Full Immersion

The word "immersion" has been knocking on the door to my consciousness at unexpected moments this week, like a persistent but uninvited guest. Of course, being human, I wonder why... and the search for meaning draws all kinds of elements into the mix.

For me, the word "immersion" conjures up the story of my English-speaking father, when we first moved back to Quebec, choosing to immerse himself in the language and culture of our new home by living with a French-speaking family in Quebec City for three weeks. Looking back now, I'm not sure why that made such an impression on me, but I think his positive experience smoothed the path to my own choice to enter the French immersion program at high school, years later, with the fervent encouragement of both my parents. 

When I think about immersion, the idea of baptism is another image that comes to mind. Full immersion baptism is symbolic of dying to the mistakes of the past in order to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. The words of one of my brother-in-law's songs—Baptism by Fire—have been running through my mind since last week, too; sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances where we must sink or swim, where we are called to pass through a refining fire in order to come out better than before.

We can become immersed in our work, in our thoughts, in our reading... and in the lives of those we love. In these times, we choose to flow with something beyond ourselves. The recent journeying of one family in our circle through the final illness and death of their loved one is a prime example. All else falls away, and eternity can be found in the depth of connection, in the holding of a hand and a story shared.

I think it's important to remember that immersion is not the same as submerging, drowning, or killing off any part of ourselves. It is about letting go of what we don't need (including misconceptions about our own abilities) and finding how to live and breathe and have our being wherever we may find ourselves, of being part of something bigger and better.

Most of us live our lives as air-breathing creatures of the earth; it can be scary to move beyond the elements we think we know and immerse ourselves in the creative realms of water and fire... to become mermaids or dragons or some other form of being that transcends the elements by becoming part of them and dissolving false boundaries.

So what does immersion mean for artists and makers? I think it means the choice to give ourselves over to something beyond our current understanding, to be willing to be "out of our element" at times; an openness to admitting that we don't know it all and to asking for help; a decision to let go of the past and to start fresh when necessary—cleared of preconceived notions and past mistakes. Immersion is about belonging, relationships and being part of something; it means letting the walls down and using the stones to build bridges.