I have a long-time practice of drawing the enso circle and every so often, I take breaks from it. Then when I come back to my painting table and sit down with a brush, it is a chance to take a look and see if anything has changed, to acknowledge it, and reflect on my true self-nature. Right now my practice is about free self-expression rather than building the power of concentration.
This is my favorite enso circle from my practice this morning. I enjoy the variation in the ink tone throughout the stroke and the ending of the brush stroke. I started this enso at the bottom and circled clockwise ending it on the bottom right.
As I draw, I have paper and a pen nearby to jot down reflections, poetry, and insights. This is part of my contemplative practice. Today I wrote:
What is left over is not ashes: No ashes here. This is the fresh shoot of the present moment.
Then I noticed that these thoughts described an old photo that popped up yesterday on Facebook. It was a picture I took in a local forest that had a recent fire. Amidst the charred landscape, two blackened logs rested in a cross and a bright green vine was growing nearby. I had titled the post Renewal.
Zen Enso 