Zeus, disguised as a swan seduces Leda, the Queen of Sparta. A sixteenth century copy of the lost original by Michelangelo.

The ancient Greeks envisioned sleep as the minor god Hypnos, born of night, who lived on the island of Lemnos in a dark cave.  Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, flowed through this underworld where Hypnos lay on pillows surrounded by his many sons, including Morpheus, the dream bringer. 

Unlike his twin brother Thanatos, the god of death, Hypnos was considered a friend of mortals, a healer of body and mind.  He took different forms as he wandered the earth—a bird or a child, but most often a benevolent warrior carrying a horn, from which he would drip a sleep elixir. The Greeks apparently took his gifts for granted.  No cults arose to worship sleep, which seems odd, for surely there were ancient insomniacs.

adapted from Utne, January/February 1999 by Bill Hayes, from Speak

Dream Kanji Zen Alarm Clock with Chime in Dark Oak Finish, an alarm clock for insomniacs

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

A shakuhachi flute, traditionally made of bamboo

The shakuhachi, is a Japanese end-blown flute.  It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist hardwoods.  It was used by the monks of the Fuke of Zen Buddhism in the practice of suizen, blowing meditation). 

Suizen is a Zen practice consisting of playing the shakuhachi bamboo flute as a means of attaining self-realization.  The monks from the Fuke sect of Zen who practiced suizen were called komusō (“emptiness monks”).

adapted from wikipedia.org

B Tone Digital Zen Alarm Clock in a Bamboo Finish

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

stillness of being

Geidō refers to the way of the traditional Japanese arts: Noh (theater), kadō (Japanese flower arrangement), shodō  (Japanese calligraphy), Sadō (Japanese tea ceremony), and yakimono (Japanese pottery).  All of these ways carry an ethical and aesthetic connotation and appreciate the process of creation.

To introduce discipline into their training, Japanese warriors followed the example of the arts that systematized practice through prescribed forms called kata – think of the tea ceremony.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Zen Timepiece, a bowl/gong alarm clock and timer in cherry finish

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Full Moon Sumida River, Hiroshige Ukiyo-e

while I walk on
the moon keeps pace beside me
friend in the water

-Masahide-

Bamboo Digital Chime Clock, a meditation timer and alarm clock

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Butterfly on Large Light Yellow Lilly, Kosan 1912

Bamboo Digital Chime Clock, a meditation timer and alarm clock

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. #56. Irises at Horikirin, Hiroshige

The term “Japanese iris” encompasses three varieties of irises cultivated in gardens or growing wild in Japan: hanashōbu, kakitsubata and ayame.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Timer for meditation by Now & Zen Inc.

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

moonviewing

Quite the contrary

to what I’d thought, passing clouds

are sometimes simply

the moon’s entertainment,

its lovely decoration.

-saigyo-

Zen Alarm Clock in Maple Finish, Japanese Leaves Dial Face

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

lotus

How mysterious!

The lotus remains unstained by its muddy roots,

delivering shimmering

bright jewels from common dew.

-Henjo  (816- 890) was a Japanese waka poet and Buddhist priest.

Zen Chime Clock with Japanese Maple Leaves in Honey Finish

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Harunobu Ukiyo-e Print, Girl Parachuting Into the Branches of a Flowering Cherry

this world of dew

is yes, a world of dew

and yet…

-issa kobayshi-

Black Lacquer Zen Alarm Clock and Meditation Timer

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Koson, Small Butterfly And Sunflower - woodblock print

Butterfly

sleeping

on the temple bell.

-Buson-

Zen Timers and Bowl/Gong Alarm Clock, Temple Bell Alarm Clock

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302