#1272 - pottery
This beautiful gift I received from a friend, among many others, during a long walking conversation.
Have you ever seen an artisan making pottery with clay? Or maybe you remember that famous scene from the movie Ghost.
The pottery makers slam some clay over a round table and then add water. Then they spin the table - called "wheel" - and shape and mould the clay using their hands. This way of creating pottery is called throwing on the wheel.
I've discovered that the most important aspect of throwing on the wheel is centering.
If the clay is un-centered or unstable for any reason, the least that can happen is that you won't be able to create a symmetrical and balance pot.
The worst is that you will have to spend hours scrapping pieces of clay from everything around you.
I never tried it personally; I just read about it. So, I'd love to hear from someone who actually makes pottery.
From what I read, centering means not only to center the clay on the wheel but also to center yourself, so your hands are steady and you are in charge, not the clay.
This is such a great metaphor for everything in life. If we don't take the time to center, once things begin to spin faster and faster, it's so easy to be thrown out into the wall. Or to shape something that has nothing to do with our intention.