Hanakotoba: the ancient art of assigning meanings to flowers. In the Japanese culture, presenting flowers to another is not done lightly; the underlying meaning of the flower determines the message and allows the communication of feelings and emotions without words. Many of the meanings differ from Victorian and western symbolism. The ancient art of Hanakotoba has been practiced for centuries and though it still continues today, it is sadly not as popular as it once was. Firstly, I find it worth mentioning that Chinese New Year falls on January 28th this year. And so will begin the year of the rooster. The rooster is a symbol of dawn and awakening and teaches that triumph and success can only be achieved through hard work and patience in 2017. Fair enough. I do love ancient traditions and symbolism and astrology; attaching meaning and sentiment is important to me. Plus its fun. Now, let us discuss minimalism. The practise of less is more; very true in a lot of respects, not so much in others. I believe that my life is pretty minimalist; i dont have that much stuff, i dont have loads of friends, i'm not that busy. In truth, I dont have much going on actually. My mind on the other hand is a cluttered chaotic space that i can’t seem to tame t all as easily as my physical surroundings. I don’t believe that having the stuff causes any issues, it can just distract from what’s real sometimes. Minimalist living is more than clean lines and white walls, it’s about filling your life with what’s important and clearing it of what is not. And that will manifest in very different ways for everyone, but all of us can benefit from adopting a more simple, meaningFULL life. Personally, i have far too many acorns, empty jars and boxes of scrap paper. Is that clutter? It doesn't get in the way of my life so i think not. I know what is vital to me is: deep connections, compassionate living, creativity, nature, peace and quiet. Plus chocolate and running. I could, of course, live without those. I’d rather not though. You do you. Minimalism is a very zen Japanese concept and i happen to be very much enamoured with Japanese culture. Pale pink cherry blossoms, snow dusted mount Fuji, elaborate tea ceremonies, beautiful landscaped gardens, intricate calligraphy; all steeped in ancient fascinating tradition. Its a place that i really hope to visit. I’ve actually always been drawn to the far east. As a child i dreamed of the great wall, of lush bamboo jungles and the pandas that called them home. India is my favourite place in the whole world; my time there was so life changing that i’m actually scared to go back in case it taints the magical memories i created the first time round! Africa in many ways captured my heart but Asia reached deep into my soul and became a part of me; the colours, the tastes and the spirituality inspire me huguely. Though, I think many parts of Asia are, at the surface, the very opposite of minimalist, those months of travelling there were perhaps the most peaceful and happy i’ve ever experienced. In the crowded, chaotic, overwhelming, tragic, harrowing yet incredible land that is India, I somehow found great stillness. I guess i did a Sherlock and created a mind palace. When we are travelling, we are vagabonds, homeless essentially and our days are simple. We get up, find some food, explore, read, eat again etc.. there is no schedule, nothing to do, nowhere to be. The freedom is wonderful at first but i found that eventually, my days began to feel empty. To me minimalism is not about emptiness, its about clearing what no longer serves and allowing room for what does. That often means adapting ourselves and our lives as we change and grow. Don't cling to who you used to be or how you used to live; learn from it, deconstruct old ideas, then re-build and create new ones. So with my interest in Asian culture in mind, i started to do some research and unearthed something called Hanakotoba or the Japanese Language of Flowers. The Japanese have great love and respect for nature, in fact they assigned meaning to flowers long before the British did. Japanese life is very much centered around the 4 seasons and flowers act like a mirror, they reflect the passage of time. Flowers are very prevalent in Japan, they are woven through the culture in the art, on clothes, as part of religious ceremonies and even displayed on legal documents. The most special religious flower in both China and Japan is the lotus; symbolic of the Buddha and his virtues of truth and immortality. Cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums are also very important- to be continued...While happily engrossed in Hanakotoba research, I also rediscovered Ikebana: a Japanese style of flower arranging, dating back to the 7th century. It is a disciplined art form, bringing together nature and humanity in union. It is steeped in the philosophy of developing a closeness with nature. Yes! That's exactly how i view floristry; a wonderful opportunity to share the beauty of nature and encourage people to care more about the natural world (our home). I hope to explore the Hanakotoba meanings on a deeper level and also practise some ikebana style arrangements, as soon as i get my hands on some flowers. How lovely it is to find another little piece of Asian culture to learn from and appreciate. The Victorian flower meanings and the Hanakotoba ones are quite similar in many cases, just viewed slightly differently. A few examples: Hanakotaba Victorian Dahlia good taste dignity Hibiscus gentle delicate beauty Cherry blossom kind spiritual beauty Pansy thoughtful think of me Sunflower respect pride Hydrangea pride heartlessness 2017 so far has been okay for me. I have been attempting to integrate minimalism into my thought processes. A little less thinking and a little more doing. Its proving very useful for learning to drive- i just have to deal with what comes at me without having the chance to overthink the situation. Same with getting back into yoga- dont think, just do it. 10 minutes a couple of times a week is fine, great actually. A few short asanas make me feel better and are easy to slot into my day without overwhelming me. My mind naturally seeks the hardest options, the longest routes. Often i simply don’t have the energy for such endeavors so i dont do anything at all. Silly? Yes of course. But true. What i need sometimes is to simply do things, to not think about them for so long that the actual doing, becomes an insurmountable mountain i really cannot climb. These small changes in my thoughts are slowly allowing small changes in my mindset. Life doesn't feel as overwhelming; i can feel excitement about the future again. The dark clouds have blown over a bit, to be replaced by vivid reveries of sun-drenched meadows and armfuls of flowers, cobbled streets for exploring, brilliant blue skies, turquoise waters, painting, laughing, living..peaceful days enjoying the earth quietly with gratitude in my steps and love in my heart. I think i'm ready for some adventure, maybe Italy or Greece in the summer, who knows. I want to do everything, visit everywhere, see it all. Stop. That right there is my problem; wanting to go from 0 to 100 in one step. There is time. I can do it all. Not all at once, but gradually step by step every goal can be achieved. Can you travel the whole earth in one day? No. Besides the joy is in the journey too, not just the destination. If we could view each moment we have as something vital, exciting and precious, could that not, perhaps, transform every regular day before us, into an adventure? Dwelling fully in each second as it arrives, thinking only of the present and happy to be there, i imagine (I know actually) that many of our worries would melt away. If you can do nothing about it then why torture yourself worrying and over thinking about a time that has not even arrived yet? “Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.” -Randy Armstrong Be still, be calm, be there. That to me is an embodiment of minimalism and where its true virtue lies; the peace granted by freedom from the unnecessary. Strip away the things that are not important to you, get rid of what holds you back, detach from the menial and focus on whats left. Your passions, your values, your heart-song. In essence- you. Simple.
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