The Sacred Ordinary Everywhere

The mystical traditions of this world seem to agree on both valuing and directly experiencing the sacredness of every moment, place, and living being.  This basic aspiration to be present with whatever is currently happening, without longing or pining for something else, is central in my life as an artist - and my life in general. 

I have made a habit of staging improvised pilgrimages in cities, towns, and natural places, leaving small tokens for people to find & be reminded of the sacredness of seemingly ordinary spaces.  The slideshow below features participant images (& my own) from A Sewanee Pilgrimage (in Sewanee, TN) and  A 14th Street Pilgrimage (in NYC). 

The little objects - called tsa-tsas - are traditional in Bhutan and other Himalayan Buddhist cultures.  People cast them from river-clay in batches of 108, and place them all through the landscape - wherever there is an auspicious nook or ledge - as a way of marking & making sacred space.  They are prayers and offers of thanks, collectively catalyzing the whole country into sacred space.  The millions of little miniature representations of the body of truth are collectively saying: Pay attention!  This ordinary moment is sacred!  And this one!  And this one.  Your depression & lack of certainty are part of a whole sacred fabric, from which nothing is excluded.