In a small, elegant book, Dorothy Field has gathered many of her reflections and meditations, sharing them in an intimate way. Speaking of the ancient and widespread association of paper and spirit, she refers to the principle of the "edge effect." meaning that more life is found at the edges of two adjacent systems than in the center of either. She writes, "...this edge effect describes that supercharged energy field where the ordinary is touched by the sacred." Her meditations focus on a number of aspects and evidences of sacred uses of paper, especially in Asia, where she has extensive experience. In one of the book's chapters, "Marking Sacred Space," Field describes the white papers, sometimes folded in special ways, placed on the entrances to temples or on sacred objects. In another chapter, "Lanterns and Other Links for the Human Spirit," she speaks of various ceremonial uses of lighted paper lanterns, as prayers for the dead or to light the pathway for the spirit's passing. Both the light and the paper function as spiritual symbols. The act of flying paper kites represents another way of connecting and communicating with the gods. Some passages in the book serve more a descriptive than a meditative role, yet all of the chapters enlighten the book's theme. Four drawings, printed on mulberry paper that Field made of Korean fiber, have a charm of their own. Transparent enough so that the image appears slightly muted on the back side, they might be metaphors for inside/outside viewpoints. Or possibly they refer to the transparency of that edge of the spiritual domain. Though most of the meditations and illustrative material come out of her Asian experiences, Field makes the point that eastern peoples do not have a monopoly on spiritual traditions in paper. Westerners are not immune to spiritual openings in the practice of papermaking. She attributes this observation to her Korean teacher, Kim Yeong Yon, but the existence of this book itself makes it clear that Field herself sojourns on that edge between the spiritual and practical worlds. I, too, and other papermakers I have conversed with, know those boundary regions encountered during papermaking and art work. Because of these shared understandings, this book has a potentially large audience. It gladdens the heart of one who also knows, although through different paths than the unique ones Field shares in these pages. It is good to read her thoughts and see her drawings in this little treasure of a book. Field concludes with a meditation on the large loss of the numinous quality and use of paper in today's world. How will the traditional understandings of the paper and spirit connection be continued? With some hope, Field sees western hand papermakers among those who are "looking for a way to approach and sustain spirit." This book, although not poetry, has poetical characteristics. The regular edition is tall and narrow, which is very comfortable in the hand. The red cover cloth has a rough, homespun texture. A natural colored Bhutanese paper impressed with small gold squares decorates the front cover. With no text printed on it, the cover intimates a private, secret, or sacred book. Peter and Donna Thomas, the printer-binders, devised the binding, a variation of a Japanese stitched book. The proportions and size work together in a way that strongly insists you hold the book with both hands to read it. Though the cover opens flat, the pages�double-thick, with the fold on the fore edge�will not lie fully open. This also gives the feeling of looking into something intimate, not readily laid bare. As an artistic statement, this structure makes its point, but the stiffness of the pages distracts one from reading the book properly. Peter Thomas made the paper of hemp fiber, quite handsome in itself; and the rosy color is suitable for the artistic statement. However, if the paper were of a lighter weight the book might operate more comfortably and still not lose the essence of the artistic statement. Not having seen the special edition except in photographs, I will venture some comment on that basis alone. The unique construction of the special edition caught my attention. The secret qualities so strongly presented in the regular edition are considerably relaxed in the special edition. Pages that can be opened fully, revealing their contents readily, must diminish some of the private, secret sense found in the regular edition. The very form, referred to as prayer flags, represents spiritual activity and energy. The display option as sculpture enables the viewer to see other ideas not present in the regular edition. All in all, I applaud the writing and production of a book with this theme. Little else on the subject is in print. But it is precisely this spiritual force that sometimes draws us together in professional associations and other venues. Sharing our meditations feeds that spirit.
