Thursday, June 30, 2011

the bell

moving through the qualifiers and details of time and space i find myself consumed by the forethought and afterthought of an experience as much as by the processing of the experience itself. to know that it is almost entirely comprised of the superficial and that the real work is carefully tucked away inside that experience is humbling and reminding of the importance of maintaining an integrity of presence.

i first saw this clip during an evening some fifteen years ago spent watching the documentary "baraka". i was stunned afterwards and unable to articulate the enormity of what is contained within this film. over time, details emerged that not only stuck with me but called out to be re-experienced. whenever that happens, i know that something essential and powerful is hovering waiting to be unpacked and ingested as a feature of my learning. this very brief and sadly truncated clip stands out in that respect.



2 comments:

Reya Mellicker said...

I think forethought and afterthought are part of every experience. What is "real" Steven? All of experience is richly multi-layered and multi-faceted. Maybe it's just me, but I can't differentiate. Superficial is real, isn't it? Without it, there would be no depth.

Beautiful clip. What a shaman! Wow.

hope said...

That bell is just perfect.