Whew!

These past two weeks have been incredibly rewarding.  Let's have a re-cap of what I anticipated the personal retreat to be like...

 - Chanting Buddhist sutras
   -The Heart Sutra
   -Sandokai
- 3+ hours of Shikintaza - awareness practice
- 30-60 minutes calling in spirits
- 4+ hours of carving the mask.
- Communicating with potential communities along my route and continuing preparation for the trip. 
- Studying Buddhist texts

Here is what it came out to be:

- Chanting Buddhist Sutras:
  - The Heart Sutra
  - Sandokai
  - Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi
  - Jukai (Bodhisattva Precepts)
- 2-4 hours of Shikintaza (missed a few days)
- 4-7 hours of mask carving + sign carving
- 30-60 minutes of calling in spirits (only when necessary)
- Communicating with potential communities along route (minimal)
- Studying Buddhist texts (minimal)
- Massive amounts of coffee ;)



All in all I was very busy!  I spent the first two days down at the Sokukoji Buddhist Temple.  Other than that, the only times I left were when I had a client and when I had to pick up materials.

So how is the mask coming along?  I've finished carving it!  Now all that is left is the paint and the finish.  The mask has, as the foundation, a large piece of Zebra wood.  On top of this are 5 masks.  The central mask is made from Peruvian Walnut.  The two on the top are made from Bloodwood.  The two on the bottom are made from Ebony.  I am not sure what paints will be used yet.  I can tell you there will be a combination of both paint and wood seen when looking at the mask.  It is carved both on the inside and outside.  Glimpses have also come about as to how I will be working with this spirit during ceremony. 

When working with spirits, it is necessary to be able to pay attention to where you are and how your approach to the work feels.  It is like the three little...bears?  I think that is the childhood story I am thinking of anyways.  Too much power can act as a destructive force in your life.  Too little can cause you to not move forward at all.  You need the to find the balance that best allows you to use the power of the spirits as a motivating force to deepen one's understanding of reality. 

If any of you have questions that you would like to ask, please feel free to get in touch.  You can do so through email (jwa2008@gmail.com), facebook, or through my website (justinarndt.com).  Since I am new to blogging and writing, please let me know what you think about my posts.  Feedback is helpful! 

The retreat ends tomorrow!  Back to work I go ;)