On the Art of Receiving

01 Jul On the Art of Receiving

Imagine for a moment that you’re hot and thirsty (and someday you will be).

There’s a waterfall nearby. How would you receive water from the waterfall to quench your thirst?

You may cup your hands to serve as a vessel and receive the beautiful flowing water, and lift it to your mouth. It’s refreshing. You let it flow down your throat, and you are no longer thirsty. You pour some down the front of your neck, and you are cooled. You are not water. And you need water.

And your cupped hands are saying “I want to receive.”

~

No living thing exists in isolation, including us.

And there is no stagnant state. Either we are growing or we are dying with every breath.

As a tender young seedling must receive sunlight, water and nourishment to grow, so must we receive unwarranted gifts of love and spirit in order to grow.

This is grace. Unmerited grace.

Practicing the art of receiving requires vulnerability, and trusting a power higher than our own. And when we begin to receive these gifts of grace, we are no longer limited by our own capacity. If we close into ourselves, insisting on staunch independence and total self-reliance, or if we harbor feelings of unworthiness, we are like dim impenetrable forms with no way in and no way out. And as such our power and strength is finite.

But when we open ourselves to receiving, we tap into the power and strength beyond our own, which is indeed infinite.

I create Receiving Bowls as a reminder to practice the Art of Receiving. They are small, hand-wrought vessels that fit sweetly in the palm of your hand.

They are created by enameling forged copper forms. The forging and enameling processes are a collaboration between me and the properties of both the metal and glass, both elements from the earth. There is push and pull in the process itself, which are essential in the development of the metal and glass into a purpose-driven vessel.

~~

A wrought vessel.
Brought into being through push and pull.
Open. Ready to be filled.
May I be an open vessel.

~~

I think that the most difficult thing is allowing yourself to be loved, so receiving the love and feeling like you deserve it is a pretty big struggle. I suppose that’s what I’ve learnt recently, to allow myself to be loved. -Nicole Kidman