The Powers of Hearth (Heart) and Soul (Soil)
by Yasmine Fatemi
so it takes me to a place of creativity, present
in the moment in a rhythmic action of the
dough almost merging with it, in complete
submission of its motions, I to it, as it is to me,
a dense mixture that is alive, it is humbling
the way the dough slowly but surely loses
resistance with every firm push and knead of
the hand, with each pushing forward and
forceful thrust against it, still it becomes more
adaptable and subtle losing its density and
shape in the ebb and flow, becoming the
desired form with each force of action or
movement made against it. It learns to go
with the flow and rhythm of the movements.
Dissolving in the movement. Similarly water
(which our bodies are largely made up of)
takes the shape of any mold or vessel it is
poured into, becoming the vessel, so to speak.
Clay can in contrast, be molded into the vessel
that will hold the water and give shape to it,
we need both components, water alone will
only take on the form it is offered by the
carrier, and cannot hold shape or form by
itself.
With each cycle of kneading, the diligence and
agitation brings more surrender until
resistance ceases entirely and develops the
lump to become what it is intended to be.
A potter will know it, the pushing forward, the
feel of losing resistance in his hand, the giving
up of its own hard nature and soften into its
essence. After this phase of its journey, it is
ready to be thrust into high temperatures to
purify its substances and raise itself to the
occasion. And so it is baked in the oven, or
sun dried with richer fuller flavors and
swelling nutrients within are released and
once touched by the flames, it's golden kiss of
life, it lets go of all that it harbors and releases
its properties and attributes into the swelling
mixture.
'From the fire of my Hearth comes the fruit of
the soul Have I become extravagant in my
need to feed you with it? O soul, find what is
in your soil, know what is in your hearth,
what is it what is in it? And feed it freely
insatiably to those who have the hunger of
the heart for this fruit, for how will it
decrease the fire of my hearth and that
which it brings fourth?'
O'