Clay, moulding and the potter's wheel

 Hari Aum.

I have always been interested in trying my hand at pottery. I like the look of clay and have always wondered what it would feel like to work with it to create something. For a while now, I have wanted to attend a pottery class and I finally got around to this recently.

I attended a beginners pottery workshop a few days ago which involved an introduction to the potter's wheel and also some simple hand building techniques. I discovered that I love, not only the look, but also the feel of clay-- the texture and working with it. It was fun to make some small pieces of crockery such as bowls and plates. I didn't get around to creating anything more exciting as a beginner but this felt like a good start to my pottery journey.

The potter's wheel is a particularly fascinating object in my view. Our teacher set it to spin at medium speed (it can spin slowly, quickly or something in between) as she said this would be ideal to enable us to create something (especially as beginners). Too fast and the slightest error would be quickly magnified, too slow and the clay would not respond too well to our touch. So the middle way, medium speed, was the best.

She then explained how to 'center the clay' onto the wheel, a process which looks simple until one actually tries it. Getting a lump of clay to sit perfectly in the middle of the potter's wheel is required to avoid making wobbly and lumpy creations-- if one wishes to make something smooth with proper symmetry, then centering correctly is apparently essential. There are various techniques used to center clay and we were introduced to one popular method.

Our teacher told us that 'the feel' of the clay was more important when trying to figure out whether or not it had been properly centered (rather than how it looked). It took some time and practice to work out what the proper 'feel' of centered clay was but we all got there in the end.

Once she centered the clay on the wheel, it was extraordinary to see that the slightest movement of her fingers produced dramatic changes in its appearance. A slight downward pressure on the spinning clay and it would rapidly transform into a flattened structure; a gentle upward movement at the edges and it would rise into a cylindrical shape. It was actually quite hypnotic to watch the wheel spinning steadily and magical to see the clay transform from one shape to another.  

It was a very good experience overall and I feel I would like to build upon my basic pottery skills by possibly joining a longer course over some weeks if time permits in the new year. 

The art of pottery seems to have a lot of parallels with spiritual life which is also an art. Not-too-fast but not-too-slow with the wheel very much applies to the speed of our spiritual practice--  to the amount of mantra japa, meditation and yogic practices that we do. The mind, like clay, responds to the slightest 'pressure' -- like clay is pliable and transforms like magic, so too does the mind. 

Sivananda says, in his writings, that we need to give permission to God to mould us (this is putting down the barriers of the ego), just as clay 'allows' us to mould it. A shapeless lump of clay may appear rather unappealing. But once moulded, by hand or on a potter's wheel, it can transform into a variety of beautiful shapes, some of which can of course be very useful (such as pots, plates and the like).

The problem, says Sivananda, is that the moulding process can sometimes be rather painful. Imagine if we were a lump of clay in the hands of a potter. We would be kneaded, pounded and beaten to have our rough edges smoothened! We would have water poured over us and have our texture altered. Then we would be rolled and pressed in various ways into a size and shape that looks pleasing to the eye and is possibly also useful!  

An instrument or two would also very likely be used to remove some unwanted extra bits of clay and to maybe decorate us. Now, in the hands of a talented and experienced potter, we would look very beautiful indeed at the end! But, the process that we would have gone through to end up there, all that pressing and kneading and cutting, would not have been very pleasant at all. 

If we cry out to the potter to stop the moulding halfway, or refuse to begin the process of being moulded at all, then we will sadly remain as mere lumps of clay-- that would be most unfortunate, as we would not be fulfilling our potential. Our potential to express the beautiful side of our nature as clay.

And this is why Sivananda tells us to avoid protesting when we embark upon our spiritual journey, when God begins to use various techniques to mould us into an image that He would like to see. Our higher mind, the spiritual side, is generally willing (and perhaps even happy) to be moulded but the lower mind most certainly is not. Our moulding in life involves being given all sorts of challenges and difficulties, things that we would not regard as pleasant at all. 

However, on the positive side, the Gurus assure us that, at any point in time, we will only be subjected by God to that amount of moulding that we can actually handle. The Divine Potter, being very skilled, always ensures that we are subjected to just the right amount of 'pressure', this is tailored to our needs. If, like clay, we respond well to this pressure, then something beautiful will happen-- we will find ourselves transforming and expressing the divine aspect of our nature.

Just like pottery though, this is an art and takes time. It is a slow and laborious process. But, it does bear fruit. So, as our Gurus advise, we need to plod on with our spiritual practices day after day, month after month, and year after year, until the spiritual goal is reached. 

And, from time to time, we also need to remind ourselves and accept that we all have feet of clay, we all have flaws of character and weaknesses within-- and that is ok, that is part of being human and precisely the reason we are on a spiritual journey (we would be expected to actively work upon these issues though and gradually improve over time). 

There really is no room for a 'holier than thou'  approach or moral policing on the spiritual path (some people on the spiritual path sadly develop this unfortunate habit which is not only unhelpful but rather harmful on this journey). (Note- this does not mean that we should accept negative/toxic behaviours from anyone in our lives; in this sort of situation, we would need to take practical action to protect ourselves).

Each one of us has a duty only to become a willing, mouldable piece of clay in the hands of the Divine. And, our Gurus advise us to achieve this goal by performing a simple, regular spiritual practice every single day (such as mantra chanting/meditation which enables us to connect with Him/Her). In addition, we need to accept the various life experiences that we are given (whether or not we particularly like them) as a form of divine moulding. Like centering the clay, this sounds easy but is of course not so simple to do. We do need to keep at it, however, just little-by-little, every single day (so that He can keep up His side of the work too!).

I will conclude by sharing a link to a beautiful song in praise of the Divine Mother that I recently discovered:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_0PVXI4RJ0 

May the Divine mould us all into that which He/She would like us to be.

Om Shri Durgayai Namah.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.