The Way of Shibumi

"How does one achieve this Shibumi , sir?"

"One does not achieve it, one ... discovers it."

And so Nikko Hel, the hero of Trevanian's master piece of espionage & Go esoterics is introduced by his mentor General Kishikawa-san to this Japanese aesthetic of understated refinement.

The General elaborates:

" SHIBUMI has to do with great refinement underlying common place appearances. It is a statement so correct that it does not have to be bold,so poignant it does not have to be pretty,so true it does not have to be real.Shibumi is understanding,rather than knowledge.Eloquent silence, In demeanour, it is modesty without pudency.In art, where the spirit of shibumi takes the form of Sabi, it is elegant simplicity,articulate brevity. In philosophy, where shibumi emerges as Wabi,it is spiritual tranquility that is not passive; it is being without the angst of becoming. And in the personality of a man it is  ... how does one say it? Authority without domination? Something like that."

I read this novel 20 years ago and became a big fan of Trevanian the elusive hermetic novelist, who because of his reclusive life in the Basque Pyrenees mountains became a bit of a legend in the publishing world. 

I like many others, eager to consume intelligent cross cultural novels, was introduced to this Japanese concept of Shibumi by Trevanian in this very book, and it struck a deep spiritual cord in me. There is no English word that relates to it, as far as i know, and so one is left expecting the concept to return to you later in life. Since then i have referenced this word a number of times particularly in relationship to Wabi Sabi in design. (I will post more on that soon.) 

I was recently asked (as a disciple of aesthetics, by one who is committed to beauty & harmony) how i can remain content in less inspiring surroundings. 

I didn't have a ready answer. 

I can only think that i do occasionally discover this elusive Shibumi right under my nose - where ever i am. And then i might just as well be in a Palace.

I am enjoying re reading this book for many reasons, but now i really appreciate what a fine writer Trevanian was. He died in 2005. His Web site is on links.

Maybe he discovered this Shibumi.

 

The Hero's Journey in The Matrix

The movie The Matrix contains some very interesting things.The Wachowski Bros did their homework on many levels, leaving aside the concept of a Reality Matrix, the development of the character Neo, the hero in the film, is a good example of the universal mythic journey that any hero must take in his or her quest on earth.

I am refering to the work that Joseph Campbell did in his book published in 1949 called The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 

Campbell scholarly work, now a classic in Comparative Mythology studies, integrates the universal journey recounted in nearly all the world's cultural myths. It shows that for a hero (ie every person) to complete this journey (awakening) of spiritual development(consciousness) a person goes through many transitions to complete this Quest (for enlightenment).These stages seem to be universal in all cultures and so it is call The Mono Myth.

There are 17 such stages each distinctive in what it liberates in the psyche of the individual, these 17 transitions are basically grouped in 3 mega transformational levels.

1. Departure - separation from the known world into the unknown

2. Initiation - into knowledge of the true Self 

3. Return to The World - now with this knowledge as a gift to mankind

I wont go into the minor twists and turns of the Hero's Journey here( this book is definately worth a space in your library) but sujest you look at the video of Chris Vogler see links talking about these transitions in the movie The Matrix. He has adapted Campbell's study in his own analysis of this film to 12 stages, which i think are pretty accurate for film story telling. I came across Vogler's work via The Revolutionary Man see links.

I read The Hero with a Thousand Faces years ago when i first discovered the subject of Mythology, what is interesting about this work to me now, as a teacher of Film Studies, is the degree to which the great story tellers of our age ie Film Director/Writers have used this Mono Myth in their story structure. 

We as audience relate to stories told in this way at a very deep level. For all our intellect and technology we are not that different from an audience listening to Homer's Iliad or the Odyssey around a camp fire thousands of years ago. Modern directors know the power of Epic Story telling that has embedded this Universal Monomyth.

The Star Wars Trilogies of George Lucas are a classic example and a topic i will post on later, as i played a minor role his last movie Episode 111 Revenge of the Sith.

With the world so wonderfully dysfunctional right now, re-integrating The Mono Myth in our lives may be the deep psyche healing that we need. For many people the complexity of consciousness studies & its spiritual disciplines is too demanding. The Power of Myth may be the answer to re connect people with their Heart.

May the Force be with You !

Thinking like Leonardo da Vinci

Any reference to architecture, art, science & technology has to include the genius Renaissance polymath Leonardo.

There has been many studies of da Vinci's mind and extensive commentaries on the results of his creativity in painting, in drawings and of course his written codexes (notebooks)

One of the books i have enjoyed the most is by Michael J. Gelb called How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. see his webpage in links.After immersing himself in a study of da Vinci he concluded that there were 7 key characteristics of da Vinci creativity, 7 principles he adhered to that produced his extraordinary innovations and insights.

He sets them out in Italian, as a training program that we can practice to improve our own creativity. Based on the idea that if you want to get better at anything, study some one who is great at it, imitate the master until you can discover your own inner mastery.Ok here is the 7 ways that da Vinci achieved his full potential as a creative human being.   

1. CURIOSITA 

explore - question - be in a state of wonderment - love to learn - don't take no or yes for an answer

2. DIMOSTAZIONE

test everything yourself - experiment - learn from your own mistakes 

3. SENSAZIONE

refine your senses - see when you look - listen when you hear - feel when you touch - ect - be fully present - be aware - be awake to what is going on around you

4. SFUMATO

embrace paradox & contradiction - accept uncertainty - allow grey areas to resolve - there is also a reference here as sfumato means 'to go up in smoke' to integrating ones shadow, Leonardo drew shadows like no one else could

5. ARTE/SCIENZA

integrate left & right brain thinking - a holistic approach -learn the art of science & the science of art

6.CORPORALITA

balance the body - learn poise - co ordination - grace in movement - learn kinesthetic skills - ambidexterity 

7. CONNESSIONE

apply systems thinking - see that all is interconnected - be integral in analysis & synthesis

This is a pretty good list of personal development skills & abilities to focus on and what's more i think it promotes an enlightened view of the world.

Considering Leonardo came on the scene 500 years ago and emerged at a time when Europe was still steeped in a medieval view of the world, he was a true radical. No one's master he basically did what he did to satisfy his own curiosity, accepting weapons development commissions from the local DOD Dept of Defence to finance his exploration of the natural world. I imagine the clergy even left him alone in awe of his genius. Thank goodness he didn't get the same fate of G. Bruno,as i am sure he could have gotten fried for any number of experiments that he conducted probably in secret.

Anyway i think Gelb's book is worth reading if not to improve your own creativity then to give you a glimpse of what human potential can be. 

Captain Organic - The Power & Beauty of Organic Design

Continuing my current series on Organic Architecture & Design in Form Follows Emptiness heres a great TedTalk by Ross Lovegrove. I think all designers should spend time studying biology & physiology, when its comes to creating fat free optimal form, evolution is our best teacher.

Frank Gehry's Museum of Bio Diversity Panama

Frank Gehry is always full of suprises, a maverick architect who like Gaudi will shock and amaze both his public and peers with spectacular visuals manifest in space & time. Conceptual words made flesh. The kind of architectural language no one speaks until you learn a new venacular by simply looking at a building - in silence.

Here is a promo for Gehry's most recent art. The Bio Diversity Museum in Panama. All buildings make music, some are symphonies others serenades, this jazz piece seems to dance with this building. Worth a trip to Panama.