Quote of the Week: Home

“My heart found its home long ago in the beauty, mystery, order and disorder of the flowering earth.” 

~Lady Bird Johnson

Photo credit: "V", by Lee Peiling

Rewild Your Life!

Wildness: 

the quality of being wild, untamed and free: a quality produced in nature.

So the writer of one of my favorite blogs, Nature Is My Therapy, posted about a challenge hosted by We Are Wildness called "Rewild Your Life."  For 30 days in September, the participants will attempt to spend at least 30 minutes a day in a natural setting for 30 days without electronics (except to take pictures).  The goal?  To "help you reconnect with that inner wildness deep down in your soul!"  Don't you love that?

This challenge really appeals to me, as I have a very deep connection to the earth and nature that is an enormous part of who I am and how I feed my "soul".  A connection that has been mostly blocked due to coping with an illness that drains the heart and darkens the spirit.  When I do meet with nature, I find tremendous joy.  A challenge like this will hopefully provide motivation to clear up and rebuild my earth-y connection.  :)  I'm excited to start! 

Quote of the Week: Balance

Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height. Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches. Happiness is like a tree going into the sky, and sadness is like the roots going down into the womb of the earth. Both are needed, and the higher a tree goes, the deeper it goes, simultaneously. The bigger the tree, the bigger will be its roots. In fact, it is always in proportion. That's its balance.

~ Osho


I am seeking more balance...

Quote of the Week: I Carry Your Heart

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)

~e.e. cummings, from "i carry your heart with me"

Grounded

Lying on the grass last weekend, I felt inspired by being so close to the earth and the tiny microcosm that flourishes on its surface. I was charmed by the intricate veining of delicate leaf skeletons that had "survived" the winter and teeny, tiny newborn clovers. I felt the earth's solidity and weight, opened to it and trusted.




VISUALIZATION (I created this for one of my yoga classes, and have both used and taught it.):
Spread a blanket or yoga mat onto a stretch of grass or sand (or you may choose to use stretch out directly on the grass). Lie on your stomach against the earth. Find a comfortable position for your head and arms: arms at your side and resting either ear on the ground OR arms crossed under your head and resting either ear on your arms. Relax. Close your eyes.

Once you are comfortable, allow your breath to deepen slowly, naturally. Breathe into your belly first, then let the air move up into your chest. Naturally, the ground will change the way your breath expands into you. Notice this. When your deep breathing feels full and easy, take one last deep breath. Hold for a few seconds, then let all control go and allow the breath to flow out effortlessly. As you do this, release all tension from your muscles and feel your body melt into the ground. Let your breath be soft and natural now.

Bring your awareness to the gentleness of your relaxed breath, and how each inhale presses into the earth. With each exhale, feel the release of your muscles relaxing into the support of the earth beneath you. Feeling the earth cradling you, and allow yourself to open to the safety of this, your vulnerable heart trusting Mother Earth to hold you. Let go into the weight of the ground. Each breath out allows you to move more deeply into this sensation.

Move your awareness gently to the sounds that surround you. Hear the birds, the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the sound of water if nearby. Rest in this. Now guide your awareness to your skin. Is the sun warming you, or a breeze moving against your eyelashes? Feel your body where it touches the earth, the blanket or mat or grass beneath you. Rest in this. Next, notice the smells around you. Do you notice the scent of the sun on your skin, of blossoms in your garden, of the ocean, of fresh grass? Rest in this. Now return to the sensation of trusting the earth, feeling it support you. Breathe. Rest in this. Should your mind become distracted at any time, gently draw it back without judgment.

When you are ready, move outward, leading your awareness out of the meditative state. Deepen the breath slowly. Experience a deep sense of gratitude for the planet and the beauty it beholds. Open to it. Notice the quietness of your mind and the openness and warmth of your heart. Know that you can return to this place at any time. Breathe.

Quote of the Week: Attuning to Nature

"When we attune to nature with sensitivity, we can see just how connected we are. We are always in relationship; we just rarely notice it. From this perspective, everything on this earth, from the spring rains that provide fresh drinking water to the warmth of the sun, is an open-hearted, generous offering."

~Mark Coleman, from Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery

Quote of the Week: Mother Earth, Father Sky

"Is not the sky a father and the earth a mother, and are not all living things with feet or wings, or roots their children?"

~Black Elk, Oglala Sioux

Quote of the Week: Companion With Earth

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."

~Rachel Carson

The Breathtaking Works of Terje Sorgjerd

Thanks to Treehugger, I just discovered the breathtaking works of Norwegian landscape photographer Terje Sorgjerd. These are some of the most beautiful and majestic images I ever seen. "The Mountain" and "The Aurora" display the ethereal awesomeness of Earth and our universe, the incomprehensible, dream-like awe of the celestial landscape. Watching
"The Mountain's" time lapse of the Milky Way as seen from atop El Teide, the highest mountain in Spain, and "The Aurora's" time lapse northern lights as filmed above the Arctic Circle near the border of Russia, steal my breath and make my heart swell with joy and peace. :) How can anything be this beautiful?

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

First Quote of the Week for 2011

"Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.

~Rabindranath