“A traditional miso craftsman will tell you that their microorganisms work harder when someone is watching. They talk to them.” And then with a fake stern look at me, for she caught me drifting, “Microorganisms can listen and you cannot!”
I thought, ‘The work of microorganisms is
not often in the news.’ My mentor gave me another sideways glance. I could
not stop to hold my focus. I will lay blame to the rarity of walking with her
by my wetlands so far from our usual meetings. She said
there’s a lesson to be had from one that works with miso for everyone talking
to flowers and trees, birds and everything else not human in this world. I agree. What is humbling, my mentor shared,
is that the master craftsman said, “I don’t make the miso. I just create an
environment where the microorganisms make it.”
Ah, now I could understand that she was not
just talking about miso. Which is wonderful and delicious, and adds umami to
all foods it touches. Umami is that uncanny flavor that takes you on a journey.
You’re off before you even realize it. What happened? Deliciousness. That’s what happened. This is
the fifth flavor that brings deep satisfaction and translates to deliciousness.
I knew sweet and salty. My mother had sour in her repertoire which I firmly
rejected as a kid. Holidays is when bitter might came round.
We know
more about everything now. I would guess my mentor recognized the miso
master as kin. They had so much in common. She enjoyed
telling about the oak barrel that he used to make traditional miso. The wooden
barrels, grown and made from oak in the United States traveled all the way to
Japan for this purpose. The barrels have air pockets which
provide the perfect environment for the microorganisms to grow. As my mentor would point out, so many worlds
within worlds.
We
approached the broken part of the bulwarks where I like to sit and watch. There
are a few worlds here as well, both seen and unseen. I was lost in thought about perfect and
imperfect environments. Sanctuaries and turtle crossings. Protected marine areas and wildlife bridges
so that animals are not hurt by automobiles. Nature reserves and open spaces,
some with butterfly gardens. Road crossings to protect migration paths. These
thoughts like Li Po’s “wind from the pine trees trickles on my bare head.”
~ ~ ~
Basho said to write out of the
heart/mind. There is no separation from the heart and the mind, there is a
crossing, just as people are now understanding the need for animal crossings so
that they can be spared the danger of traffic and move under or over the road
while following routes that have been taken by their predecessors for ages. The
heart/mind has been followed by some for ages but there are known splits and
these are telling apertures in our history with nature. Where some see through
to new possibilities; and some see only the economy of resources.
I have to wonder about the dragon that appeared to me. It has been a few years now since that time. And I have been feeling, like many, that not
only have I lost my way but that I had better tie myself to a purpose now. So
much is at stake. Experts
are talking about mass extinctions. The world that was once so big has become
that much smaller and therefore more vulnerable to our impact.
It is said that only mature dragons write. I
think it must be because it takes a long time to merge your heart/mind in this
world. Many face the darkness before they rise with the sun. Most who
create positive change step away from who they were and everything that they
think they know drops off of them like spangles and beads whose threads have
worn thin with time. If what many say is true, there is a reason to change this
wardrobe which no longer serves. First, it is good to
know who you are even if finding your way means crawling through a dark night.
miso
walk is a
chapter in bird dreams, riding hope, - sometimes a fable,
weaving our connections to birds, meandering rivers and dragons, fermenting
miso and consciousness,
wetlands,
our extended kin and ancestors, our mentors, and Wisdom.
Inspired
by actual events and a sense of place and belonging by a woman who addresses
the reader on behalf of the earth
Here’s my links for more writing and copies of my
books
https://amzn.to/3F5N7No
https://linktr.ee/fredakarpf
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