. Is man therefore nobler and better than the All-loving?

To exalt one virtue,—compassion even,—unduly above all others is to cover up with one’s hand the eyes of wisdom. God moves always towards a harmony.

                                                                                               ~ Sri Aurobindo (Aphorisms) 

Do I find comfort in these words? Sure I do. Contemplating on these words today is a compassionate thing to do, for myself.

But in addition to feeling the compassion in these words, I also find them teaching me an important lesson -- that of compassion as a means to a greater harmony. Compassion as a means to becoming mindful -- of my choices, my actions, my thoughts, my awareness. This is the lesson I hope to keep in my heart.

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To read previous post in the series, Reminders to self, click here.
To read more posts in the series, click here.

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This is my contribution to the unique global movement called 1000 Voices for Compassion.  Today,  the 20th February 2015, over 1000 bloggers worldwide are publishing posts about compassion. It is an effort to spread goodness and compassion in a world torn by strife and violence.

Linking this with #1000Speak, #1000 voices for compassion  #HinduEnvironmentWeek

Hello, It's a Miracle!

"Hello Miracle, my old friend. So good to see you! Long time, where had you been hiding?"

"Hello there! I suppose I could say I was just hibernating, taking it easy, you know! How have you been? I see you look quite hale and hearty, nicely blossoming."

"Yes, it has been a good year so far. I have enjoyed the nice rains we got and also plenty of Sun helped me regain some of my vigour. But you have had a difficult time in the last couple of years, no? We missed you around here."

"It's nice to hear that you have been well. And I missed myself too, if I may say so! Yes, it has been a difficult time for me lately. But that's mostly because of that not-so-smart fellow who kept overfeeding me despite my ill-health, and didn't even bother to check what I actually needed. And those people who hired him, I mean the couple who own this property, sometimes I think they are also not very smart despite all their education and stuff. They got me to their home, parked me here in this corner and probably just forgot about me. What kind of people do that, hun? I wasn't getting proper attention, and as you know I am not really that demanding. I was barely managing to survive, but that was thanks to my inner strength and hardiness. I tell you, when times get tough, that's when you realize your own will to survive and keep going. I managed to do that, and look now, I am finally recovering after all this time and even beginning to blossom a little."

"That's great! I am very happy for you. And I am so proud of you. You know, I was missing your company. I used to look longingly toward your corner and really hoped that one day the 'Miracle' will happen! Isn't that a nice turn of the phrase, eh? And look now, it has. You have opened up and we all can enjoy this beautiful vision of the blue-purple blooms in our corner."

"Thank you so much, dear! It means a lot to hear this from my fellow beings, my neighbours and friends."

"And I must tell you this. It is not for no reason that you have been given this name 'Miracle'. Just by the way you have shared your experience right now, you have helped me learn an important lesson in life, and work further towards my Perfection: to rely on one's inner willpower, to be able to dig into that hidden reservoir of inner strength and pull oneself up and renew oneself. But tell me frankly, was it easy to do?"

"Oh no! It wasn't easy, but then what choice did I have? It would have been much easier to give up. But something in me resisted and wasn't ready to give up. And I thank all the gods for that! This part kept going somehow, kept the flame of life burning within, kept digging for greater strength, greater willpower and eventually created an opening of some sort which was enough to receive that Higher Light or Force or whatever one may call it. And voila! It worked. I could slowly heal my wounds, and eventually as you say, renew myself. I suppose it is a Miracle, in a way. Otherwise if it were up to these fellows, I would have probably been dead by now!"

"Now come on...they aren't all that bad. The rest of us have been doing okay, no? They do take care of us and also of things around here, for the most part. I agree, sometimes they get lazy or neglectful and things go a bit out of control or somewhat unruly, here and there. But they do come around and do what is necessary."

"You are right, they do. I was being a bit judgmental, I think. Maybe this new-found beauty of mine is going to my head! I must watch out for it. It is true that when I look around and see you all doing well and hale and hearty, I feel happy and content to be in your company. And I suppose I shouldn't hold on to these silly grudges, especially when I am standing near something that is so much more Psychologically Perfect than me. I salute you, my friend, for your aspiration for that inner perfection. Perhaps it was also because of this sense of wellness around me that made me survive all along and keep at it...there is much to be said about the environment in which one lives."

"You really have become very wise, maybe it is your experience that has made you so."

"Wise? Who, me? O no, I am just sharing what little I have learned  from my experience. My two cents' worth, as they say."

"Your two paisas' worth, my friend! Remember, these people now live in India, so let us get our currency right!"

"Right you are!"

(Laughter).

*****

The above conversation happened between two plants in a corner of my garden. The Ironwood (also known as Delek Air tree, Anjan; botanical name: Memecylon umbellatum) and Frangipani (also known as Plumeria, Temple tree, Champa) were chatting and enjoying each other's company one late afternoon when I happened to pass by. Hiding behind some over-grown bamboo trees I overheard this conversation and found it so enlightening. I hope my readers will also find it so.

Ironwood or Anjan is given the spiritual significance of Miracle by the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. 

Frangipani is given the spiritual significance of Psychological Perfection.

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This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

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Linking this post with Write Tribe, Wednesday Prompt: My two cents' worth

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Linking this post with ABC Wednesday H: H is for Hello, Healing 

Do I Feel Rich Today?

Today on this World Environment Day, I certainly feel rich! 

I feel rich when I see the beauty and blessings of Mother Nature in my little garden. 

Today I remember the little sapling of Rangoon Creeper that we had planted in a little corner of the garden a couple of years ago. I also remember how just a few weeks later, it accidentally got pruned while digging out some of the intruding weeds that had shown up nearby. I remember how sad I felt when I noticed that only a little bit of the root and a couple of leaves of the sapling survived the 'accident'. 

I remember how we nursed it and took care of it for the first few days after it was replanted. I also remember that once the plant was firmly rooted, we basically left it alone to do its own thing. Just gave sufficient nutrition but not too much. Gave enough love, enough space, enough support for the vine to climb up, and then let it grow at its own pace, to blossom in its own time.

Today I feel rich when when I see how profusely it is blooming. Those bunches of mildly fragrant blossoms drooping over the garden wall, those little red-pink-reddish-pinkish blossoms which have been a special favourite since childhood. 

Today I feel rich when I remember how fun it was to make beautiful flower garlands with these blossoms sticking one tender-light-green stem of a blossom into another.  

Today, I feel rich when I see Pasiflora (Passion Flower) blossoming next to the Rangoon Creeper. I have written here and here about the work we have had to do to allow these two vines to find a comfortable harmony with each other. 

Today I feel rich when I realize that some of those "lessons" in harmony are bearing fruit. Or flowers, I should say. 

*****

Today I feel rich when I see the tender leaf-like pink blossoms of Mussaenda (Bangkok Rose) swaying gently on the shrub which had almost half-died under its own weight one evening which brought heavy rainstorm and furious winds, almost a year ago. 

I remember how we tied together some of the drooping limbs of the bush, giving it enough support with bamboo sticks till it was strong enough to stand on its own. I also remember how just a few months ago part of the bush was beginning to show serious insect-damage. I remember how sad I felt realizing that I had ignored the plant and not given its necessary fix of the neem-oil-water-mix spray to get rid of those pesky little insects. 

Today I feel rich when I see the bunches of these leaf-like flowers in soft pink shades, with little centers of deep yellow shining through them. 

Today I feel rich when I realize that a regimen of proper care and timely attention does bear its fruit. Or flowers, I should say. 

           

Today I feel rich seeing the bluish-purplish blossoms on the just-over-two-year-old bush of Ironwood/Delek Air tree/Anjan (Memecylon umbellatum). 

I remember the day we had planted just a tiny little sapling of this bush. I remember how I had even forgotten that we had planted this, until my husband showed me the spot where it was. I remember how happy I felt seeing that it was doing well, slowly growing and becoming stronger. 

I remember how relieved I was to know that perhaps the best way for this plant to grow was to be left alone without much interference from the human hands. I remember how many times I have had to remind the gardener, who is less of a gardener and more of a water-giver, to not water that corner where this woody shrub was beginning to take its hold and show some progress. 

Today I feel rich when I see the leathery green leaves and the mildly fragrant beautiful blue blossoms. 

Today I feel rich when I realize that sometimes all that is needed is to carefully drain out and remove the excess life-energy so that a harmonious blossoming can occur. 

Today I feel rich when I realize that a garden can be one of the best teachers one can have.

Today I feel rich when I realize that a little bit of effort in our own backyard can go a long way.

Do something for our Mother Earth today. Celebrate World Environment Day!

*****

Spiritual significance given to these flowers by the Mother:

1. Rangoon Creeper - Faithfulness: We can count on You; You never fail us when we need You.

2. Passion Flower - Silence: The ideal condition for progress.

3. Mussaenda - Mental Goodwill: Likes to show off a little, but is very useful.)

4. Iron-wood - Miracle (Air of Auroville): Marvellous, strange, unexpected

~ All photos from my garden, courtesy, Suhas Mehra

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Written in response to the Indiblogger InSpire prompt - Rich: Write a post on your interpretation of this word.

Was inspired to write this after a dear friend reminded this morning that today is World Environment Day. 

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So Far So Good....

A new post in the series - Reminders to self

Readers may recall an earlier post in which I had spoken of my ongoing effort to facilitate some kind of peaceful co-existence between two pushy creepers in my garden fighting over space. I figured it is now time to update on the “harmony” building exercise. As the post title says, so far so good. I have been able to keep check on the more aggressive Passion Flower vine by some regular snip-snip, and the somewhat shy Rangoon Creeper is now getting its chance to grow and blossom. It feels so good to go out in the garden in the morning and see the beautiful blossoms of Rangoon Creeper in their shades of pink gently swaying up on the garden wall. To hold gently a few of the slightly drooping bunches in my hand and take in their mild, sweet fragrance is a delight. I can actually see the blossoms from my chair on the dining table too while having my meals. Yes, the vine was strategically planted or my chair was carefully picked – either way, the view is quite nice!

And sometimes the harmony comes inside too, inside the home…like in the pictures below:

         

And hopefully this outer exercise will keep working its way inside…slowly and gradually….inside me, inside the real home within, and help quiet down the restlessness some more, help silence some of the noises inside, bless me with greater faithfulness toward a deeper aspiration, and grant me a greater inner harmony. (Silence is the spiritual significance for Pasiflora/Passion Flower, and Faithfulness for Rangoon Creeper. I also have another vine in my garden, almost ready to bloom, the flower of which has been given the significance, Harmony. I may write more about that when the blooms show up.)

For now, with a prayer in my heart, I share a piece of music that exemplifies how beautiful harmony is possible when the greats come together. There is a lesson in there somewhere about inner harmony too, about making each part within greatly refined and developed for a more beautiful harmony. This piece of music is from "Call of the Valley" which is perhaps the largest-selling album ever in the Indian classical music genre. The first of its kind and the best there is. Feel the harmony of santoor, bansuri and guitar, and enjoy in silence!

This is my 100th post. I thought for a few days about what I want to write for my 100th post, but nothing seemed more true and right than this theme of harmony.

I thank all my friends, readers and visitors who have kept me motivated and going with this blog. So far it has been a wonderful journey - outwardly as well as inwardly, and I hope the journey to the next 100th post will be even more gratifying.

My deepest gratitude and reverence for that inner guide, that inner seeker who is gently leading me on to this search for inner beauty, beauty that is everlasting and that expresses the eternal spirit of the thing. 

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Click here for all the posts in this series.

Click here for the previous post in this series.

2 Objects of Joy

That's enough. I give up. I am giving in to the temptation. The temptation of wanting to possess. Beautiful objects, beautiful things. Not for me, but for my home. (Same difference?).

When I started this blog almost a year ago (it will be a year on April 14) I had decided that I would never want this blog to promote or have any role whatsoever in promoting a mindless "buy more, consume more" mindset. Even though the inspiration behind the blog does recognize and accept the inner beauty of form, I didn't and don't want this blog to become a vehicle for showcasing pictures of beautiful objects from exclusive designers or expensive brands. So far I have also been able to avoid the trap of writing blogs on topics or themes sponsored by product brands and other companies interested in promoting themselves for free via the blogger community.

But the temptation is now too great. In my frequent travels through virtual world, I see such beautiful pictures of beautiful things on different websites or blogs I visit. So what about my resolve? Well, okay, I am still not going to start writing my posts to promote different product brands. That will be totally against the spirit of this blog. But once in a while one is permitted some indulgence, no?

Plus I have a reasonably good reason to give in to the temptation, at least that's what my mind tells me.

You see, I have a casual interest in creating harmoniously beautiful living spaces for myself and my family and I have my own ideas on how to do it. And it is this interest that also drives me to browse through some interior design and lifestyle blogs. I don't follow any particular design trends (I find them too limiting and I like freedom), nor do I like to spend exorbitant amounts of money on beautifying my living spaces (mostly because I don't have it). I just go by what feels right to me, what feels beautiful and comfortable and creates a harmonious and serene ambiance.

I try to follow as much as possible the advise of the Mother about taking care of material objects,*** which requires that I don't keep too much stuff in my house which I know I won't be able to take care of. I must keep a check on how much stuff I accumulate, because stuff always has a tendency to accumulate! For the most part I am able to go by my self-made rule which goes something like this - "practice restraint and mindfulness and not allow the spaces and objects in those spaces to overwhelm the people living in those spaces". So while I try to satisfy my desire to make my living space beautiful I also try to be mindful of how I do it. While I give in to some temptation, I also try to practice some restraint and self-control. At least as much as I can.

But today I am giving in to the temptation. Partly or fully, mindlessly or mindfully, let the reader decide.

“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. ” 

― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

I am starting a new series today - Things of Beauty. I did a post earlier with the same title (in singular), the opening sentence of which actually provides a good inspirational and philosophical context for this new series. I had opened that post with a quote from Rabindranath Tagore:

“Things in which we do not take joy are either a burden upon our minds to be got rid of at any cost; or they are useful, and therefore in temporary and partial relation to us, becoming burdensome when their utility is lost; or they are like wandering vagabonds, loitering for a moment on the outskirts of our recognition, and then passing on. A thing is only completely our own when it is a thing of joy to us.”

This new series will showcase some objects which I would very much want to possess for the sheer joy of having them around, near me, so whenever I want I can see them, touch them, feel them. Some day, whenever that some day might be.

Because I am not into brands or labels, I will try to ensure as much as possible that almost all of the objects showcased in the series are what marketing people call as "unbranded"...at least to my knowledge. Or let me put it this way, because I don't see myself going out to expensive boutiques or exclusive stores - real or virtual - to verify if these objects are some big-ticket designer items or their replicas, I will consider them as "unbranded". My only criteria for picking these objects will be whether they appeal to my sense of beauty, and if they are the kinds of things that I would perhaps some day like to acquire for my home. And because something in me tells me that these things of beauty will bring me joy for ever.

Let me also add that if at all this series promotes "buy more, consume more" mindset I sincerely hope it will be a mindset of mindful consumption, the definition of which I leave it upon the reader to decide. For I personally like to go by the advice of the Oscar Wilde - "To define is to limit." And as I said earlier, I like freedom when it comes to decorate my living spaces!

So with all this long preface, rationalization and justification for starting this new series, I feel I am now happily ready to share two such "things of beauty" for this first post in the series.

The first...

Source

What a cute little planter this is! I mean, look at it. How can anyone say no to this one? It is one of those things that every gardener should have it! Well, I don't know about every gardener, but I should definitely have it, I think. Actually I am quite sure that I should have it...I will have it some day. If I keep saying it like this with such hope, one day it will appear in my home! Obviously because it is a natural object made into a planter with some human handling, mine will not probably look exactly like this. Depending on the size and texture of the pumice stone used for making my planter, mine will perhaps look even better. Or at least I can hope it will :)

The second...

Source

Now, isn't that a great looking wind-chime? I already have...let me count...5 wind chimes (including a very special one from Svaram) in my outdoor living space - made of 3 different materials, but I would love to have this one too. I don't have one made out of little seashells. But that's not the reason, or at least not the only reason for wanting to have this wind-chime. I am taken in by the sheer charm and simplicity of this piece. The little touch of wicker on the top adds so much beauty to it, I think. And since I live quite close to the sea, I think it would make perfect sense to have such a wind-chime making its pleasing sea-shell sound in my courtyard. Now that I have also discovered a rational argument for possessing it, what more can I say in my defense? Done...this wind-chime too goes on my "must have" list!

O alright, their reasonably decent look-alike might also work.

Well, folks, that's it for this joyful post. Two objects of beauty on my "must-have" list for my home...garden, actually. Objects that will surely bring more joy to my home and garden!

One last, but certainly not the least, thing before I close. It is more of a disclaimer, actually. By saying what I have said in this post about my personal decisions regarding what I don't do through this blog, I do not, in any way, intend to make any judgmental comment on any of the blogs which review, endorse, promote or write for various product labels or brands. Some of these writings serve good purpose, I am sure. I am merely stating my personal preference, my personal bias, if you will, about what I think I should or shouldn't do via my blog. To each his/her own, that's how it is in the blogging community as I am beginning to understand it a little bit. No judgments of any kind, no imposing of personal biases of any kind. Completely democratic, completely free. That's what keeps this whole exercise of blogging meaningful and relevant - for bloggers, readers and the larger social-cultural context. Having said all this, let me also offer in advance my apologies to anyone who might have felt any sense of discomfort or displeasure at reading any part of this post.

More objects of beauty and joy to come in the future posts in this series...whenever inspiration strikes!



*** Here is the Mother's advice:

"Not to take care of material things which one uses is a sign of inconscience and ignorance. You have no right to use any material object whatsoever if you do not take care of it. You must take care of it not because you are attached to it, but because it manifests something of the Divine Consciousness."

~ Collected Works, Volume 14

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Linking this post to ABC Wednesday: J is for Joy.

A Fragrant Lesson in Patience

I admit it. Patience is not something that comes easily to me. No, I should be more honest. I am quite impatient. But I value very much the quality of patience and would like to become more patient. Ever since moving into this house two and a half years ago, I have found a very nice and delicate way to develop and practice this virtue of patience. It is a personal practice or lesson for me, delivered in the the way I like it - small, beautiful, and self-taught. And as an added bonus, it makes my fingertips smell so fragrant afterwards.

All I do is go out in my garden and gather the little and tender flowers that are showered upon the ground by the good and gracious Parijat/Harsingar/Night Jasmine tree. Every morning this few-years-old sacred tree (so thankful to the previous owners of the house who planted it), the Divine Tree which is also known as Tree of Sorrow or Wish-granting Tree*, offers to the Earth below its most precious gift in the form of beautiful and delicate flowers. And I, a child of this Mother Earth, wanting to grow in my aspiration to become more patient, gather some of these flowers and bring them in my home.

Now starts my little lesson in patience - to slowly arrange these tiny and fragrant flowers so that each flower stands white-creamy side up and on its tiny orange foot. Of course, the first impulse is to gather these flowers in my palm and just immerse myself for a few seconds in their divine fragrance. Having done that, the blossoms which are somewhat soiled by the wet earth need to be tenderly cleaned making sure that neither their small white-creamy petals nor their tiny orange centers are broken. As they are drying out for a bit, I decide upon the appropriate vase or container or bowl in which I want to do the arrangement.

Then starts the most favourite task of picking up and arranging these tiny flowers, one by one, white side up, orange side down. My most preferred way is to float these flowers in water. Sometimes for the sake of contrast, I might also alternate and put in a few blossoms upside down, but that is very rare. There is something so beautiful about the way the tiny orange center shines through the middle of the white-creamy petals.

The flowers stay nice for two to three days, and interestingly even as they begin to wither away they just take on a darker creamy shade and don't really look so bad. At least to my eyes they don't! And when you are ready to give the old flowers and the used water back to the Mother Earth (by way of either putting them in a compost bin or doing what I prefer, which includes simply sprinkling the flowers and the water under some plant or bush in the ground or in a pot), you come across this beautiful yellow-orangish coloured water which has taken in itself the vibrant, fiery colour from the flowers.

The orange or saffron center of this sacred flower represents the fire in the heart, the source of all our energy, the fire that purifies, the fire of aspiration, will, and perseverance. It is believed that the dye produced from the central part of Parijat flowers was used to colour the robes of monks and ascetics in olden times. And in our times too, we find that the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram gave to this sacred Parijat flower a most appropriate spiritual significance - Aspiration (Innumerable, obstinate, repeating itself tirelessly).



At times when I don't have much patience and don't feel like doing my lessons either (though on these occasions I pretend to myself that I don't have much time, but really, it is the patience that I lack or the aspiration or will to practice my lesson in patience!) but I still feel like arranging these flowers, the result might look something like this. Or some variant of it.

Spread out in an old brass thali with only a few drops of water sprinkled over them, 
just enough to keep them fresh for a day

And when I have just a little patience or want my practice session to be really really small, I gather only a small bunch of flowers so that I can do only a small arrangement. Something like this.

I can't tell you how happy I was to find this tiny shallow vase at the Matri store on my last visit to the Delhi Branch of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It is just perfect for small parijat arrangements to be offered to a small round Krishna in copper.

I am quite certain such a lesson may not work for most people, and I myself haven't really made a conscious effort to examine whether a constant practice of such lesson has helped me in any small measure or will help me if I continue with this over the next many years.

But what I do know, or rather what I do feel, is that the very act of gathering these tiny flowers one by one from the ground and spending the next half hour or so cleaning and arranging them makes me forget whatever pressing demands there may be on my time. And in those few minutes there is no hurry, no rush-rush to finish up the task at hand and move on to other things. There is simply a quiet joy of doing something delicately beautiful. Being with the sacred flowers. Being with the task. Just being.



* There are many legends and cultural significances associated with this special tree and these special flowers. For a quick read, see here.

Photo credits: 1 - Suhas Mehra, all others - Yours truly.

Eliminating or Harmonizing?

A new post in the series - Reminders to self

"Just take the whole thing out," my husband said.

"No!" I almost yelled.

"It will be easier that way, it is getting too messy."

"But I like it very much, I like the other one too."

We were talking about the two much-over-grown creepers which had climbed up on this one over-grown and crowded wall of our front garden, each trying to over-power the other, squeeze out the other, and climb up on each other. Result was that both were not able to yield much flowers because they were not getting enough nutrition. And it was beginning to look messy and chaotic.

Oh, I must introduce now the two pushovers being discussed here.

First up is Combretum indicum, commonly known as Rangoon Creeper or Madhumalti.

And the other one is Passiflora, commonly known as the passion flower. 

Now the flowers of both these vines are not only beautiful but also beautifully fragrant. So how could I sacrifice either one? But it was also true that something needed to be done in order to make sufficient room for each of them. My husband was in favour of eliminating Passiflora and his argument was that we already have another vine of Passiflora growing in the backyard. "But that is on the back wall of the garden, we should have this one in front too," was my argument. 

So I suggested harmonizing the two - cut back each of the vines enough to make room for both. Snip, snip here, snip, snip there. Pull out a few of the extra shoots from this one, remove some of the growth from that one. Surely as they begin to grow back, the two may still try get in each other's place, try to take over as much of the territory as they can, but eventually with some regular guidance, coaxing and cajoling (i.e. timely pruning and snipping and training) they will learn to co-exist and make room for each other, even if it means giving up a bit of their pride. They may not be always able to show off their heads full of heavy blossoms, but they will still flower and spread beauty and fragrance, provided they get what is most essential - good soil and good light. They will learn to live in harmony, a harmony that will need to be re-shaped, re-worked and re-newed every now and then, by the wise hands of the gardener(s). And most likely in due course of time, some elimination of unwanted weeds that would begin to sneak into the place allotted for the two desirable vines will also become very necessary, but that too will be done in order to achieve a new harmony. Harmony between Faithfulness (the spiritual significance of the Rangoon Creeper flower) and Silence (the spiritual significance of the Passiflora flower).

I love it when my garden teaches me such deep lessons about Life and Living. What do we need to live in harmony? Harmony with each other. Harmony with what surrounds us. Harmony within ourselves. Exactly what the two vines in my garden need - Good Earth (Well-developed Aadhar/Base - Body, Heart and Mind) and Good Light (Knowledge and Grace that descend from Higher Realms), and of course, the Wisdom of the Gardener Within (Buddhi, the Intelligent Will and faculty of Discernment) to guide and motivate. And yes, some discriminating elimination might be necessary too from time to time to weed out the undesirable pesky little things that crop up here and there. 

Can the two vines in my garden do it? Can I do it? I will have to regularly keep checking up on the vines....and certainly on myself too. 

After all, both the qualities of Faithfulness and Silence are essential for a more integral and harmonious inner growth.

(Photo credits - 1 - from here; 2 - from my garden)

Previous posts in this series:

The Color Purple     Which is Sweeter?    The Stuff of Our Lives     Light an Incense    God is At Home....

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Linking this post with The Writers' Post Blog Hop 2014 # 3

The Color Purple

A new post in the series - Reminders to self

Ok, so it should be The Colour Lavender, actually. But is that all you see?

Source

What does this picture tell you?

To me, it speaks of a delicate and fragrant beauty that is so often missed or neglected in the daily rush-rush of life. It speaks of that slow and gentle pace of life that is generally pushed over by the craze for satisfying a few more material or not-so-material desires.

It also speaks of a forgotten innocent passion which used to see deep value in searching for a matching ribbon to tie together a bunch of flowers. Where has it gone? Disappeared? In that rush to attend one more important meeting to attend, why waste time looking for a lavender ribbon? Just shove the flowers aside and go on with that skype call. 

***

The colour lavender, like the flower, is generally known to induce calmness, rest, tranquility, healing.
Sri Aurobindo has somewhere mentioned that the colour purple is generally symbolic of the vital force. (The vital here refers to the life faculty or that part of the being which is not simply the life-force but also the force of various passions, desires, feelings, emotions, compulsions, preferences and likes and dislikes that strongly determine human motivation and action through desire and enthusiasm.) The colour lavender, a variant of purple, according to him, could generally symbolize higher vital or emotional vital, and lavender blue, in particular, could symbolize love and devotion, the qualities associated with the emotional and higher vital parts of the being. 

As I contemplate on the symbolic meaning of the colour lavender together with this picture of lavender flowers, a part of me feels rested and calm already. It may seem small, but a deliberate, tender and conscious action of looking for that matching lavender ribbon to give that gentle finishing touch to a bunch of lavender flowers is surely an act of love. Love for Flowers, love for Mother Nature, love for Beauty. And love heals, brings serenity, induces calmness.

***

In my garden in my previous home, I had a few lavender bushes. And every year when the flowers bloomed, my heart would be filled with their beauty and fragrance. This is one plant I surely miss in my present garden. But I do have some lavender-pinkish Bougainvillea growing quite nicely. Next time I bring a few of those blossoming stems inside the home, I hope I remember to look for a matching ribbon!

Previous posts in this series:

Which is Sweeter?          The Stuff of Our Lives          Light an Incense         God is At Home....

Verb in the Garden

1 - Devi with the Ivy

"A garden without its statue is like a sentence without its verb."

~  Joseph W. Beach 

My little nephew, who is almost two years now, likes to speak in sentences without much use of verbs. That's okay for a baby. Even okay for casual speech or writing by an adult :)

But for a garden, it is absolutely no no. A garden of whichever size - small, medium or big, even a balcony or terrace garden with only potted plants - always needs its verb, I mean its sculpture. While a verb generally represents an action or being in motion, a garden sculpture is something that provides a type of groundedness for all the delicate green stuff around, in a way it makes it more bound to the place, the earth itself. This is what I have always sort of intuitively felt.

A garden sculpture doesn't have to be an expensive statue in granite or some other massive marvel in stone, even small beautifully carved terracotta figurines or other object d'art made of natural material that provides a sculptural interest can work wonders in beautifying our little green living spaces.

Ok, that's enough of my little amateur landscape design tip. It is time now for a few more pictures from my somewhat wild and over-grown tiny little garden, with its appropriate verbs and wines!

2 - Amidst the greens, yellows, reds and whites

3 - Guardian 

4 - Seated in a corner

And I have saved the best for last.

The picture below is NOT from my garden, but oh how I wish it would be! I am not sure, however, if I can create something like this or if I even want to create something like this in the little open space I have. But this is an image of a serene Japanese garden that I have always found so beautifully inspiring and aesthetically pleasing, just looking at it I feel trasported to a quiet place within.

5 - Tranquil

Knowing that a place like this exists is enough to give me joy, peace and contentment. Why wish to possess it?

Picture credits: 1-4 are photos from my garden, 1,2, 3 - Suhas Mehra, 4 - Sugrutha Kamat,
5 - Source unknown