earth laughs in flowers

mjd - 2015

emerson personified the earth

and told us that it laughs in flowers.

with our eyes and heart open 

we also bear witness to it

dancing in leaves

singing in whistling winds

dreaming in clouds

creating in the webs of spiders

sheltering in oaks

and

soothing in falling rains. 

how fortunate we are to be alive. 

mjd - 2015

embrace the mystery

mjd - 2014 embrace the mystery

life is really about the mystery

isn't it? 

we aren't born with guidebooks

go to location a

meet person b

engage in activity c

life will be d.

no,

it's unknown.

but somehow that word

that idea 

can terrify us.

we can stop our growth

by withdrawing

by looking away from opportunity.

can you imagine

a field full of stunted flowers -

too afraid to grow 

because they didn't know what 

was in store for them?

afraid that the winds would blow too hard

the sun might shine too bright

the rain might fall too cold?

how tragically sad.

but there are people

so many people

who do the same things 

to themselves. 

embrace the mystery - 

the mystery of your life

and what can happen

if you push past the fear

and say 'yes' 

instead of 'no'.

you'll become the flower

that fully blooms -

face to the sun

bathed by rain.

and when your time

comes to an end

you will know

that you experienced life

and what it had to offer. 

------

i find the irony is that instead of feeling better when we withdraw due to fear,

we only feel worse. there is a tension, a pulling, in the heart space. you don't feel better for your choices, you feel worse. for the heart knows what we are capable of and what we need. it is the mind that gets in the way. 

the pregnant pause

light of knowing - mjd 2013

a season that blazes 

to catch our attention

encouraging -
no, demanding -
mindfulness 

a pregnant pause

between death

and the secret life that dwells

in an acorn.

we bear witness 

to balance

and impermanence.

does the chill air that physically wakes us
after the warm breezes of summer

force us to 

rediscover

remember

or just deeply know?

it is
with a sigh
that moves through the upturned
corners of your mouth,

the knowing 
that is 
coupled
with quivering joy

that the path is lit. 

transitions

transitions - mjd 2013

the hours

between tides

the day

between sunrises

and sets

transitions - mjd 2013

the years

between a broken branch

and a piece of driftwood

the eons

that form and shape

rock.

there is a rhythm 

to this change

that soothes the soul

and demonstrates

that every thing

every 

thing 

e

ver

y

thing

has an inherent nature

and path

that becomes apparent

when we grow quiet

and listen

to within.

a gift of growing old

is being witness

to what years 

of following your rhythm

reveals. 

invisible cords

a thousand invisible cords - mjd 2013

'when we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe.'
- john muir

mjd 2013

just imagine what we would see
if we could make the invisible cords visible.

but
since we cannot, 
we have the heart to guide us
and remind us.

mjd 2013

the tugging we feel
in joy, 
sorrow, 
compassion, 
understanding

are all evidence
that we are connected not only to each other
but to all living things.

leaves

patina leaf - mjd 2012

i have missed making leaves.

so i ventured upon 

an adaptation

using pin weaving
instead of metal heating
and beating.

pin weaving - mjd 2013

building a leaf

made of natural fibers

triggered meditation

upon impermanence.

woven fiber leaf - mjd 2013

the most important moment

is the one at hand.

the exhale

moments of stillness
(of calm
of peace
of deep exhale)
found in a quiet place
are not how we challenge ourselves
in our practice 
to be awake
mindful
present.

but they are, without question, incredibly precious.

the cool grey skies
of late november
are no match 
for the final
flickering
flames 
of autumn...

but this is no contest... 

the sky's job is to be the sky
the leaves' job is to be the leaves

and by the simple presence 
of the other
each becomes more...

earth day

'when one tugs at a single thing in nature,

he finds it attached to the rest of the world.'

- john muir

wishing you a day filled with connection -

the next time

the next time you walk by a petal on the ground,


remember... 


it's only there because the flower opened.


exposing itself not only to weather and wind,


but also to the warm light of the sun.


becoming fragile in its singularity as the bud loosened.


bearing itself not only to the animals who might make a meal of it, 


but also to those who might become awakened to its impermanent beauty.


and all because the flower opened... 

on spring

while winter most certainly provides challenges to flora and fauna


spring is evidence of a tenacity i admire...


delicate flowers pushing up through snow


facing days that alternate between balmy and frigid... 


instead of less of them rising to open


more follow... 


until the world is in bloom -




be the flower 

elemental

earth and sky

 fire and water

georgia

nov. 15 - the birthdate of georgia o'keeffe... 


honoring a woman who as a person and through her art has influenced me profoundly... 

'i've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life -

and i've never let it keep me from doing a single thing  i wanted to do.'

'to create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage.'

'whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing.

making your unknown known is the important thing.'

'the days you work are the best days.'

and here is my girl, 6 ft. above me - atop the suburban - capturing her world through a camera lens... may she always know that she is bigger than fear... 

kinetic

while the world is ever in motion, on this blustery autumn day that fact is gloriously apparent... leaves falling like rain, dancing along the road, flying overhead, forming piles that we sink our feet into...

'climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.

the winds will blow their own freshness into you,

and the storms their energy,

while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.'

~ john muir

RAW 12 - nesting

with grass-filled beaks the birds fly past...


squirrels rustling through leaves, stuffing their mouths before scrambling up the tree... 


finding scraps from their world and from ours, a nest is built... 

entrusting the boughs with their carefully constructed homes...


preparing for the new life that arrives with the spring... 

looking up and out...

'more varied than any landscape

was the landscape in the sky,

with islands of gold and silver,

peninsulas of apricot and rose

against a background

of many shades of turquoise and azure.'

~ cecil beaton

whether the bright blue of day or the deepest dusky violet before night extinguishes all light...

connected

'what is that?' you might be wondering ... well, it is my orion (and if you click on the picture it becomes a bit more clear) - not a picture off of the internet, but one i took last night... and the magical thing was, on the display screen, the stars twinkled like they knew they were being adored and admired... 


this constellation has made me feel connected to the universe since i was small... it was right outside of my bedroom window all winter... and to this day, when i go out at dark, it is the first thing my eyes search for ... 

'there is only one corner of the universe 

you can be certain of improving,

and that's your own self.'

~ aldous huxley

being inside, we have objects that may inspire us or center us... but outside, well, the wonders are outside... the roaring ocean, the blowing winds, budding flowers, the immensity of that beautiful night sky... i have never been to the mountains, it is something i very much want to experience... i know i would love it... but having lived near the ocean my whole life, well, big sky is what i know... 

when i have one last child to pick up from an activity at night, tired, and dying to get back home - i look for orion... i feel like there is a thread from him to me... i feel a part of something bigger... and i feel calm... 

the funny/ironic thing is, when i went to take the picture & was playing with the settings, 'infinity' is what you need to choose... 

and so i laughed, because even my camera was reminding me that i was connected to something much bigger than any of us~

birdsong

'a bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song.'
- maya angelou

it's 5 am, or earlier, and the birds begin to sing... how do you feel?

as i have gotten older, i have learned to just lay there and listen - it makes me feel peaceful... no more groaning because it's earlier than my alarm clock is set for, i now count upon the song to wake me (that and the kitten licking my face because he's up too!)... and i know i am lucky - afterall, it could be car horns or sirens...

this charm by laura flavin at modernbird sums up the whole experience of nature in such a beautiful way... everything is what it is - and is true to its nature ... birds sing, flowers grow, rain falls, there is balance and harmony... this charm and the natural order yearn to keep things simple and beautiful... we are the ones who botch it up... i love the modern vision that laura brings to her pieces - her clean edge is both aesthetic and symbolic (at least it seems to me)... that is then combined with the diversity and beauty of her metalsmithing... i am truly in love with the textures she applies...

i know that soon the symphony will change and added to it will be the small but demanding chirps of hungry mouths... so when i hear the birds sing in the morning, i know that a whole world awaits, a world that doesn't need me... that no matter how my day goes, things will be what they will be, and i find that to be comforting... i'm ready for the day...

adrift

'not all those who wander are lost'
the fellowship of the ring
j.r.r. tolkien

we go walking in a park where a stream runs through... there is even a wooden bridge that crosses it which makes me think of the one that christopher robin and company stand on to play pooh-sticks... trees filled with their warm weather garb form a canopy... your view of the bright blue cloudless sky is filtered through the branches and the leaves... when you look into the water, you see that same view reflected back on the shimmering water...
and then a soft breeze blows, rustling the leaves... some of the small dead ones from the forest floor are swept up and drop into the water, and they are adrift... swirling along with the water as it moves around branches and rocks... gliding along with the stream's curving path...
'not all those who wander are lost'...
we all need time to wander, to free ourselves from the over scheduled, task-oriented lifestyle we often find ourselves caught up in... wandering can be physical - going to the beach, a park, or on a walk - and we find ourselves rejuvenated by nature... but really, more important than where you are is your mindset while you are there... did you free yourself? or did you think about how long you can stay so you can go on to your next task? you can be in the midst of your office or home and as long as you can shut off the head static and let your mind go, you are wandering... go for it...
the metallic blue lentil beads with raku finish from blue seraphim make me think of leaves floating on water... and only mak's raku beads could compliment them... thank you both... and to jenn at blue seraphim, you have my apologies for not mentioning you in my first blog... i'm a newbie but getting better!