Yesterday, Jack and I witnessed an impressive display of Chinese culture at Parkdale’s community centre, as hosted by the Nifty Fifties and I say ++ seniors group. Our well experienced and informed narrator Yu Han told stories and histories while showing slides of the of Forbidden City. This was enhanced by interludes of songs and dances - in costume - of different indigenous Chinese cultural traditions, presented by our Chinese Calgarians.
The closing piece was a Tai Chi performance complete with swords, the collapsible type! Since Jack and I were sitting in the front row, we hastily made room for this unexpected show of force, mainly because the performers needed swing room.
After this enriching experience, which can only be felt from a life performance, we connected with several people and I exchanged email addresses with the presentress Yu Han. She appeared to relate to my aim of exploring the world’s ethnic diversity by taking advantage of its presence right on our doorstep here in Calgary.After this meeting, Jack came over to take some pictures of me while colouring in my mandala, because I feel that the completion of that colouring process is now coming to a close fairly rapidly.
As Jack admiringly commented on my work so far - as comes so natural to him - he soon noted that this mandala is symbolic of the inclusiveness of the idea of Existence Divine. And, this is how I myself also feel about this colouring process as I am coming to a close of it. Not all that strange, as the Mandala is a symbol for and of integration.
Later on in the evening I worked some more on my essay provisionally titled "My Belief Framework" and after the National news, I started on the colouring in of the summer - south/bottom - section of the mandala. I can see that there are going to be some unexpected nuances in the pattern that I showed and photographed last Sunday, when colouring in the Spring section.
The way I handle such unanticipated colour conflicts or complications, is by going around them. That is I leave the area in question for now and proceed with areas where the chosen colours and the mandala pattern come together.
Once those are done, a solution usually can be devised or tried out for the more complex combinations of shape and colour. And if, a conflict remains, I remind myself that such is life. This is what the mandala represents; conflict, tension and friction are all energy sources and opportunities to be harnessed and put to good use!
