Silently Gazing ... Experiencing Art

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
~Thomas Merton

 

Flaming June by Frederic Leighton, seen beyond the fountain in the Indoor Garden

 

I recently spent a few days in New York City.   I don't do long lines or crowds very well so my daughter found us a couple of smaller museums, the Guggenheim and the Frick Collection.

 

The beautiful woman in orange above drew me in from the moment I saw her from afar.  As I walked into the garden at the Frick Collection, she called me into her world and I stood transfixed, mesmerized by her warmth.  She is vivid and flowing, a vision alive even while sleeping.    

Although I really liked the art at the Guggenheim, I felt the architecture of the building itself was the shining star in my night sky.  

 

Looking up from the center of the Guggenheim Museum, a round building ...

 

 with spiraling walkways and many art nooks

My favorite nook art... no idea why I could stand and gaze for such a long period of time upon her ... what is it within myself that feels bound?  And can I be beauty as she is? 

And ... oh my, I do love my favorite artist, my dear Pablo Picasso ... ahhhh, she is stunning!

 

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
~Pablo Picasso

Woman Ironing by Pablo Picasso (1904)

Finally, on our last day in almost our last hour, we made it to St. Patrick's Cathedral ... by accident! 

Not even the noise and activity from traffic and ongoing renovations could dampen the presence of God in such a holy space.  Walking in, turning around and simply gazing upon the Rose Window gave me chills ... I closed my eyes and felt I was back in Chartres, France standing on the Labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral.  Praying ... breathing in "Mother God" ... breathing out "Grace and Mercy"

The Rose Window at St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC

As if I had not received grace enough, suddenly I saw my favorite icon, Our Lady of Czestochowa!  She is stunning as always she is ... I lit 2 candles (you can see them in the lower right corner) and prayed for many things, steeped in the grace of God.  Amen.

This world is but a canvas to our imagination.
~Henry David Thoreau

God has been an artist since creation and creates still today!

Gazing from New York Harbor/Bay, Verrazano–Narrows Bridge in the distant, clouds in the sky ...

Sing praises to God ...
Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who provides rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
Psalms 147:7a, 8

 

 

 

Flaming June

Flaming June

The Rhythm of Light and Dark on the Labyrinth

Labyrinth at the Chadwick Arboretum on the Ohio State University Campus

I spent the past week in Columbus, Ohio taking a class at the Methodist Theological School of Ohio and was blessed to work with United Methodist Church/Community Development For all People and the Global Community United Methodist Church.  We had Friday off to work on our Saturday presentation.  I took a break and walked this beautiful labyrinth.  It was hot!  And yet there was a gentle breeze.  Silence descended as soon as I walked toward the path.

I really enjoyed the way the stones of the path were laid.  It was a traditional 11-circuit Chartres-style labyrinth but it was a little different, an interesting juxtaposition of square stones in a circular configuration.  There was a small space between the stones down the middle of the path and it helped me to balance my steps.

As I prepared for this class in Ohio, I began to think a lot about spiritual direction on the margins.  What would that look like?   I've been pondering this question and I decided to bring my chaos and all my thoughts to the labyrinth.  

I started my labyrinth walk at the entrance in the shadows of the trees, walking slowly and deliberately, letting my thoughts wander.  Suddenly I walk into the light and its warmth, so bright I almost couldn't see the path.  It "woke" me up, and I continued on in this rhythm of shady darkness and sunlight brightness.  

Everything that happens on the labyrinth is said to be a metaphor for life ... As I settled into the rhythm of the path, I began to think of "knowing" and "unknowing."  There are many things I want to know about the inner shift that I am feeling in my soul and my life but as I moved to the rhythm of light and dark on that very hot day, as I slowed in the shadows and sped through the sunny spots, I began to sense a peacefulness in the quiet darkness of the shadows.  Lingering, I became immersed in God's presence.  

When I reached the center of the labyrinth and perhaps the center of my own soul, I stood very quietly.  I stepped into each petal looking outward and after drinking in the beauty of the world from that perspective I turned, stepped to the center and looked down, breathing in the God-space.  

Around the circle I went until my circle was complete.  I stepped out, back onto the familiar path and simply enjoyed the gentle rhythm of light and dark as I walked out. 

Someone asked me the other day, "What does the labyrinth "do" for you?"  I honestly don't think I gave him a very good answer that day, but I have been thinking about it and here is what I would say today.  The labyrinth doesn't do anything "for" you.  But if you are open, you may experience ... something.  At the very least, you have committed to walk a certain distance and that is something.  Your walk may be awesome.  It may be Spirit-filled.  It may be reflective.  It may be healing.   It may be peaceful.  It may be ordinary.  And ... it may be nothing.  Whatever it is, that is your experience.  

Today, I would say, "if you get the opportunity, just walk and experience what you experience."  Nothing more, nothing less.  What about you?  Have you ever walked a labyrinth?  What was your experience? 

Perhaps the next time (or the first time) you walk a labyrinth you might read this quote from The Cloud of Unknowing ... and find rest for your soul in the rhythm of light and dark.

Let that quiet darkness be your whole mind and like a mirror to you. For I want your thought of self to be as naked and simple as your thought of God, so that you may be with God in spirit without fragmentation and the scattering of your mind.  ~A quote from The Cloud of Unknowing