MEANING: Statement from Bhagavan Das to Ram Dass, Western-born yogi and spiritual teacher, used as title of 1971 book. A reminder to focus on Now, not worry about the future or agonize over the past. Coop has embedded this statement into a 12 petaled lotus flower. The carving of the petals allows the grain of the wood to flow uniquely on each. The bud and open flower forms of the lotus are akin to human traits. The unopened bud encompasses the truth of the folded soul that has the ability to open itself to the divine truth; To ‘Be Here Now’ is a path to the Divine. BE HERE NOW (or REMEMBER, BE HERE NOW) is a book on spirituality, yoga and meditation. The first part is an autobiography of Ram Dass’ time as a psychologist and researcher with Timothy Leary into psychedelics at Harvard University. He describes his journey to India seeking answers to his unresolved spiritual questions and his meeting and relationship with Neem Karoli Baba. The second section a free-form collection of metaphysical, spiritual, and religious aphorisms, accompanied by illustrations. The third section is a manual for starting on a yogic or spiritual path, and includes various techniques for yoga, pranayama and meditation, as well as quotations from respected teachers of many religions and spiritual traditions. The last section, entitled "Painted Cakes Do Not Satisfy Hunger" (It’s a Zen thing) contains a list of recommended books on religion, spirituality, and consciousness.
THE CARVING: Our carvings are single pieces of western red cedar, designed and carved to be wall hangings. Each carving begins as a 1 X 12-inch cedar board. While we use power tools (Scroll Saw, Rotary shaft Tool, handheld detail sanders, etc.), we use no lasers, CNC machines or computer-operated cutting machines. All work is done with our hands and eyes…
We cut the 2-dimensional blanks with scroll and jig saws (double-sized custom orders have to be cut with a jigsaw). Carving is done with rotary shaft tools and disc grinders. The 80-grit sanding is the final phase of the carving process, removing the nicks and gouges from the carving tools, and finishes the shaping of the weave. The next 2 sandings with 120 and then 220 grit finishes the smoothing and polishing. They are finished with Clear Danish Oil to seal the piece, bringing out the grain and the color.
