Two Heavens as One
There is something about watching someone carve wood that satisfies me. When my husband wants to quiet down his thoughts, he goes into his workshop and starts working on his pieces. My favorite is when he starts working on Miyamoto Musashi’s dojo. But recently, he abandoned it for a more interesting project:
Niten Ichi-ryū.
Two heavens as one.
The thought is that wielding two swords with both hands can signify strength and intimidation. But having two swords, do not provide the flexibility and fluidity that a weapon with a two-bladed sword does. To get to this level of mastery, Miyamoto had to study the lessons from each sword in all of his 66 battles.
As for me, it is the scraping of every layer of wood with his mini carving knife — molding, shaping and finally revealing itself into a miniature wooden samurai sword after hours and hours of sanding and sculpting — that satisfies my soul.
For him, it is the perseverance after every time a wooden stick breaks and the patience to restart all over again after spending hours that would sometimes turn into days…
Or perhaps, the tranquility and the silence of just focusing on one thought: the smoothness of the sword.
I would see him prick his finger with the tip — blood staining the wood, as if in an actual duel… but with himself. I would run to get something to clean his wound before he starts a new attempt — finally learning the brittleness of the material and the dexterity needed to not break it.
Such as anything in life that has too much pressure, breaks — from relationships, to jobs, to spirits, to things. It might be helpful to find ways to calm yourself before you wreck yourself. With the right pressure, the right touch, the right angle — the coast always becomes clearer and the ride much more peaceful.
