From the window of the coffee shop I frequent here I can see into a shop across the street in which men are carving intricate decorations into wood. Immense objects like headboards, tables and doors are covered in elaborate scroll designs or precise geometric patterns. I see the results of the labor all over town. As you walk down the streets in Mombasa you are surrounded by wood carvings like this. Some pieces are brand new but a lot of it has clearly been there for decades or longer. Signs of weather and time shaping and warping it even more.
Watching these men work has reminded me of an article in Yoga Journal in which Bo Forbes states, “spiritual initiation is like a carving knife – it cuts and pierces, but also refines and reshapes you. Initiations allow you to reinvent yourself completely, or to give yourself over to something greater. They are windows through which you can glimpse who you really are and what’s possible for you. They’re not just an emotional necessity; they’re a spiritual imperative.”
When I began this new journey in the spring it very much felt like an initiation. I threw myself into it full force and immersed my whole life in the practice. In most ways I am not a different person from who I was a few months ago. I wouldn’t say I reinvented myself completely. I don’t know that I think that that is a possibility. But I am trying to remind myself to do good work and stay on the path I want to stay on. The carving of this wood, like carving out the life you want, takes effort, patience and acts of love. All things I think I could still use some work on.
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