Ma…the space between things

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I’m inspired by the spartan aesthetic of Zen Buddhism.

Is less really more?

Ma (pronounced “maah”) is a celebration of not things, but the space between them. It’s negative space, voids, emptiness. The place you get to (if you’re lucky) in meditation. Like the space where that tree used to be.

I’m not exactly sure why this tiny little ceramic vase IS. Like why it even exists.

I mean, who designed it, procured a company to manufacture it, and filled a cargo ship full of them bound for the USofA?

I have no idea, but I fell in love and brought it home for $1.50. How could anyone NOT love shopping at Daiso?

Only four inches tall, it holds about a tablespoon of water and I continued to replace flower after flower until I got the brilliant idea of searching around the garden for beautifully shaped little twigs.

These are the last remnants of the ficus tree that is no longer there, and I decided it would be a simple way to honor that once living entity by saving a little part of it.

At first I was going to embellish them with faux gems, pearls, and seashells–like I usually do–but the more I looked at it, the more I loved the bare simplicity. I didn’t want to detract from the design of the vase.

I should write a haiku about the tree and these twigs. Being a minimalist with words is just as difficult for me as NOT gluing shiny things to those tiny little branches.

15 thoughts on “Ma…the space between things”

  1. Love the space between, the interstice, the psychic synapse, the synapse… those non-s that bring things to pour themselves into the non-s AS relationship.

    And, love that vase. Love that you fig’d it out that way. There’s so much there in the alleged nothingness.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

    • Dear Princess Rosebud and Jordan Hoggard,

      Hello! I love how you two express yourselves. Your wonderful post about “Ma…the space between things” naturally reminds me of my own post entitled “Ikebana Lessons with Orchids: Minimalist Flower Arrangement 🎍💐” published in one of my other websites at https://queenslandorchid.wordpress.com/2015/06/17/ikebana-lessons-with-orchids-minimalist-flower-arrangement/

      For those who need some good ideas on interior decor and flower arrangement using orchids, my said post is an article containing well over one hundred examples, as well as a few excellent videos on how to do them, plus detailed explanations of their historical developments and cultural significance, including Zen philosophy, spirituality and architecture.

      Please enjoy the post to your heart’s content!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

      • You are very welcome, Jordan. It is very nice to be acquainted with you and Princess Rosebud.

        Please be informed that you might need to use a desktop or laptop computer with a large screen to view the rich multimedia contents available for heightening your multisensory enjoyment at my blog, which could be too powerful and feature-rich for iPad, iPhone, tablet or other portable devices to handle properly or adequately.

        In addition, since my posts and pages contain advanced styling and multimedia components plus animations, it is highly recommended to read my posts and pages directly on the blogs or websites where I have published them, so that you will be able to see and experience all of the refined and glorious details. Hence, it is prudent to refrain from using the WordPress Reader to access my blogs or websites because WordPress Reader can be considerably limited in how closely it reproduces contents of certain blogs or websites, given that it has to deal with a wide range of blogs or websites. It tends to ignore or strip away some styling and formatting components, and also fails to display animations, all of which are aplenty in my posts and pages. As a result, a post or page can look very different and even improper or amiss on the WordPress Reader. So, I tend to read posts and pages directly on the blogs or websites where they are published, especially when they contain animations, advanced styling and detailed intricacies like mine.

        May you and Princess Rosebud find this late autumn and the rest of the year very much to your liking and highly conducive to your writing, thinking and blogging!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Thank you. My iPad is fine. I do not allow other websites on my desktop as it is a sacred island of my work. No admittance.

        Best to the rest of your year being resonant in your way as only you can wonderfully resonate.

        Liked by 1 person

      • In that case, Jordan, I hope that your iPad screen and web browser can handle images and videos presented in high-definition (HD) full-screen mode with excellent audio quality, so that you can indeed enjoy being entertained both visually and sonically. Here is a suggestion for your Wednesday morning pleasure: A visit to my special post entitled “🎴 If My Name Were Moon Tonight… 🌛🌝🎑🈷 with Clair de Lune 🌕”, where I hope that you and your family will snap up the chance to watch my dynamic animation produced in high resolution (1920 x 1280) at https://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/if-my-name-were-moon-tonight-with-clair-de-lune/

        The animation starts calmly and will gradually climax. The post also comes with my rhyming poem and musical performance. I look forward to reading your feedback there.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Pingback: The Process of Abscission | Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud

  4. Pingback: Pearls and Golden Baubles | Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud

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