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Wednesday 30 June 2010

Scots Pine


When I first saw these back at the end of April, I thought 'ooh, baby pine cones'... but I am glad I did not embarrass myself by posting at the time, because they just kept growing....


They are the male flowers of the Scots Pine... they are actually teeny cones though... and parts of the pine trees are covered in them, mainly, but not exclusively the lower parts....


Meanwhile, other shoots have been sprouting to produce these female 'flowers'...


and this time they really are 'baby' pine cones.....


Most, but by no means all of these are higher up.... it is thought that this is to aid cross-pollination- pollen will drift across & up to fertilize other trees, rather than directly up...


the cones take two years to mature, before opening up to drop their seeds....


Yvonne, over at The Organic Writer is hosting this months Festival of The Trees.... she requested artistic submissions if possible. Well, I have no trouble being inspired by trees (if you hadn't noticed) so here is a piece of my calligraphy inspired by pine trees and the words of George Seferis.



I know a pine tree that leans over near a sea. At midday it bestows upon the tired body a shade measured like our life, and in the evening the wind blowing through its needles begins a curious song as though of the souls that made an end of death, just at the moment when they begin to become skin & lips again. One night I stayed awake all night under this tree. At dawn I was brand new as though I had been freshly quarried. 
George Seferis- Greek poet, essayist & diplomat, 1963 Nobel Prize for Literature  winner.


I have written in more detail about this piece of work & my process over at Suzi's Scribbles



Tuesday 22 June 2010

Solstice Finale

Another solstice photo-fest.. 



I didn't know which way to turn...




moon behind me...




pinkness all around... 


 literally colour in every direction...


think there'd be a case for some photoshop stitchery 
to create a 360 panoramic (if i had it!)




a final kiss as colour faded from the sky...



until all was done, and the moon dropped into the cloud...



(sky-watchers,  the full set of pics from
previous posts is here with solstice eve & sunrise)

Skywatch Friday
skywatch has more amazing photos

Monday 21 June 2010

Solstice Sun a Rising...

04:38

04:39

04:42

04:45

04:47

04:49

04:52

04:59
see the web bathed in golden light?

05:13

Solstice Blessings.... wherever you are in the world x





Solstice Eve

It seemed as if the skies put on a show to herald the Summer Solstice...


the moon seemed to glow from within, not just with reflected light....


the clouds seemed to form a vortex, being drawn towards light...


which intensified with the light of the setting sun....


and the moon continued to glow....


waxing past half way... full of promise & hope & beauty...




Wednesday 16 June 2010

All The Rivers Flow Into The Sea...

 ... yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again. Ecclesiastes 1:7

I find myself thinking of this biblical quotation as I sit by the riverside... gazing at water still shaded from the early morning sun... watching heads of willow seeds drift slowly by... all the rivers flow into the sea...


I start adding my thoughts to the flow....  love & healing... flowing down the river... to the sea... out into the ocean... mingling with the currents.... flowing to where it is needed... I see strands of energy... light... moving with the current.... spreading out.... more & more strands multiplying... shooting out, spreading through the world's oceans... converging from all directions to bring light into troubled waters... so that we can once again see blue skies reflected in pure, clean waters...


As the sun begins to light the shadows along the riverbank, I visualise the shadows of disaster & destruction lifting from our oceans... I pray for clarity & purity to return... for the waters, the sea & plant life in the ocean & along the coast.... I notice aeroplane trails reflected in the river... an inverted 'V'... I picture it right way up... for victory in the recovery from the oil disaster.... i send my thoughts along the trails... to dissipate into the air & be carried by the wind to where they are needed... To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

for watery images from around the world

Friday 11 June 2010

For the Oil Outpouring


moon reflected in oily clouds, may 27



Are you helping or adding to it?.... please resist the urge to judge & utter recriminations, there is time for that later & plenty will do it anyway. If you feel horror, panic or distress, please consciously try to turn it around into hope, focus & strength... send positive thoughts to those actively working in the area... to those working for a solution, to those rescuing wildlife, to those directly affected so far, to the creatures, the plants, the water, etc etc......


Intention works...
 it has been shown time & again both in the scientific world & the spiritual. Visualise the wound closing, healing... the flow of oil from it being plugged... clear, healthy waters returning. Send energy to stem the flow & see it happening as often as you can throughout the day.... every time you boil the kettle...wash up... go to the loo... wait in a queue... once you have the picture in your mind it gets easier to recall the more you try.... associate it with the simple things you do. Actively help.



Here’s a vizualisation/meditation... you can expand on it or you can use parts of it at any time... spend as much time as you need on each part...
Prepare...
 ...set your scene... gather whatever tools or symbols you need to aid your focus & direct energy... perhaps a bowl of water with a floating candle would be appropriate here... crystals, stones... earth energy is vital.... connect to the Earth in whatever way you choose, either literally or through visualization... 
Connect...
See yourself in a place where you connect to the Earth... sitting against a tree, whose roots go deep into the Earth... on a boulder that reaches far into the ground... on a mountain, in a forest, it doesn’t matter, wherever you connect... connect... feel yourself becoming one with the Earth.... feel her steady resolve... feel the heartbeat...
Be part of it...
Take yourself to the source of the out-pouring... feel yourself rising through the earth on the ocean floor... Be there... see the turbulence where the oil meets the ocean... don’t panic, just observe... watch, feel... until you are fully present.... until you are fully part of it... 
Arc of light...
Feel the energy of the earth building in you... moving through you...  building... expanding... when you can contain it no longer, when you are tingling with energy, shoot out a beam of light (i’m seeing gold, but use whatever colour you choose)... straight out, up through the turbulence of the out-pouring.... see it arc above you... a streak of golden brilliance.... see it expand outwards... forming a canopy of light high above you... golden light extending in a brilliant dome that reaches out & down... around... as far as you can see... gradually extending down until it meets the ocean floor in all directions.... See the light forming a dome over the open wound on the sea-bed... holding the turbulence within....
Calm...
Hold it there a while.... letting the energy, the heart-beat, pulse through you... through the oil & water... around the sides of the dome of light... hold the turbulence within... breathe calm into the waters until the turbulence settles... breathe calm... breathe....until the oil knows it is contained... 
Close the dome....
Then gradually draw the dome of light closer.... see it coming closer... down & in.... easing the oil back into the earth.... gently... slowly... contract the dome of light... keep it going... down & down until you are back within the earth... back into safety... and the golden light is sealing the gash in the earth’s crust....
Heal the wound...
Visualize the wound above you healing.... light & earth melding... closing the gap.... see it closing.... see it healing...until you are sealed safely in the Womb of the Earth... relax... you are safe in the arms of the earth.... rest a while.... breathe.... relax & breathe until you feel it is done.... then slowly come back to the place you started.... feel the warmth of the sun & a gentle breeze... hear water trickling somewhere nearby.... & know that all is well.....
Share...
Please share this... let us use the web to spread a web of love & hope... encourage as many as possible to actively help with energy & intention... and add to the energy of others around the world to repair the tears in the web of life... 


may 28th




Monday 7 June 2010

Wild Rose


The first wild roses have appeared in my locality... just an odd few... I spotted this one where the rose has scrambled up high above a tall hawthorne. Unaided, it would not be able to reach such height, but the briar rose is not afraid of seeking support from others! Tenacious & resilient, we can learn much from this beauty of the hedgerows.

It may not naturally grow very tall, but it will reach out to grasp the slightest limb of another tree and scramble ever upwards... They do not appear grasping or weak in using any available support, & several roses alongside each other will use each other for support to aid their mutual growth. And if they can't reach up, they will reach out... spreading roots & suckers ever wider. Obstacles are seen as an opportunity to climb around or over... not to trample on or quash, but as tools to strengthen & enhance...


The branches are covered in buds... each individual flower does not last long, but they don't come out all at once, promising a gorgeous display over the next few weeks. The flowers may be fragile & delicately scented... but this is only one aspect of the wild rose's personality. The stems are tough, yet flexible and the thorns can be vicious! Can be vicious... if you are careless enough to brush too close, or try & cut or pull a stem... normally the hooked thorns aid the plant to climb and provide a safer haven for smaller birds & creatures within the tangled thickets.


Like the cultivated roses in our gardens, attempts to slash or cut it back, only ensures a redoubled growth, with extra shoots springing from the point at which it is cut...creating extra strength & vigour. It dawned on me once, that we, ourselves are often 'pruned'....


I once had a business that was meant to be, combining art, crystals & healing.... the opportunities & synchronicity that enabled it... well, there is no doubt it was meant to be. It was a shop that vibrated at a higher level somehow and customers constantly remarked on the energy... But things seemingly outside  my control began to go wrong. I say seemingly, because we are never completely aware of the bigger picture... karma, soul-plans, changes needed, future opportunities & direction, lessons... so many things that can only be appreciated with hindsight. One thing after another led to emotional & financial heartache... I kept hanging on & finding ways around them, but there came a point when I had to let go. It was making the decision to let go that was the hardest, and that was a lesson in itself.

I was not in a good state really, but all the time i knew that I had to trust. To Trust... in a higher wisdom, that all was in order, that this too was meant to be. It was at that time, looking at the roses, wondering what it was all about, that I realised it was a part of my life that needed pruning. Not necessarily that there was something wrong with it. However beautiful the flower, sometimes the branch needs cutting back.... to prevent running into a future obstacle, or to change direction, or just to strengthen the growth... allowing more shoots to develop & produce even more abundant flowers...


A few missing petals does not diminish its beauty... likewise a missing business or relationship does not take anything away from me (or anything else that applies to you)... it creates new shapes, new angles... revealing more of the character inside. Sometimes we are capable of seeing what needs pruning, but sometimes it is forced upon us. We may use our thorns to hang on, or lash out & cause hurt... but inevitably, when it happens we have to trust in the bigger picture & in ourselves...to keep trusting & to see the beauty of the changing path... until those new shoots begin to grow, and they always do... until new things begin to bloom in our life... and if we continue to learn & love & trust, we can bear some spectacular flowers! 

If you fancy any wild rose recipe ideas try a look here at the
  herb society 

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