The Mirror of the Moon
Mirror of the Moon
Original available here.
In still water
you can see the moon
like in a mirror.
In waterfalls and rapids
in the churning rush to the sea,
the moon is lost.
It comes like dusk,
the wind dies on its own.
Solitude gathers it.
It breathes in silence.
The water, the moon
do not strain for perfection -—
In quiet stillness
peace and harmony just appear
On their own, unbidden.
Muddy water becomes clear
if left undisturbed.
There is no effort
that brings reflection.
- Heron Dance/Roderick MacIver
. . .
Today’s poem is a reflection on a passage in the book 365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao. It is my favorite passage from the book.
If waters are placid, the moon will be mirrored perfectly. If we still ourselves, we can mirror the divine perfectly. But if we engage solely in the frenetic activities of our daily involvements, if we seek to impose our own schemes on the natural order, and if we allow ourselves to become absorbed in self-centered views, the surface of our waters becomes turbulent. Then we cannot be receptive to Tao.
There is no effort that we can make to still ourselves. True stillness comes naturally from moments of solitude where we allow our minds to settle. Just as water seeks its own level, the mind will gravitate toward the holy. Muddy water will become clear if allowed to stand undisturbed, and so too will the mind become clear if it is allowed to be still.
Posters Made To Order
Posters and Canvas Prints Made To Order
From time to time, readers of the Zen Mountain Journal ask if Heron Dance can create a poster that includes the words from a particular Substack post. We’re happy to do that. Just let us know your preferred size. The cost is $29 for a poster up to 20 inches in its largest dimension, and $39 for anything larger. We’ll create the poster and upload it into our website and send you a link.
Sometime in the next month — Heron Dance moves in a little over a week to Asheville so that will slow us down a little — Heron Dance will offer posters of every Zen Mountain Journal that can be ordered without you asking for a custom creation. In the meantime, just let us know if you are interested and we’re happy to create it. These posters will be designed around an image large enough that you can crop off the words and frame as a print.
Also, sometime in the next month, Heron Dance will switch to offering canvas prints mounted on wood stretcher bars. While these can be framed, they don’t need to be. They come ready to hang. See below for framed and unframed examples. Until we complete that transition, if you’d like a canvas mounted, ready-to-hang print, just be in touch and we’ll create it.
You can view the current selection of posters here.
Unframed
Framed
Liquidation Sale of Art
This is the last time this sale will be offered. There are still a few originals left. A couple of my favorites are above. I’ll send three, chosen by me at random, for $200 including shipping. There are portraits of Picasso, Dylan and Rick Rubin. Birds of course, and a couple of abstracts. Let me know if you have a preference. You can order them here.
Each order will include one of the larger originals. You can view the selection here and let Rod know. We’ll include in your order your first choice (and second) if it is still available.
There are also about twenty prints left. You can order a random three or ten below.
All prices include shipping.
Order three for $100 here.
Order ten for $200 here.
The only art that is excluded from this liquidation sale are a few “Zen Drawings and Paintings” which will be featured in an upcoming book. The Mirror of the Moon, the painting above, is an excluded original.