Tag Archives: nature

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A Day For Contemplation


Love in the World

Love in the World

Roaming in Thought

“Roaming in thought over the Universe, I saw the little that is Good steadily hastening towards immorality, And the vast all that is call’d Evil I saw hastening to merge itself and become lost and dead.”                                                                                                          –Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

The Snow Light

In the snow light,
In the swan light,
In the white-on-white light
of a winter storm,
my delight and your delight
Kept each other warm.

The next afternoon
and love gone so soon!-
I met myself alone
In a windless calm,
Silenced at the bone
After the white storm.

What more was to come?
Out from the cocoon,
in the silent room,
pouring our white light,
amaryllis bloom
opened in the night.

The cool petals shone
like some winter moon
or shadow of a swan,
echoing the light
after you were gone
Of our white-on-white.”
—May Sarton

One Life

“A woman walking in a walker on the cliffs
recalls great bodily joys, much pain.
Nothing in her is apt to say
my heart aches, though she read those words
in a battered college text, this morning
as the sun rose. It is all too
mixed, the heart too mixed with laughter
raucousing the grief, her life
too mixed, she shakes her heavy
silvered hair at all the fixed
declarations of baggage. I should be dead and I’m alive
don’t ask me how; I don’t eat like I should
and still I like how the drop of vodka
hits the tongue. I was a worker and a mother,
that means a worker and a worker
but for one you don’t pay union dues
or get a pension; for the other
the men ran the union, we ran the home.
It was terrible and good, we had more than half a life,
I had four lives at least, one out of marriage
when I kicked up all the dust I could
before I know what I was doing.
One life with the girls on the line during the war,
yes, painting our legs and jitterbugging together
one life with a husband, not the worst,
one with your children, none of it just what you’d thought.
We took what we could.
But even this is a life, I’m reading a lot of books
I never read, my daughter brought home from school,
plays where you can almost hear them talking,
Romantic poets, Isaac Babel. A lot of lives
worse and better than what I knew. I’m walking again.
My heart doesn’t ache; sometimes though it rages.”                       —–Adrienne Rich

Gayan

“if you will go forward to find Us, We will come forward to receive you.
Give Us all you have, and We shall give you all We possess.
In man We have designed Our image; in woman We have finished it.
In man We have shown Our nature benign; in woman We have expressed Our art divine.
Make God a reality, and God will make you the truth.
Give all you have, and take all that is given to you.”                                      —excerpted from The Complete Sayings; Hazrat Inayat Khan

The receipe is to add positive energy to the negativity you find.

The recipe is to add positive energy to the negativity you find.

I am love

I am love

Be free, be lovePhoto by Barbara Mattio

Be free, be love
Photo by Barbara Mattio

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Praise for The Divine


"Lavender

 
The color of flowers

The color of flowers

The Wild Rose of Praise

Those unable to grieve,
or to speak their love,
or to be grateful, those
who can’t remember God
as the source of everything.

Might be described as vacant wind,
or a cold anvil, or a group
of frightened old people.

Say the Name. Moisten your tongue
with praise, and be the spring ground,
waking. Let your mouth be given
its gold-yellow stamen like the wild rose’s.

As you fill with wisdom,
and your heart with love, there’s no more thirst.

There is only an unselfish patience
waiting on the door-sill, a silence
which doesn’t listen to advise
From people passing in the street.”
—Sanai

"The

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.” —-Rumi

"Blue

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Romancing the Wind


 

“It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,

The holy time is quiet as a Nun

Breathless with adoration; the broad sun

Is sinking down in its tranquility;

The gentleness of heaven broods o’er the Sea;

Listen ! the mighty Being is awake,

And doth with his eternal motion make

A sound like thunder—everlastingly.

Dear child! Dear Girl! that walkest with me here.

If thou appear untouched by solemn thought,

Thy nature is not therefore less divine:

Thou liest in Abraham’s bosom  all the year;

And worshipp’st at the Temple’s inner shrine,

God being with thee when we know it not. ”

—-It is a Beautiful Evening, Calm and Free

William Wordsworth

I find that on a cold winter day like today, I need to find more beauty in life. There are so many different kinds of beauty.  There is music, painting, dancing, reading, watching clouds, admiring the way the waves wash onto the shore. You can watch an eagle swoop over a mountaintop, and just tell a friend they are loved and appreciated. Some days we just need to share a bit of the beauty of creation and of what human beings can create. This video is my gift to all of you, my readers to enjoy. I hope it lifts your spirits as it did mine.  Blessings to all.

The rainbows in life.

The rainbows in life.

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The End of 2012


I picked this version of Auld Lang Syne for today because it has always been a favorite tune. My favorite lyric is “We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now.”  We are standing on the line–the line between the old and the new. The old, oft remembered song of innocence and yet one foot starting to move into now.

There are interesting centuries old traditions from the British Isles that we don’t necessarily follow here in America now. They are worth a look, however.

In England, any gifts brought into the house on New Year’s Eve should be welcomed with ceremony, as they will bring good fortune to the house. The cleaning of the house before New Year’s Eve is a way of clearing out unfinished business, of any kind; clearing out the dust and cobwebs of the old year, so you can start out fresh and new.

In Scotland, people burned Juniper branches and carried them throughout the house to clear it of negative energy. This dates back to the time when Juniper branches were burned in the fireplace to ensure the gifts of the New Year.  By 1893, toward evening the thoroughfares become thronged with the youth of the city.

Another tradition — today, championed by “pagans” — is to make a list of what you need and really want. This was also the time to give yourself one of the items on your list; traditionally, you wrapped it up and made a true gift of it to yourself, perhaps accompanied by this Blessing:

Blessing on Giving a Gift

Take, and welcome joy within you;

Showers, flowers, powers,

Hatfuls, capfuls, lapfuls,

Treasures, measures, pleasures,

All be yours to enjoy!

             —-Caitlin Matthews: A Celtic Devotional

Solitary watch

Solitary watch

The celtic traditions energize Gaia, Mother Earth.

The Celtic traditions energize Gaia, Mother Earth.

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Healing Mother Earth


bluebuddhahealing theplanet

Yesterday, I spent at a Manet exhibit. It was a very good one and it got me thinking about our precious planet. I was thinking about what is taking place in 2012. The Northern Ice Cap is melting. The North Pole is now an island. The levels of our oceans and seas are rising. I believe this is a combination of the cycles of our planet and the poor care we are taking of our planet.

As the water levels rise, we will see a worsening of storms and their damage. Lower Manhattan is in a dangerous position and the damage from Sandy will look small in the future. The Carribean Islands will face flooding danger and Hawaii. In Europe, there will be certain flooding and danger in Venice and other land that is lower and therefore will easily flood. The icepack in Antartica is melting much faster than scientists have expected. This does not bode well for any of us.

We are adding many chemicals to the atmosphere. I have Asthma and live in Northern America, I watch the air quality reports and in the past there was only concern in the summertime. Now, in the winter, there are alerts for sensitive people.

At the present time, we are experiencing many more severe storms. It is pure denial to ignore the scientific research that scientists are doing. I know that not all scientists agree but they all feel we are adding toxic emissions into the atmosphere. The problem that I see, is if we don’t take the advise of the scientists, if they are correct about the amount of damage we might suffer, we could end up with a dead planet. Which means that all the animals and people will die. As sad and awful as this prospect is, we could hardly complain because we have been warned,

Yes, some of the changes scientists are suggesting can be expensive. Truthfully, do you want to have to explain to those alive then why the planet is dying and so are they. It seems an easy choice for me. Death or listening to the people actually doing the research.

Now, the politicians have many opinions but I don’t trust them to make the right decisions for the people. Would you when they can’t even work together to write a budget? I really don’t want to end my life carrying the guilt that I could have done more and yet I did not.

Our planet is filled with so much beauty and has been a wonderful planet for us to live on. We don’t want to damage that. So we need to work together with the scientists to find out what can be done within each and every portion of the world to begin the work of saving Mother Earth. There will be catastrophe if we do not take heed and work to heal our planet.

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O Great Spirit


The Native Americans Truly Honored our Planet

There are indigenous people around the world who have given us a heritage and inheritance for honoring Mother Earth and our planet. We have knowledge of their wisdom and it is available if we want it.

Many people in the world today do value and honor our planet. Some of the changes that are happening are part of the life cycle of the planet but many we have caused ourselves. Whether changes are man-made or part of the life cycle of the planet- such as the ice age- we can help to heal our planet and help her to heal herself.

Planning green areas in cities are a great help, planting trees, and not allowing big business to pollute the air and water are other important things we can do. Recycling is a help and helping to organize recycling where it is not now available is another idea.

There are so many poets and authors who remind us of how important the landscape around us is. It is healing and soothing. It lifts the spirits and lights up the soul. We are so lucky to have this source of beauty around us whenever we want or need to see beauty. Painters and photographers have immortalized the beauty they saw and it adds to our joy to see the world through their cameras and paint brushes. I am a great fan of the Impressionists. I love the way the used light to enhance their brush strokes and to make you feel as if you were there in their shoes standing at their easels. How grateful I am for that gift they left to all of us.

The Natural World

…If one looks long enough at almost anything, looks with absolute attention at a flower, a stone, the bark of a tree, grass, snow, a cloud, something like revelation takes place. Something is “given,” and perhaps that something is always a reality outside the self. We are aware of God only when we cease to be aware of ourselves, not in the negative sense of denying the self, but in the sense of losing self in admiration and joy.”
—Excerpted from “From May Sarton’s Well”, Compiled by Edith Royce Schade

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Blanket Flowers from my garden. Photo by Barbara Mattio

Metroparks Zoo, Photo by Barbara Mattio

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Glimpses of Autumn


Blue Ridge Mountains, NC Photo by Barbara Mattio

” There are countless paths to the mountain’s summit. Yet from it the same moon pours radiance over the landscape.”
—-Ikkyu

Blue Ridge Mountains, NC Photo by Barbara Mattio

“Entering the forest he moves not the grass; entering the water he does not make a ripple.”

Niagara Falls, Ontario Photo by Barbara Mattio

“It is deep autumn. What kind of life is my neighbors I wonder…”

Niagara Falls, Ontario Photo by Barbara Mattio

” One day a monk spoke bitterly to the Buddha about the unbearable sorrows of the world. The Buddha remained silent. Then he pointed at the earth between his feet, and said: ” On this earth I have attained awakening.”
Splendor of the World….no Why.

All quotes excerpted from Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing

Emerald necklace parks, Ohio Photo by Barbara Mattio

Lake Erie Islands, Lake Erie, Photo by Barbara Mattio

” Wherever you are is home
And the earth is paradise
Wherever you set your feet is holy land…
You don’t live off it like a parasite.
You live in it, and it in you,
Or you don’t survive.
And that is the only worship of God there is.”

——-Wilfred Pelletier and Ted Poole

Chautuaqua Institute, NY Photo by Barbara Mattio

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To Find the Ecstasy in Your Life


Thoreau, Frost and Whitman were all poets who found happiness in their experience in nature and nature led them to an experience with God. Their writings are very uplifting and filled with wisdom. Some of their poetry is so famous high school students still memorize the words. Some of these have come back to me as I walk in the mountains when visiting my best friend. There is a connection that develops between the experience and the poetry.

 

Black Mountain, NC; Photo by Barbara Mattio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Mountain, NC Photo by Barbara Mattio

Thirty some years ago, a dear friend gave me a book of poetry. The poetry was by Kabir, a fifteenth century Indian poet. He was the son of a weaver and was influenced by Sufis and the ideas of the Hindus. This particular collection of some of his poems is translated by Robert Bly. The originals were written in Hindi. I hope the journey that his words take you on is as amazing of a journey as mine has been. Kabir went into the inner landscape to experience God and the ecstasy of loving The One.

 

“Friend, hope for the Guest while you are alive.
Jump into the experience while you are alive!
Think…and think…while you are alive.
What you call “salvation” belongs to the time before death.

If you don’t break your ropes while you’re alive,
do you think
ghosts will do it after?

The idea that the soul will join with the ecstatic
just because the body is rotten—
that is all fantasy.
What is found now is found then.
If you find nothing new,
you will simply end up with an apartment in the City of Death.
If you make love with the divine now,in the next life you will have the face of satisfied desire.

So plunge into the truth, find out who the Teacher is,
Believe in the Great Sound!

Kabir says this: When the Guest is being searched for,
it is the intensity of the longing for the Guest that
does all the work.
Look at me, and you will see a slave of that intensity.”
—–Kabir

Lumberton , NC Photo by Barbara Mattio

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Mellow Yellow Monday #3


Photo by Barbara Mattio

I love summer and it is difficult not to find yellow in life. There are yellow submarines, yellow butterfly’s, yellow sun rays, yellow in rainbows, yellow in dried grass, and yellow in roses and salvia, I see yellow blanket flowers and yellow day lilies. A yellow sail on a boat and a yellow canary. There is something about the combination of yellow and summer that just heals the soul. It makes me feel happier and stronger, and full of blessings. Summer sun warms the body and the soul. The soul responds to our environment. It responds to rain, sun, snow and it responds to the time you spend in the inner landscapes communing with the Beloved.

” We learn the inner secret of happiness, when we learn to direct our inner drives, our interest, and our attention to something besides ourselves.”

—Ethel Percy Andrus

Photo by Barbara Mattio

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Summer Escapades


Photograph by Barbara Mattio

The best part of summer is the ability to just be. To be in the present moment. The past is gone. For better or worse, you never can get it back and you must let it go. This is not always easy for people to do. Letting go can be frightening. Often we don’t want to let the good memories fade, or sometimes, the pain of some times in our life doesn’t heal. It takes effort on our part to let go and trust that it will be all right. You don’t lose the memories and they actually become more golden with the passing of the years. The pain will diminish and your heart will heal. Divinity is always with us and we never walk alone. Divinity is within our souls so what we experience, it experiences.

The future is an enticing siren. It sings its song to us and we want to know what is coming. We want answers about love, finances, travel or a job perhaps. The siren sings and we ache to know what is coming. The future is like Tinkerbell. She flits here and there but when you reach out for her she is gone between your fingers. The future or the fairy disappears because as soon as you come close to grasping it, the future turns into the present.

The present moment of time is where we exist in the now. The beauty you are experiencing at this exact second is the present. The fragrance you catch on the wind, the dragonfly that glides across your field of vision. Each moment is a priceless gift for us to use and enjoy. Some choose to spend some of these precious moments in hatred or violence. Some choose to use them to add beauty, acceptance and inclusiveness to the world.

If each of us took the moments we are given in a twenty-four hour period and used them to make someone smile, to laugh with a child, to reach out a hand, or to acknowledge the amazing blessings each moment brings with it, we could begin to have the energy to change the world. So, I am trying this summer to fill my present with escapades of joy and happiness. So pass it on and by autumn we will be able to harvest bushels of goodness in our lives.

Photography by Barbara Mattio