Way of the Monk - Week One

It's near the end of the first week of the online course I'm taking - "Way of the Monk - Path of the Artist". It's been a week of trying to carve out time for myself, for my creativity and for my sanity! This week has been about exploring the monk and the artist, where they converge and where they split apart. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what draws me to the contemplative life, why I need to be creative, and how come I make myself too busy to enjoy either. I'm also coming to understand that my "inner monk" needs periods of down time to replenish, and so does the "inner artist". I'm coming to terms with the fact that the reason I like to spend a lot of time alone is because I need to build up that inner monk/artist. Not that I want to be a hermit, I just enjoy my solitude. Always have.

One of the assignments this week was to write a poem about what it would mean to start living like a monk and an artist:

I Am Going to Start Living

I am going to start living like a monk,
turning the rhythm of my days
into a prayer to the divine.
Pausing amidst the paper work
and ringing phones,
to stare at the mountains out the window
and soak in silence
with each breath,
until my office becomes a cloister
that shuts out distraction.

I am going to start living like an artist,
turning the rhythm of my days
into a poem of worship.
Pausing to notice the sunrise
painted by a divine hand upon the sky.
Soaking in the creative spirit
with each breath,
until my life becomes a canvas
painted over and over again.

I am going to start living like a mystic,
turning the rhythm of my days
into a cosmic dance.
Pausing between yoga asanas
to notice the breath of spirit,
making each movement a prayer,
until even my simple yoga mat,
becomes holy ground.

(January 2010, copyright Eveline Maedel)

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Way of the Monk - Week One