there has always been a kind of communion for me with the inanimate. i spent many years of my life earlier inspired by the making of objects and intrigued by the impetus in others for the making of objects. often, i have come to experience the deepest sadness i know in the presence of neglected, ignored, or ‘left for dead’ objects. to me, inanimate things are hardly what i would call ‘lifeless,’ which is how inanimate is defined in a standard dictionary.

last night, in a moment some might call a revery, i was communing deeply with the different objects in my home, including the structure of my home. communing deeply, what does that mean? i see the knowing or consciousness of these objects, i feel the experience they have of being appreciated and having a use or role in their expression of form. it seems to me that objects that are cared for, interacted with regularly, placed and truly seen are vibrating at a higher frequency. there is a kind of singing coming from these objects, a dignity, a presence that has an impact upon me and my consciousness.

what i’ve come to realize is that i have a certain capacity to relate to the objects in my surround. i can reach an overwhelm point in which i have two many things around me in which i no longer hold an easy communication with or sensing of the spirit in these things. my own shift in energy is quickly subsumed by the objects around me and we shift into a lower frequency together. do you realize how many environments are crowded with objects that aren’t given the simple dignity of being cared for, beautifully placed, acknowledged, or respected in some way for their unique contribution? have you contemplated the life, spirit, and voice of the objects around you?

i’ve consistently had a resonance with shinto practices that honor the ‘kami’ or spirit of objects. yes! there are many other spirited world views that similarly acknowledge the life within natural and man made objects both. shamanic based cultures are among these. children, too, have a naturally open consciousness to the life in all things.