What humankind builds inevitably crumbles and turns to dust. Nature being centered in some higher power of the universe, quietly takes over and continues in its eternal renewal and expansion. Total human civilizations have been built and destroyed while Nature watches.
Perhaps it is time we took a cue from Nature. We are no longer centered in our eternal natural rhythms; they are being overwritten with man-made programming. We think we own our smart phones, but more often than not, they end up owning us. Next time you’re out in a public place, look around you. Generally speaking, more faces are pointing down towards those tiny screens than are looking up and around at the world.
We are organic beings, not machines, and yet those little screens have quite a scary hold on humankind. Technology has its place and can be very helpful to us, but if Nature teaches us anything, it’s about balance.
How do we reclaim ourselves, so that we can live in balanced harmony with our natural habitat (the Earth) and our machines?
We are bound together by our humanity, and we make sense of life through our stories. Life is mysterious, scary, wonderful, big – replete with challenges, stumbling blocks, triumphs, sorrow and joy – and we feel a deep need to put it into words. As Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”.
When the person hearing our story looks in our eyes and nods, we feel that we are coming home, we are understood, the challenges are surmountable, and it will all be alright. We find delight, solace and strength in our shared humanity, and our stories.
My garden is a refuge for me, a respite from the troubles of the world. Do you have a refuge? Men often call it their “cave” and I will share with you a post from April 2021 (yes, when we were in the thick of the pandemic, and all going crazy.) Finishing with a new poem “Garden”.
Today I tip my hat to the wisdom of men, and one in particular who taught me (with much head bashing on my part) that “caves are sacred”.
Do you have a designated place where you can go to claim a quiet interlude, far away from the fray and anger of the world? Our modern world is always a noisy place, but the volume got turned up full blast in 2020. The mental discouragement and emotional processing of negativity just feel like too much to bear some days.
People often equate the word sacred with church, but have you considered that the term should encompass protecting your own internal landscape? If you do not honor and protect your own peace of mind, if you do not recognize that it comes first and foremost, sooner or later the current craziness of life will take its toll.
If you have not already done so, establish a sacred place where you can find some quiet and cultivate peace within yourself, where you can hear your own voice.
I have noticed that men (at least the ones I have known) are particularly good at this. They call it “going to my cave”. When the big problems feel overwhelming, going to a quiet place and working in solitude on a smaller solvable project allows them a) time to process their thoughts, and b) restores their sense of mastery over their environment. They emerge feeling more in balance.
On a humorous note, a girl friend’s husband emerged from his cave on one of my visits, sporting a T-shirt that read, “What happens in the shop stays in the shop”.
Hmm… It did make me wonder what exorcisms those walls have seen. 🙂
Gossamer faerie, neon being of lightness, a fire-breathing fly?
I have yet to personally spot a flaming hot dragonfly. What a beautiful creature! It makes me wonder about the secret world of insects, a mysterious place to which we are seldom privy. Is the dragonfly legendary to the rest of the insects, just as dragons are to humans? A quirky, but interesting question.
The magical dragonfly is a fond girlhood memory of summer for me. Paddling around the lake on sultry afternoons, I loved to watch their iridescent colors flitting among the graceful lily pads. They captivated me. There was a purity and magic about these tiny gossamer creatures. They seemed to be visiting me from some mysterious, unseen faerie world, to which for a few moments I was privy.
Those dragonflies so many years ago were mainly cloaked in cool green and blue hues. Apparently the red ones mainly reside in parts of the world I have not seen yet. I haven’t done much traveling lately. Methinks it is time to go on a red dragon hunt…
Transcend
Beyond strife and grind, nature reveals the divine, heaven becomes mine.