My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
What is it about
mws
a cloudless sky that
holds my attention?
Maybe it’s the blue
that melts from dark
to baby blue.
Maybe it’s the mystery
surrounding me,
holding me present.
Maybe it’s the sacredness
of nature unfolding
its beauty before me.
The greatest of human discoveries in the future will be the discovery of human intimacy with all those other modes of being that live with us on this planet, inspire our art and literature, reveal that numinous world whence all things come into being, and with which we exchange the very substance of life.
Thomas Berry
A host of thoughts can run through my head while standing before this pre-dawn scene as I worked at capturing the image. This image is a panorama of 7 images using Lightroom Classic. I wanted the whole cloud bank in the image and my 16mm lens wasn’t wide enough so I decided to try a panorama. It works on this blog but not for printing purposes. When I came home and saw this panoramic image on my monitor my thoughts shifted from the craft of the image to the scene itself. It’s easy to look at this open field, even to the distant horizon, and see it as something separate from me. I’m here, it’s there. But that’s just not true. There is a multitude of ecosystems comprising this image and the world. Maybe that’s what makes this scene so appealing and beautiful to me. Because as Berry suggests there are other modes of being: birds of all sorts, insects, animals, the plants and of course, humans. For me the future of discovery Berry is talking about is happening now.
It was “oh dark thirty” this past Thursday morning when a voice within urged me to visit one of my favorite natural areas. I gently made my way to a favorite rock, making sure to avoid the prickly pear cactus. My goal was to be present, to photograph the predawn sky, to be in a place of pray, to listen to the silence and to take part in the gift of this mysterious and wonderful moment.
As I sat on my rock I noticed it seems to be harder and more uncomfortable with each visit. But I know this rock is being what it was created to be, a rock. Maybe I’ll bring a pillow next time. I swat at annoying, hungry mosquitoes, unsuccessfully. A couple bats quietly dart above me, those deadly predators of the mosquitos. I urge them on! A band of crickets is practicing the same song as the last morning I was here. In my opinion they are getting better each time I come. Along the water’s edge a frog croaks his song of romance. Best of luck my friend! I reach out and rub the sagebrush between my fingers. It’s my way of taking its fragrance with me when I return home, a simple and natural sacrament. A coyote silently crosses 30 feet in front of me heading towards the prairie dog town. Stopping once to turn and check me out. And those clouds! They were constant shapeshifters this morning reminding me life is constantly changing. For me there is something special about watching the colors pink and red kissing the horizon. So much to be grateful for! 😍 And now, I thank you for letting me again share with you a glimpse of my early morning in words and photographs.
I’ll end this post with an inviting question by Mary Oliver in one of her poems, “How many mysteries have you seen in your lifetime?” My answer to her question is: everyday! What’s yours?
We had a nice rain early yesterday morning. And, knowing these clouds were moving east, I went to PNA (Pineridge Natural Area) just in case nature was putting on any sort of performance. She did! If memory serves me this is my first ever, and only, image of a bolt of lightning. My camera settings were iso 400, aperture f5.6 and a 10 second exposure. I spent most of my 20 minutes there just sitting on the bench soaking it all in, taking only 21 images in that time period. What a gift to watch the power of nature. But for me the gift of the bolt of lightning was an extra perk for me. Later in the morning it began to rain and we enjoyed a steady rain the rest of the day. My area weather map says we got about .8 inch of rain the past 24 hours.
Met Eric and Raja for coffee and conversation this morning, always a good start to a weekend. Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
When people ask me what they should do,
Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light
I tell them this: Love others as much as
you love yourself. If you find
that you don’t love some people as
much as you love yourself, then this
is because you’ve not yet learned
to love yourself fully.
For what you do not love in others
you’ve not yet learned to love in yourself;
work on this and you’ll begin to discover
what it means to love as God loves.
I’m enjoying this third book by Jon M. Sweeney and Mark S Burrows, Meister Eckhart’s Book of Darkness & Light. I use it in much the same way I used their first two books, where I read a poem at a time and sit with it. I almost always find one word or a short line that resonates with me. I may write one of the poems or line or two in my journal because it helps me to retain it in my old memory banks. And, hopefully somehow these words will take seed and therefore potentially change the world, or at least change how I react to it. I would add to make a comment about he last line of this poem. I’ve read somewhere that if the God you know only loves the people you love, then maybe that God is too small. Because that group of people we can love is most likely a rather small group in relation to the population of this world.
then… turning the corner I caught
mws
a glimpse of the northeast sky
with its soft pink delicate clouds
I had to stop, couldn’t refuse the gift
then… opening my journal, I began listening
with my own prayer; of writing, of being present
and then the meadowlark began to sing or pray
I had to listen, couldn’t refuse the gift
then… off to meet Eric for coffee
a full day of gifts; the gift of sunrise,
the gift of his life, the gift of my life,
and the gift of the new day
one way to learn patience
mws
is to become a photographer, here’s how
first…
arrive early at a favorite location
set up your camera and tripod
and don’t forget to bring along
a hot cup of your favorite coffee or tea
then enjoy the calm waters, the cool breeze
receive all the gifts nature is offering
next…
awaken to the miracles she offers, such as
small wavelets drifting on the open waters
the great blue heron who stalks the shoreline
a glimpse of a hungry fish rising to the surface
clouds constantly reshaping themselves
with the pink then red then orange colors
then…
be sure to pay attention to the whispers
rising within you, they are very important
some call it prayer, some call it meditation
why not call it both
now…
say thank you and listen as your words
of gratitude drift to the far shore,
so, there’s no need to pray for patience
just become a photographer
and let nature teach you patience