Posts Tagged ‘Japan’

There is a new government in Japan. A party that did not exist two years ago has swept to power. There is a very interesting interpretation to be taken from the colour and shape of the symbol that has been chosen by the Minshu political party. It is fitting with their promise to the Japanese people. A message of change and new beginning.

The two red circles of the Minshu symbol

The symbol shows two red circles meeting on a white background. The red circle is an echo of the sun on the Japanese flag – and thus associates the Minshu party with Japanese identity. However the presence of the second red circle indicates something new is happening. We should pay attention. Something new is being added to the traditional situation.

Look more closely and you will see the lower circle has a shaky edge. Why? What can this mean? The lower circle seems to be more energetic, the shaky edge seems to express movement, as if this second circle is vibrating with some kind of energy. This second circle is alive. The message is the Minshu party is vibrating with energy, an energy they can bring to Japan.

Even in England the Japanese election result was treated as big news. It was described as a political earthquake. We were told that for 50 years Japan had had only one party in government, and the result was that everything had become very fixed: politics, big corporations, the bureaucracy, nothing could move anymore in this power structure. This election result has broken an important part of this fixed power structure, something new can now grow. A shaking energy has been brought to what used to be very solid. The symbol with its vibrating red circle hovering over the traditional fixed red sun perfectly expresses this new (red) awakening energy.

There is more though. See the white space where the two circles overlap. As the energised red begins to overshadow the original circle a white process happens. White is clearing, cleansing - like a blank page, white offers a fresh start for a new story. As the Minshu party move to the centre of the Japanese picture, more and more of the original red sun will be bathed in white. There will be a clearing from which a new start may be made. This is what the Minshu party and this election result offers. A fresh start from which Japan can emerge reenergised. This seems to be what so many people hope for.

Colour, shape and resonance offer insight into the messages of the symbols around us. They allow us deeper understanding of the messages offered to us. Look around and enjoy.

I am often asked why is Aura-Soma so popular in Japan. Here is a thought. Some of the ideas beneath are not held be everybody in Japan, and Japan is changing. Nevertheless i think the ideas are true to the traditional Japanese way of life which all Japanese have been born into. The idea is inspired by some stonework i was admiring while staying in Kyoto earlier this month. I was on the edge of the city on a hillside close to the forest - the area has a traditional look. Here is the wall.

Every stone fits in Japan

These are not small stones! You will notice that every stone is uniquely shaped, retaining some originality. Yet as a whole this wall is tightly knit. If a stone were removed another could not be easily found to replace it. This says several important things about Japanese society.

First it says that great care has been taken in building this wall. Each stone has been placed with care and attention to detail, small adjustments have been made at the edges to ensure a tight fit. These are magenta qualities: care and attention to detail.

It would be much easier and quicker to mass-produce regularly shaped bricks. But in Japan things are valued for their unique quality. Originality of form is prized, respect for each other is paramount. I once asked a Japanese friend if she would wear a brace to change her teeth. She replied that teeth were a gift from her parents and should be respected as such. The wall is more important than the stone! No stone in the wall requires another to be different, each is accommodated as it is, or at least the chipping away happened so long ago that now there is no memory of things being any other way. This gives greatstrength to society, yet, at the same time, it is impossible for any stone to move without upsetting the whole.

This is true of individuals in Japanese society. They live in cities of millions and millions. Any day at any hour almost every train is full. People moving together. People are expected to give a huge amount to work: traditionally you should not go home if your boss is still in the office. Everyone should know their position in society and bow to everyone else accordingly. So where is the space for the individual? Not much on the outside is the answer. “The nail that sticks up will be hammered down” is a traditional Japanese proverb.

But here is where Aura-Soma has something to offer. It presents a non intrusive, gentle, private way to nurture and explore your inner world. You may not be free outside, but you can grow inside. Come to know your inner shape better; like the stone in the wall, find your uniqueness and bring it to life with consciousness. Mike Booth used to like to talk about making pots, that every so often a pot would be made under his hands on the wheel that seemed to sing. It had an inner quality of aliveness. Aura-Soma helps to bring that aliveness to each individual life, and in Japan, that has a very high value indeed.

A few days between courses in Japan and I am staying in Okayama. One of my hobbies is to relate a place with its telephone code and the equivalent Aura-Soma colour combination. Okayama is 086 which indicates the B86 bottle Oberon – Clear / Turquoise. There have been some (in the literal sense) extra-ordinary episodes.

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