Perspective Meditation

Georges Braque's Still Life with Musical Instruments, 1918

In Still Life with Musical Instruments, fragments of familiar and unfamiliar shapes, patterns and textures fill the octagonal surface of a tabletop tipped to its side. Georges Braque was a classical musician and collector of musical instruments, and references to music can be seen throughout the composition. Its flat, overlapping shapes and muted colors are typical of Cubism, a style of art developed by Braque and Pablo Picasso in which subjects are reduced to simple shapes and objects are seen from multiple perspectives at the same time. 

• Take a moment to contemplate on the idea of perspective.
• Sit comfortably, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
• Think of a current situation that has been unsettling for you. 
• Consider all the parts and conditions that gave rise to it. If it's concerning a person (or yourself) that you're struggling with, think of all the aspects that make up that person's (or your) perspective.
• Now, imagine yourself floating above and looking down at this situation. 
• What do you see that might be different?
• Pause.
• Breathe in space.
• Exhale compassion.