“Joys come from simple and natural things: mists over meadows, sunlight on leaves, the path of the moon over water.” Sigurd F. Olson American nature writer, environmentalist Photo by Mary O’Connor, © 2013
When we look at the centuries old Indian concept of chakras—specific energy locations that contain the keys to our physical, mental and spiritual well being—we see that the Heart Chakra bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds and governs our compassion for others. It is the center of how we connect to humanity. … More Green is a Powerful Color
Wednesday of this week marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, 7:02 A.M. (EDT) on March 20th to be exact. Its arrival coincides with the vernal equinox, a time when days and nights are approximately equal and the sun rises and sets due east and due west. Distinguished by the birth and rebirth … More Enter Spring, with all its tiny Sweet Spots
“Find joy and peace in this very moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh It was moments such as these, when the sun hung big and low overhead, burning through dust filled sky over the Serengeti in Tanzania, that the expanse and wildness and enormity of the day’s trek fell into perspective, and we found ourselves looking, instead, at simple moments … More Musings while on Safari
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is also in the feeling of softness, the inhaling of scent, the timbre of its presence. The gardens of the Ngorongoro Farm House in Karatu, Tanzania, which I visited while on safari in 2010, simply called out to be photographed, smelled, touched. They etched their presence … More Beauty Is a Sensual Thing
Summer Palace, 2009, Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA. Stickwork sculpture by Patrick Dougherty. Photo: Rob Cardillo. “The groves were God’s first temples.” With these words, American poet William Cullen Bryant began his classic poem, A Forest Hymn. Said to be written in farewell to the thick foliage and tall trunks of his native Massachusetts as he … More “The groves were God’s first temples.”
Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness. – Rumi William Guion once was told that the way to make more powerful and personal photographs was to find something he loves and to photograph it—over and over and over. And … More Breathe in the Sacredness of the Trees
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” – Eleanora Duse, Italian actress Photo: Along Saybrook Point, by … More Fed by the sight of the sky
Hurricane Sandy swept Long Island Sound ashore last fall before leaving with layers of topsoil to reveal these dormant flower bulbs. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said, the earth is “crammed with heaven.”
The summer sun is long gone and with it, one might think, the lure of the shore. But though I will admit to being clearly partial to the warmth of the sun, I cannot deny the stark, cold winter attraction of New England’s rocky shores and its cobble beaches. Wave-battered rocky shores are common throughout … More Granite Bay
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 