Recently I had an opportunity to see a blacksmith work. Mesmerized; I looked at the strong metal being softened and shaped as the blacksmith
desired.
That was an assortment of The Elements right in front of my eyes
The Fire – To burn the iron and make it red
hot and soft and then even hotter to amber and yellow-orange (not white as white hot iron will be almost molten and not manageable by the blacksmiths tools and tongs.)
The Air – To feed the fire and make it more
ferocious to ensure that the strength of iron succumbs to the heat and iron
softens to being a malleable object and surrenders to be shaped as the
blacksmith wants
The Water –
To cool the iron; after it is being shaped to blacksmith’s desire. The
cooling in water brings the confidence and the strength back to the iron that
had been softened by the heat
The Ether – That was where the smoke from
the furnace and the heated iron flow into as the hammer struck the softened
metal
The earth – The coal in the furnace feeding
the fire and the metal all around and the clay to soften edges was the earth
displayed all around.
Along with the elements was the Master, the Blacksmith himself;
heating the iron to optimum level of heat and softness. Hot enough that it does
not break when the hammer falls and also it does not become too soft to just
give away under the blows.
All five elements working in tandem as per the Master’s plan.
And the Master; the Blacksmith drawing, bending, upsetting, punching (**) and strongly
yet meticulously forging useful and beautiful things out of the dull bars of iron,
the “black metal” as the ancestors would call it.
The heat and the smoke and the smell of burning coal were in the
air, it was somewhat stuffy and sticky in that workshop. But I guess I
witnessed something great and very powerful in each blow. I could hear the
music of the well-orchestrated almost rhythmic blows of the hammer on the
yellow-orange iron. That was the music of creation.
For me that was the Zen moment of realization telling why it was
important for the blacksmith to subject the metal to the heat before the form shaping blows of the hammer. Explaining Why parents have to be stern with their
children from time to time during the growing years. And Clarifying why life is subjected
to the hardships from time to time by the master Blacksmith.
(** various steps in the process of metal forging)
