Earth and Fire

Terra-cotta (pronounced [ˌtɛrraˈkɔtta]; Italian: "baked earth",

from the Latin terra cocta), a type of earthenware,

is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic,

where the fired body is porous.

I'm establishing a private club: "Terra-cotta"  This club will be open to many people; but the dues very costly.  Membership requirements will not apply, nor appeal to many.  Some artistry is required for survival...strategists, are we.  Exclusive, of course.  And we maintain our exclusivity by setting minimum entry standards.  Consider, before applying....  

Most likely you have heard of entities that are half-baked, pre-baked, oven-baked, home-baked, and fresh-baked.  Well, we Terra Cottas are fully baked in the most natural and age-old method:  Life's Kiln

In the beginning, we're like everybody else...born for greatness.  Clay awaiting the molding of our potters and the larger society and cultures that will greet us - depending upon the paths we choose.

Two attributes distinguish us from other works of art:  

We are Peneatrable. Things get through to us and pass on through. People from the outside know how to get in.  The soil in our vessels is rich; the drainage always offering perfect climate control.  People who want to grow thrive with us.  How often do they say, "You are so interesting.  You make me think."

We are Absorbent.  We can invite circumstances and people in from the outside...without fear.  Partly because, always at any age, we posses naivete and our pores of trust are always open.  We function like little vacuums and whatever is near us, once we decide to open up, will fall in.  Like choosing between water and oil, we know what we can let in, though we can easily mistake oil and water because we trust.

One might think we are not thoughtful...Oh, but we are VERY VERY thoughtful!  Sometimes we think too much, too long, too seriously.

But this exclusiveness has been around since the beginning of time.  It is found in the ranks of the most successfully adored and the transient residents of city streets.  And every neighborhood between!

Be we extro/introverted, addicts, emotionally challenged, bereaved, here to stay, or passing through a life event....we are HERE!  Some of us wallow in our selfness; and some of us know the way out...though occasionally we have have to wade through some ups and down.  And many of us function so well that colleagues don't even know of our distinguishing differences.  No matter what, we keep moving...mostly forward.

We come to know if we are genetically related or if self-destructive through attitudes and habit preferences.  Some can be helped and some can't because they don't want help.  

Those of us who want out and have found our way, are the beautiful decorated pots in lovely gardens and the entrances to happy homes.  The molding and etching were painful life events and even some happy ones too.  If life is worth anything, it will occasionally hurt...sometime badly.  

The earthiness of fire and water and earth and air bring us to the realness of personhood rather than the pity of self-absorption.  WE BELIEVE in the interconnectness of our life to all other life.  And we see and feel and BELIEVE in the beauty of creation and it's sustainable value.  

What a wonderful gift to be a Terra-Cotta...each a clump of the earth ourselves, preserved in the hot fire of purification.  Drinking through our absorbency the springs of earth and allowing it to flow through...back into the earth to refresh again.  Breathing life's air because in breathing we restore our souls.  Terra-Cotta...ancient/modern...earth and sky...life and love.

Consider the humility of a vessel holding dirt.  Then consider the sustaining power beneath the plumes, and blooms and folliage above....the living, breathing hunk of earth...addressing the world...speaking loudly, but in silence...

If you feel you fit, and arrogance does not prohibit, you may join the Terra Cotta Club.  Dues include humility, courage, and the desire to be what you are meant to be.

We are here....absorbing, nourishing, protecing; keeping and letting go.