Journal of Sacred Work

Days 153-157 – Are We Awake?

Church backdrop - polar 3 - clear angels  In 2016 an acquaintance asked me how I was "killing time" in my so-called "retirement." 

   "Why would I want to "kill" the only thing I have?" I answered. 

    I am increasingly aware of my "Watcher's" warning finger. "Are you living fully or anesthetizing yourself?" he challenges.

   Most tune out their watcher. Who wants to be prodded when everyone is "so stressed?"

   In between "anxieties" we witness the subway rider's boredom, the tired eyes of the grocery clerk checking the clock, the divorced executive half-watching the ball game as he drains his fourth beer in the fifth inning.

   His belly is fat. His t.v. screen is as flat as is his life. A once-hopeful youth he now counts the years to retirement. 

   Want to awaken this burned-out executive? Diagnose him with cancer. Will his traumatized eyes see how the fog of indifference robbed him?

   Speed steal chunks of us. We think busy work awakens us. But half of our calendars are populated with predators that bite off precious hours.

   Where is hope?

   Long ago essayist George MacDonald (1824-1905) warned, "We must wake our souls unnumbered times a day." 

   The key word is "souls." Our soul can tell us how to spend our time.

   Above the din our soul whispers, "Live love. Rushing every moment tramples the richness of each." 

  Defining "Now" as a moment will always frustrate those who seek to cage it. That is why Blake invited us to "kiss joy as it flies." 

   Best of all, Thomas Traherne (1636-1674) wrote, "This moment exhibits infinite space, but there is a space also wherein all moments are infinitely exhibited…Love is the true means by which the world is enjoyed."

   Love hands me what the camera saw in a millisecond so that I can paint a new dream over days of work . Years of hard training & slow looking enable my eyes to give such gifts to my soul every day. I never go to sleep without picking one as a night companion.  

   Once again we see. Love is the air to breathe.

   Close your eyes & meditate. Let your within tell you how to live without.

   Sorry. I will not be joining you. To avoid rudeness, I have to run to a party filled with noise.

   My "watcher" will be disappointed. But as I endure jabbering my heart will choose a photograph; a companion through the night before Dawn relights my eyes.

-Erie Chapman

Photopainting – "Awakening Angels" by Erie – 2019

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6 responses to “Days 153-157 – Are We Awake?”

  1. ~liz Wessel Avatar
    ~liz Wessel

    The moonlit shadows on a tranquil night; this luminous goddess is the moon herself ascending with outstretched arms into a heavenly realm. What an exquisite rendering to enlivens ones Spirit.
    Surely you give us a moment to pause on the sacred beauty of life and the dangers of falling prey to the trappings of this world. I see myself in all the images that you paint with your words. The less than optimal ways that we may cope with the stresses and challenges. I am glad the you mentioned meditation, which is so helpful in regaining balance.
    I met a lovely young woman, who teaches exercise classes at my gym. She shared with me a bit about herself and growing up in a less than ideal home situation, which she seems to have divorced herself from further encounters with her family. She discovered meditation, which has led her on a path of awakening. She mentioned Louise Hayes book, “You Can Heal Your Life” as tremendously helpful to her when she was struggling. I was listening to L. Hayes on YouTube this morning to discover more. (I guess I am a lifetime learner type.)
    Anyway, I’d like to believe that Beauty can manifest even in the most mundane aspects of daily life.
    Thank you, Erie for the helpful reminder to awaken to the love, which is always present in our midst, even when we seemingly are not. I celebrate you and the gorgeous artistry that you weave into our dreams.

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  2. Jolyon Avatar
    Jolyon

    Are you killing time or is it killing you. A soul is a terrible thing to waste. Waste not want not. Who watches the watcher. We do. 
    I am lucky to spend my day in a sacred location that is visited frequently by snakes, toads, rabbits, squirrels, deer and the like. What do I spend most of my time on? With all the rains it is the weeds. Fire department says they are a hazard. Guests think they are unsightly. They take up a lot of “time”. But that is where the bees are. The earthworms, birds, lizards and more of God’s Love. I get to “kill time” being serenaded by sunrises and sunsets with an occasional drench of rain. Holy water for the soul.
    Think about God and good… 
    “Let’s forget today who is friend or foe, 
    and hold each other in caring embrace. 
    Let your love be the magnet 
    to bring the humanity to Allah’s grace. 
    Remember those in perennial fast, 
    constantly in hunger and deprivation, 
    Share with the poor, orphans and the destitutes, 
    to make inclusive your celebration.”
    ~ Kazi Nazrul Islam

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  3. Terry Chapman Avatar
    Terry Chapman

    “Our soul can tell us how to spend our time” gives me vivid quick images of what I love: the kiss of early morning sunshine; the touch of someone dear; the surprising smile from a stranger; the sound a leaping trout makes when re-entering the flowing stream.
    All these moments yield earthly joy–heaven on earth is so very here for us if we will only pause; breathe deeply; reflect for a moment how much we have all been given. And then refreshed by this moment in time; move forward into our shared futures with a lightened heart and a stimulated, thankful mind!

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  4. Erie Chapman Foundation Avatar
    Erie Chapman Foundation

    It is always a gift to read your comments, LIz, because they are beautiful reflections in and of themselves. Indeed, you provide that for which you thanked me: “a moment to pause on the sacred beauty of life and the dangers of falling prey to the trappings of this world.”

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  5. Erie Chapman Foundation Avatar
    Erie Chapman Foundation

    Thank you, Jolyon. Your comments always provide wonderful opportunities to reflect on nature & the spirit from your vantage point. Thank you also for Kazi Islam’s words including:
    “Let’s forget today who is friend or foe,
    and hold each other in caring embrace…”

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  6. Erie Chapman Foundation Avatar
    Erie Chapman Foundation

    Wow, Terry. Since I know you and I are increasingly wondering (here and there) about the legacy of our lives and even how to write it in biographical form I was particularly taken by this: Your comment contains a fine autobiography in and of itself – how we know so much of you by what you love: “…the kiss of early morning sunshine; the touch of someone dear; the surprising smile from a stranger; the sound a leaping trout makes when re-entering the flowing stream.” This is the poetry that so beautifully describes part of your legacy and hope you will pass this along to your two fine sons and grandchildren.

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