Resurgam transitions into Viriditas – the greening power of creation.
Continue reading “The beauty of renewal”The beauty of renewal
Embracing transitions
What a difference a few weeks make. I returned to capture the bare-branch beauty of the Japanese maple after its Autumn show only to discover the tree holding on to some of its leaves. The sight was a visual reminder of transition. Not ‘photo worthy’ beauty, but still, in process of a new cycle that needs to be acknowledged, not dismissed.
Many may pass by the late fall garden but maybe it helps process our own transitions.
William Bridges writes in Managing Transitions, “Because transition is a process by which people unplug from an old world and plug into a new world, we can say that transition starts with an ending and finishes with a beginning.”
Continue reading “Embracing transitions”Embracing brief beauty
Autumn’s peak: The sky, the angle of the sun and the Japanese Maple leaves created the most vibrant in-person vision for only a few minutes. We stood there soaking in the amazing show of colors, light and reflection. Even now, in December, I continue to reflect on the vibrancy that my memory captured, but the camera did not. That is the beauty, to see wonder in the everydayness and to draw it (the beauty, the wonder) inward.
Those leaves are gone now but what a delight to receive the nourishment of brief beauty.
Wordsworth: “Our senses drink in the secrets of nature…”
From Karen Armstrong’s new book, Sacred Nature: If we allow it to enter our lives, nature can inform our minds and become a formative influence.
We can begin by taking simple steps, perhaps sitting in a garden or a park for 10 minutes a day, without headphones or a mobile phone, simply registering the sights and sounds of nature. Instead of taking photographs of our surroundings, we should look at the birds, flowers, clouds and trees and let them impress themselves on our minds.
Continue readingThe rill garden: a place of enchantment
If you’re not familiar with the rill garden created by Geoffrey Jellicoe, here’s a lovely introduction that provides sight and sound.
Watch: Shute Garden (4:16 mins) This is a BBC video clip from episode 4 of “The Secret History of the British Garden” by Monty Don.
The moment Monty Don and Suzy Lewis passed through the gate of Shute House Garden, I was instantly transported to a place of enchantment. The water is channeled from the River Nadder into a series of canals, pools and waterfalls. It pours down a series of copper chambers in the rill which create different notes on the musical scale.
Continue reading “The rill garden: a place of enchantment”Four components of a restorative environment
The sheltering space underneath a canopy of white crepe myrtles held the four components of a restorative environment:
Continue reading “Four components of a restorative environment”Finding a sheltering space (not a coffee shop)
In my creative meanders, this garden visit was on a whim. (Proving “yes” is the best response to an encouraging inner nudge to explore something unknown or forgotten.)
I entered a canopy of white crepe myrtles that created a sheltering space. It seemed as if two hands held an offering to any visitor. I sat on a bench and listened. The gentle bubbling of the fountain, the birdsong, the wind rustling leaves. I watched the water run down the side of the marble fountain. It was a place of peace. I felt unexpectedly happy as my eyes explored this space of details easily missed by sweeping surface glances.
Continue reading “Finding a sheltering space (not a coffee shop)”
creative meander 