There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
~Leonard Cohen

Almost Full Circle-
Musings on Japanese terms of wisdom:
Ensō, Wabi Sabi, and Kura Kura

The first entry in my coronavirus journal, dated March 13, 2020, states that my high school senior is to stay home for a week and then to return to school after Spring break, and that my husband is asked to work remotely for a few weeks. This was a week before the state of California went on its first lockdown on March 20. A lot has happened since. As I write this newsletter in late February 2021, I am reflecting on the fact that we have come full circle. But not quite: my student is still studying from home and my husband has not yet returned to the office. The image is of the ensō Zen circle that is represented on the noren, the traditional Japanese fabric divider that hangs in my office to separate my space from others’ in a somewhat futile attempt to provide me with more privacy while we all WFH (Work From Home).

According to Wikipedia: “the ensō circle may be open or closed. In the former case, the circle is incomplete, allowing for movement and development as well as the imperfection of all things”. The Ensō in this open form exemplifies the various dimensions of the Japanese wabi sabi perspective and aesthetic: asymmetry, irregularity, simplicity, age, imperfection and naturalness, all aspects which I wrote about in a post titled Embracing the concept of wabi-sabi to love your perfectly imperfect self, almost two years ago now, and where I describe the Nature Practice of Cultivating Wabi Sabi. Both posts are re-cycled below as resources for you to sustain your well-being, to foster more acceptance of self and of challenging COVID situations, and to continue to build resilience in the face of uncertain times.

Kamikatsu, a remote, mountainous, town, is situated between temple 12 and temple 20, and is the site of one of the smaller circuit temples called bekkakus. Since 2003, the town has started an ambitious zero-waste recycling program after it discovered that it did not have the funds to upgrade its incinerators to meet the latest environmental laws or to take its garbage off-site. Incinerators are large emitters of green house gases and other toxins: the villagers wanted to protect the nature around them including the food they grow. Watch the mind-boggling 34 categories that these 1,700 villagers have embraced to sort their garbage.

The 34 ways have now grown to 45 ways, according to the latest report on their progress (No Waste Japanese Village is a Peek into Carbon Neutral Future (The Guardian, March 2020)). Wow!

I am inspired to see how a small village in a country that is the second-worse offender (after the US) in terms of plastic waste per capita, can rally around a common cause, and achieve not just zero-waste which is a feat in itself, but also costs reduction by a third, a more healthy environment, a more thriving inter-generational community and a kura kura shop or up-cycling craft center as part of the waste collection center that has also become a social meeting place for the residents.

The experiment has its limits as Akira Sakano, Zero Waste Academy leader in Kamikatsu, explains in this video as the town was reaching its objective of being zero-waste by 2020: systemic change and new policies are also required to fully achieve a circular economy. So again the circle is not quite complete. Not yet.

So I let you reflect on - what does the incomplete Ensō circle illuminate for you?, - what would cultivating wabi sabi in your life be like? - what could embracing kura kura mean for you? - how could it all help with the restoration of the Earth, the restoration of our communities, our democracy and ourselves?

If these musings have interested you, I can only recommend the anthology of essays All We Can Save by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilson that adresses the same topics of sustainability, community, democracy, civil engagement and personal responsibility. We are only on week 6 of the All We Can Save circle that I started in January, but given the depth and richness of the conversations I am considering engaging another circle later in the Spring. Feel free to contact me about it, with any questions you may have or any reflections you would like to share.

Warmly,

Anne-Marie

Women’s Pilgrimage in Japan

Assuming that by Fall of this year we can be vaccinated and freely resume international travel, I am continuing to plan a pilgrimage for women in Japan in October. If you are interested, I encourage you to sign-up to be among the first to review the itinerary for the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage, and to receive an application form.