Stones, Frozen Music, and Soul

September 6, 2011

Join me as I weave the themes of sculpting, soul readings, detachment, and angels. Staying present is the thread that connects the threads.

Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and philosopher, believed that stones are frozen music. I agree. Ten years ago I developed a passion for sculpting stones. Full time grandmothering for the past seven years left little time for my artistic passion.

I was surprised how instinctively, I merged with the pink and white alabaster stone to hear the hum of its inner frozen music. Without plans for what the stone might become, I listened and reflected deeply. In a meditative state, I settled into my body and invited my intuition to guide my hands—not knowing anything and trusting everything.

I smiled as I remember Mary Shephard, my first sculpting teacher who insisted I let go of the first ten forms that emerged from a stone. She stressed that the moment I thought I had a sense of the possibilities, I needed to surrender the form and return to filing. I resisted her guidance initially because I felt relieved to see even a hint of a form emerge from within the stone. Plus, I was eager to begin and finish.

Today I honor her wisdom of waiting and witnessing because I trust that I will hear the stone’s hum if I am quiet and overflowing with appreciative awareness. Practicing detachment feels like watching the passing clouds change shapes and disappear.

A shape or story always emerges. I participate in this ongoing co-creative process by filing away stone that does not add to the essence of the emerging shape. Sculpting is a subtracting process unlike clay building, which is an addition process. For me sculpting and soul making are similar. As we align more deeply to our destiny, our soul purpose, any aspect of our personality that limits us, is filed away.

Imagine my delight when I spied the outstretched wings of a bird within the stone. When I turned the stone a bit to the left, I caught a hint of the beginning of a small head. I filed and the fine white dust flew into the air and reminded me to stop, look and listen for more cues. Then my mind challenged me to remember exactly how a bird is structured. The ratio of head, body, and wingspan felt foreign to me. Back to nature. Since we have three cats, the bird population is scarce around our home. So I disappeared into the house and grabbed a bird book and studied the proportions of a bird. Better prepared, I returned to my workbench and the stone.

Enter the angel. If you have read my earlier blogs, you might remember that my awareness of angels is expanding. As I turned the stone over, I beheld a distinct image of an angel. Then I breathed gently and looked deeply. Inwardly, I felt the inner music of the angel’s celestial signature. Instantly, I was inspired to add my energy and talent to the emerging shape. My head did not distract me with ratios and right proportions. My heart and hands knew exactly how to cooperate with the stone to release the emerging angel.

When I do a soul reading, I follow an identical honoring process as I listen inwardly for guidance. I behold a person’s essence just like I honor a stone’s essence. I relax, merge with the soul of my beloved, let go of knowing everything or anything, and the soul’s story emerges. Being present is the only requirement.

The angel sculpture is complete except for sanding and polishing. I am not in a hurry to finish. As long as the angel is unfinished, I remain present. When the angle is polished and secured to a base, I will continue to listen to the flowing music of the stone angel as I make a commitment to listen to the music of my own soul.