Thursday, April 24, 2014

Masks

There are many reasons to wear masks.  Masquerade balls come to mind, and of course Halloween, both of which I have made and worn masks for in recent years.  For those occasions we wear physical masks, allowing ourselves for a time to be something we are not, conceal ourselves behind some other outward persona, often much different than ourselves.

I have come to quite enjoy making masks.  Depicted here is my most recent mask, which I made for Halloween this last year.  The mask is essentially paper mache over a wire form with dreaded burlap for hair and a real pumpkin stalk for the horn.
My first mask in recent years is the Legend inspired troll mask pictured in the lower right corner.  It was another Halloween piece, the pattern being that both masks were made for parties I was invited to, likely a subconscious reflection of my introverted nature.  The other three masks pictured were all for masquerade balls over the last couple of years.
Mask making is an art form that I quite enjoy, especially for the reactions that others have in both viewing and interacting with them.

My nieces are highly entertained by the masks (after getting past their initial terror), and I distinctly remember when my oldest niece first overcame her fear of the troll mask and tried it on.  She made a terrible roar, then laughed and laughed.  Even at such a young age she instinctively understood the concept of becoming something else while wearing the mask.  My oldest niece and her little sister are visiting currently (as seen in the pictures from our trip to the park this morning), and when I showed them my new scarecrow mask the younger sister eagerly tried it on.
Then there are the other masks...

Someone asks you how you are doing, you smile and say you are doing well with practiced ease that makes you almost believe it yourself.  You write about what food you shouldn't have had instead of how you are having a difficult time reading or responding to texts and emails.  You sleep during the day, and you honestly can't tell if it is more to benefit your physical well being or your emotional need to escape and withdraw, and it is certainly measures of both.

Part of the reason I started this crazy journey was because of the depression I felt coming on.  Yoga has not stopped the depression.  It has, however, provided something to focus on in the last month aside from my depression.  More than a distraction, my practice has become a lens through which I have been able to examine myself.

In yoga class it is often repeated that we have to acknowledge and accept where we are.

I'm depressed, and that is okay.  This is not about being perfect.

Namaste.

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