Bamboo stalk
Hollow Reed Mandala -(Autumn Circle series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008source image: bamboo stalks and leaves
When the interior of a reed is empty and free from all matter, it will produce beautiful melodies; and as the sound and melodies do not come from the reed, but from the flute player who blows upon it, so the sanctified heart of that blessed Being is free and emptied from all save God, pure and exempt from the attachments of all human conditions, and is the companion of the Divine Spirit. Whatever He utters is not from Himself, but from the real flute player, and it is a divine inspiration ~ Abdu'l Baha
Every day I walk past a patch of bamboo. The color of the leaves and the stalks is now a sort of antiqued bronze. Last week I noticed lady bugs on many leaves, and I wondered what was on the bamboo that the lady bugs were loving. Recently whoever takes care of the bamboo trees trimmed off the branches overhanging the driveway, revealing many hollow reeds. This time of year I am noticing more of the patterns of nature -- stems and leaves -- now that they aren't competing with show-offy flowers for recognition.
While creating this mandala today I thought about the joy I feel when I am able to step aside and make room for the Creator's energy to flow through me. I love it when art seems to make itself...no angst, no struggle, just ease...
Oh, God, make me a hollow reed, from which the pith of self hath been blown so that I may become as a clear channel through which Thy Love may flow to others....
Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas
