19.75x27.75in/50.16x70.48cm; acrylic on canvas. 2012

    Forest lake
    18 May 2012

    i know i am
    painting upside down
    but this simple
    reflection
    becomes perfectly
    profound
    when brushing me
    begins to see
    beyond the boundary
    of blinkered self
    opening receiving
    participating in reality
    not previously known
    imagined or fantaseed
    part of a vastly
    compelling complexity
    which interests engages
    and frightens me
    concurrently
    but the crab knows we
    are in good hands...
    the painting works
    another spell and
    just as well
    inversed.

    19.75x27.75in/50.16x70.48cm; acrylic on canvas. 2012

    Ascension
    16 March 2012

    It might be described as
    an inner cycle of death
    and rebirth or perhaps as
    ego metempsychosis,
    adaptive integration,
    or seitic reorientation,
    the dragon molting his skin,
    but basically, most simply,
    it is the evolution
    that occurs as attachment
    falls away, dying this day,
    and the grieving, withdrawal,
    contemplation of past and
    conception of the future,
    harmonization at core,
    establishing renewal
    and so, the ascension.

    In an identity that cycles through concepts of self to maintain stability and avoid fragmentation, each egoic identification takes the stage for a certain period of time.

    Cognitive structures are formed, become familiar and relied upon. Attachments develop.

    When a particular identification no longer effectively describes the self, decathexis (withdrawal of emotional investment) occurs, sometimes quite rapidly.

    When the identification expires, there is a grieving, a dissociation or turning away, and a reconceptualization prior to cathexis of a new identification.

    Harmonization brings awareness and ascension.

    The Sanskrit term aparigraha has application here.

    Translated as non-hoarding, [aparigraha] literally means 'a' – not, 'pari'- to fill, 'graha' – one's dwelling place. It means that we do not fill the dwelling place of our homes, or our chitta, our consciousness, as well. It is an attitude of being abstemious and non-possessive, and keeping life as uncomplicated and as free from clutter as possible. Aparigraha does not imply that we should give everything away, but more accurately describes our ability to let go of our attachments. It is the personal review and taking of inventory to ascertain what our basic needs are, and what is extemporaneous on both the physical and psychological planes of our existence.

    How we appreciate something determines whether or not we are in the spirit of aparigraha. Can we enjoy that which we have, free from the clinging and fear of abhinivesha? Or, do we sabotage our enjoyment and even our relationships as we are gripped in the fear of the unknown and the unpredictability of future circumstances.

    The perfection of aparigraha brings vairaagya, detachment and luminous clarity. [...]

    Bhavani Maki, II:39 Aparigrahasthairyi janma kathamtaa sambodhah: "On becoming steady in non-hoarding, one gains complete knowledge of the how, whys and wherefores of one's birth." Excerpt from forthcoming book; online in the February 2012 Newsletter of Yoga Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii. Accessed 12 March 2012. Emphasis added.

    The key to aparigraha is to learn to let go of attachment to possessions, people, thoughts, or ways of doing things.

    Nancy Gerstein (2005).
    Guiding Yoga's Light: Yoga Lessons for Yoga Teachers.
    Pendragon. p.110. ISBN 9780972280983.

    Aparigraha is the Sanksrit word for greedlessness or non-grasping. It comes from the word parigraha, which means reaching out for something and claiming it for oneself; by adding the 'A' it becomes the antonym. Aparigraha, unlike Asteya, means taking what is truly necessary and no more.

    Aparigraha is the concept of non-possessiveness, being both a Jain concept and a part of the Raja Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga traditions. The term usually means to limit possessions to what is necessary or important, which changes with the time period, though sadhus would not have any possessions.

    It is one of the five principles of Jainism, along with Ahimsa (non-violence), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy), and Anekantvada (multiplicity of viewpoints). It is also one of the five limited vows.

    In the Raja Yoga tradition, it is one of the Yamas or codes of self-restraint, along with Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (not stealing), and Brahmacharya (celibacy).

    Aparigraha, Wikipedia. Accessed 11 March 2012.