meditations in clay
111 days, 111 pots, 111 prayers
I recently made myself an offering: a slow summer steeped in the desert sun. Along with it emerged a daily practice of embracing a quiet stillness, something I offer in creative community when we gather in my signature mindful pottery workshops. Past guests will understand the feeling of connecting mind with body and both with clay in a quiet expanse of time and space. A key part of my workshops are pinch pot meditations, using clay as a meditative medium. I’ve guided guests and clients through this practice uncountable times in different cities and spaces, physical and digital. The responses are as unique as the pinch pots themselves, created slowly with eyes closed, minds quiet, hearts open. I myself have only practiced the pinch pot mediation a small handful of times, until last week, when I decided I would practice each day for 111 days in a row, manifesting my quiet energy into 111 pots.
We are all little orbs of energy, moving through time and space, alone and in community. The energy that lays within us is omnipresent and ever shifting and I’ve found the pinch pot meditation to be a medium for calming the mind and body and shifting that energy into a physical manifestation in clay. And so, I offer to myself the gift of 111 days of meditation, each one culminating in a pinch pot and a prayer written promptly after the pot is formed. These prayers will never be premeditated, but will flow from my quieted mind onto the page. Because I am not religious, prayer feels like a funny word - but prayers are what they are. Prayers for the human experience, for growth and stillness and understanding and peace and whatever else flows out of my hands - for myself and for us all.
Here’s a peek at pot and prayer 001:
You can grasp for control with all of your might, yet the beauty in life comes from letting go, loosening your grip, finding delight in the unknown. If you allow yourself to venture there with an open heart, you may be pleasantly soothed by the beauty you uncover - especially in the mundane.
arizona 05.08.24
Today marks meditation, pot, and prayer 005. I’m curious what it will feel like to have 111 pots in front of me, representing devotion to consistent quiet space for my mind and body and spirit. I wonder what each pot will look and feel like, made with the same clay and same hands, with differing energy and moods, over a long period of time. I’m curious how the prayers will shift with happenings in my life, how they’ll expand as I settle into the sun alongside the cactuses.
I feel energized by this spacious new practice, and also it feels very raw and tender and intimate. I want to update you all as it unfolds and create space for you too to have a reminder for slow, steady devotion. Because of the personal nature, I will share weekly letters with portraits of my pots alongside their prayer for paid readers. You can read them all in one sitting, or spread them throughout your week - a daily pot and prayer for your own devotion to still moments. And if you’re interested in trying out the pinch pot meditation for yourself, join me in a creative ritual and grounding session.
I hope some of you follow along with my journey, and find some stillness of your own along the way.
Wishing us all moments of calmness and abundant growth, no matter how slow.
i’d like to honor two teachers and guides in my practice, especially in inspiring this new project of mine: paulus berensohn and
. ever grateful.join me in a creative ritual and grounding session where we use clay as a meditative medium in grounding and ritual. i’ve been so honored to create creative space to process the issues clients bring - last week’s session brought a calm for us both as we pinched and breathed together.
i’m continuing to grow my therapy practice in nyc - if you or someone you know is feeling stuck, lost at sea, frustrated, or hurting - I’m here! *please know that, because of licensing, you must live in new york state for us to work together!
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