Halfway though my walk around the palace, I decided to stop and meditate in the lovely Chidorigafuchi Park, a site of much activity throughout the year.  A popular meeting place for 5 and 10K races, it is also a well known gathering location for the traditional hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in the spring.  Being convenient to many, in central Tokyo, there is generally quite a buzz around there.  This morning, the park, itself, was pretty empty of people, so I sat down on a bench and closed my eyes. 

Immediately, I was aware of the apparent chaos in the area.  The cicadas were chirping so loudly!  Traffic was whizzing by.  I sat there with the awareness that I am a part of all that.  So, rather than finding it irritating and mind boggling, I just concentrated on blending into it, picturing the swirl of activity and losing myself in it.  "You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star," claims Nietzsche. (The quote varies sightly depending on where you look, but the concept is the same. Out of chaos, comes order and creativity.)  God created the world out of chaos.  He wasn't put off by it, or annoyed by it.  In it, he apparently saw the myriad of possibilities, a treasure trove to be used as an outlet for his creativity. 

When we become one with all that he is, we, too can tap into that creativity and productivity.  As I sat listening to what he wanted to communicate to me at that moment, I could begin to hear beyond the screaming of the cicadas and whizzing of traffic. The cicadas actually seemed to be having some kind of conversation; their various chirping and whirring became more distinct.  Beyond them I could hear birds that, at the beginning, were drowned out by the chirping...then another type of bird, then ducks from the moat, then a dog barking.  I suppose what I learned just on the surface is that when you still yourself, what is screaming so loudly at you becomes less overwhelming and you can begin to hear other things, other possibilities, other voices, other input into a situation.  When you quiet yourself and relax into the chaos around you, a couple of things happen.  Your calm penetrates that chaos and then, the chaos becomes more orderly.  Changing from a gray mass of noise, the fog begins to break apart, not just into black and white, but color as well. 

As I continued to sit, I was aware of the sun warming my back, the breeze blowing gently in my face, the symphony of nature blending with the drone of the traffic, resembling an orchestra tuning up loudly, moving into a crescendo, then falling silent for a moment until the conductor appears, and raises his baton.  Slowly and quietly notes begin to ebb and flow into a creation of sweetness and power, beauty and majesty.  

We become co-creators with God when we enter the chaos and become one with it all.  From that silence, come ideas and clarity.  Like him, we can separate the darkness from the light and speak life into our situation, producing all kinds of fruit and other bits of handiwork that nourish our world. 

There is so much chaos all around us waiting for us to turn it into something beautiful.  The potential is there, it just needs a touch of the master's hand through you and me, his workmanship.


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