Ikebana

Saturday was a wonderful day. There was a contemplative arts class on Kalapa Ikebana, a style of Ikebana created by Shambhala's founder Chögyam Trungpa. Our teacher was Doria Cross. Normally when you have a lesson of Ikebana in Shambhala it is a weekend intensive but Doria knew that people often can not put aside a whole weekend and did her best to create a one day class to cover the basics of Ikebana and how it can relate into our everyday lives. We started out with about an hour lecture of the history of Ikebana and the basic meaning of the form we would be learning. Then we had a short 10 minute break before she did a demonstration for another hour. Afterwards we were free to make our first piece following the form she had given us with the same branches and flowers she had used. We did a critic of each piece after we 'gave them away'. In Kalapa Ikebana when you have finished with your arrangement you give it away, it is no longer yours. Then is was break for potluck lunch. Afterwards Doria did another demonstration with different branches and flowers but following the same form and then we made our own. It was very fun and then we took home the flowers we had used and some of the extra flowers too.

Fiesta Flower Show

This week is Fiesta in my home town of San Antonio. Ten 'official' days where the city goes crazy, not that is says so in the official stuff. Hehe. How does this have anything to do with Shambhala? Well I have a cousin who is part of the local Women's Club and every year (this being the 98th!) they do a flower show and arrangement contest as their official Fiesta event. My cousin asked me in February if I would enter because this year the theme was around the world and Japan was in the novice division. Normally only members of the Women's Club can enter but because I was a relative I was allowed to. I knew right away I wanted to do an Ikebana arrangement since my topic would be Japan. One of the meditation arts sometimes offered at a few Shambhala centers is Ikebana and that is where Shambhala comes in. I have not had a chance to take lessons in Ikebana but several of the people at the center have and my meditation sensei Doria Cross actually studied for years under an Ikebana sensei.

I originally planned "My Neighbor Totoro" by Hayao Miyazaki, who is like the Disney of Japan when it comes to anime minus parks and all that stuff, themed arrangement. But then the earthquake and tsunami disasters hit and I scrapped my original plan immediately. I had no spirit for it, the first week was hard for me to watch. I sometimes felt sick but I couldn't turn away from any incoming information or videos, I had to know.

With everything going on I completely forgot about the flower show. About 3 weeks before the flower show my cousin called and asked what I was planning to do and all I said was an Ikebana arrangement. I didn't have a plan. Then it hit me like an enlightened moment. Since the quake and tsunami I felt helpless, having no way to help but a small donation to the relief effort for what was happening in Japan. I wanted to do something, even if it was small. The Fiesta Flower Show was my something. I knew then I wanted to honor the victims and the nation of Japan as a whole.

After speaking to my meditation instructor she was thrilled about my idea and was happy to give me a lesson directed at my vision. It took a lot of time, right up to the day before the flower show, for our schedules to allow us to meet. She had already given me a heads up on what kind to flowers to buy and ferns. The lesson went smoothly at her house, it was like all the pieces were coming together. I learned the basics of Ikebana, the representation of heaven, man, and earth and the rules. And one rule that was not commonly known I was grateful to learn. Never the same colored flowers of the same type are used except when making an arrangement for the dead. I knew I also wanted one white flower in the arrangement because white was the color of mourning in Japan.

Doria was so wonderful to me. Gentle and guiding and not at all stern. I soaked up what she said like a sponge. She also gave me her own personal Ikebana supplies to borrow. I felt and still feel so honored. She told me that Ikebana was all about the vision and whatever you think you wanted you needed to let the flowers and the space speak to you. I was a little nervous on that part, I understood it because didn't quiet get it how I would 'hear' it spoken to me. I certainly learned who she meant the next morning when I did the arrangement two hours before the judging.

As I went through the steps and focused but didn't focus on the time and stayed relax everything fell into place on its own. The energy I felt was calming yet energizing at the same time. When I stood back when all the flowers and ferns were in place I couldn't believe it was there in front of me. The tallest blue iris represented heaven, my single white iris represented man, and my ferns represented earth. I added three more blue irises for the representation of death.

I won first place for the novice division and I was so happy. Not on the fact I pulled off an awesome arrangement but it did justice to what I was trying to represent. The arrangements were only allowed to be up for two days and while I was sad about that I did see a lot of foot traffic at the Women's Club when I visited to see it before I went to work.