stillbecoming.studio

I originally intended to write about “Arrogance” this week. However, a conversation I recently took part in changed all my plans.

By now, you all know my dear partner and best friend, Meltem. Our journey as soulmates continues, constantly nourishing one another. A few weeks ago, she had the privilege of visiting Japan during the cherry blossom (Sakura) season. (And no, I wasn’t jealous at all! :))

Since her return, she hasn’t spoken much about this trip; it was as if she had inhaled every moment and was still digesting them. I didn’t push; I know she will share when the time is right. But one day, one thing led to another, and she told me about a specific “moment” she experienced at a temple in Kyoto. That very moment became the starting point for this piece.

I am someone who has made prayer a daily routine. I see prayer not as a religious mold, but as a personal dialogue I establish with myself and the universe. I don’t look for a specific place or time for it; yet, whenever I see a sacred space with its doors open, I love to dive in, light a candle, or whisper something in my own language.

Before I get to the moment that left Meltem in awe, let me share a brief bit of information for those as curious as I am:

The temple’s name is Kiyomizu-dera, meaning “Pure Water Temple.” This structure, a UNESCO World Heritage site, takes its name from the Otowa Waterfall flowing beneath the hillside where it was built. The most captivating part of the temple is its famous balcony, built 13 meters above the ground on 139 massive wooden pillars using a traditional interlocking technique—without using a single nail. (Source: Google)

Meltem entered this magnificent structure, lit her incense, and began to pray. As you know, praying can be difficult sometimes; one gets stuck, not knowing what to wish for or how to frame the sentences. It has happened to me many times, and it still does.

Yet Meltem described how—whether due to the spirit of the place or the impact of its grandeur—the words began to pour from her heart to her tongue spontaneously, like a roaring waterfall.

When she finished her prayer and lifted her head, what she saw in a small sacred chamber at the very center shook her deeply: A mirror.

Hearing this gave me goosebumps. After a little research, the pieces fell into place: In the Shinto tradition, this mirror placed at the heart of the temple is called Shinkyo. According to this belief, when you look into the mirror, you see not only yourself but also the pure and clear mind of the divine. In Japanese, if you take the syllable “ga” (representing the ego) out of the word for mirror, Ka-ga-mi, you are left with Kami (God/The Divine). In other words, when you remove the ego, only the essence remains. (Source: Google)

My takeaway from this story was this: As most of us know, we are the creators of our own path. But this story served as a profound confirmation of that belief.

The prayers we offer are to ourselves, as are the ambition, anger, or injustice within us… However we perceive the world, life offers us a reflection of it. I am deeply committed to this “mirror philosophy” that lies at the heart of all ancient wisdom. Of course, I am only human; sometimes I lose my way. It isn’t easy—we live in a fast-paced era, in a world with thousands of distractions—but those brief “moments” I set aside for myself during the day allow me to realign.

Long story short: we get back what we give to life. Everything we experience is a reflection of our own inner world.

I conclude my writing with the unique words of Rumi, who whispered this truth centuries ago: “If you think of roses, you become a rose garden; if you think of thorns, you become a furnace of thorns.”

An Afterword to the Piece:

Before publishing this article, I shared it with my dear Meltem, the true subject of this story; I wanted to make sure I had captured her feelings correctly. After reading it, she shared a very precious note about that moment. I wanted to finalize the piece with her graceful sentence:

“The feeling that moment evoked in me was, while feeling the power within me on one hand, it was the sense of protection that comes from being a tiny part of the Creator on the other.”

With love, 

Nazan

If These Piece had a Color : It would be ”Temple Gold”.

If These Piece had a Song : It would be ”Experience, Ludovico Einaudi”. https://open.spotify.com/track/3U5JVgI2x4rDyHGObzJfNf?si=f9047821d23d42ac

If These Piece had a Scen : It would be ”Cold Air and fresh water”