Tabletop Red Square Practice

Allies ready at the edge of the Square: small sake cup, coil of green ribbon, leaf from a bush on the island of Eleuthra, skull of a small animal, crystal.

In January 2021 Anne Anderson Saitzyk (thank you Anne) invited me to present for her Contemplative Arts class. On Zoom. At first I thought. oh no, I don’t know if I can make that happen. Then later it occurred to me that we might explore The Red Square on a tabletop ~ composition, and object arrangement, and play. So I invited a few local folks who have played in the Square if they’d help me figure this out. We met 3, maybe 4 times, over Zoom and worked out the basic logistics ~ placement of computer monitor, how large the square needed to be to be seem, and so forth. Recently I came across photos from the workshop and was pleased with how they reminded me of the delights of playing in and out of the Red Square.

Allies in a row: It’s a recurring favorite of mine ~ lining up. Soothes my nervous system. Establishes a pattern.

Sake cup overturned with small animal skull resting on top, leaf tucked beneath cup, green ribbon extending out from cup, and crystal resting against cup and on ribbon.

At some point in the workshop I invited folks to change out allies, if they wished ~ I replaced the crystal with a small branch/stick/twig.

Here the red ball of twine is unwound and eventually lands inside the sake cup. The leaf in under the red twine and the skull is resting on top of the twine. Green ribbon wends its way out beyond the Square.

In a studio practice we would invite ourselves to arise in the space because of the Allies. Here, on this Tabletop version, I invite a hand/arm to appear in the ensemble.

All Allies and Human Hand : Leaf rests on top of left hand, twig is braided between fingers, sake cup is upside down and resting on the middle finger, green ribbon wanders from cup to edge of Red Square and to the skull which is outside the Square.