gideonschallenge

Gideon’s Challenge

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Spirit2Spirit…
lifts and lightens
from within
it’s ever present
yet often ignored
until the moment
it sparks
inspired
to shimmer
and shine.

I am a big supporter of the “leave nothing but footprints” mentality of visiting the forests and spending time there.   That said?  I have to admit that finding this little colorful rock hidden along a trail through the wetlands early in the spring lent me a little extra glimmer of extra spirit to my soul.

You find these rocks in the parks here a lot lately. That little lift this one gave me is their purpose. You are encouraged to pick them up and take them with you when you find one.  I chose to leave this one behind to lift another’s spirits just as it had my own.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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SerenitySerenity…
Lives within stillness
In the silence
of a moment
In that place
Between breaths.
Sweet and still
Soft and silent
It is a caress
A kiss
A balm.

There are perfect moments in life that are perfect for no other reason than the moment of serenity they provide.   I find these moments most often when walking within nature, whether that be in the wetlands or the rainforests, the mountains, or at the beach.

These natural places are a little piece of heaven, and when in their embrace there are moments… brief and fleeting moments where life feels as if it stands still, the world holds its breath, and peace suffuses the senses with a sense of pure, exquisite perfection.

This is my serenity.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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NatureNature is…

Kind and loving
Harsh and cruel
She nurtures
She punishes
She embraces
She grieves
Nature feeds the snake
the precious eggs of the unwary
And stands guard
over the helpless
as they nap in the grass

The vastness of nature and the myriad of its facets is breathtaking and awe inspiring.  It encompasses not just the earth or the trees that I connect to so strongly, not just the oceans and rivers and seas, not just the sky and clouds.   She is not merely the sunsets and sunrises, not merely the storms and quakes.

She is all of these things.  She is vicious and she is sweet, beautiful and horrible. Nor is she only a “she”… or a “he”.

Nature is vast… immeasurable… and ineffable.

Everything… and so much more.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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buttercupsButtercups…

are like delicate
dollops of sunlight
bobbing in the breeze.
They greet you
with a sunny smile
alongside paths
among the trees.

Buttercups remind me of childhood and walks to and from the bus stop.  In the spring and summer months, they were always there along the side of the road, greeting us not with the brash enthusiasm of the dandelions or the muted hello of blackberry blossoms, but with a cheery bright smile and delicate reach.

They still greet me in the same way now that I’m grown and encounter them more often along forest trails than in overgrown ditches, and still lighten and brighten my soul even on the darkest of days.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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Pagan SpiritualitySpirituality…

Creation
Evolution
Balance
These are the energies
I revere in my practice
and connect to
most strongly
upon my path.

These energies are never more evident than in the rainforests I am most at home within, where life abounds in so many ways, blending with death and a dance of balance and creation.

Every time I visit the forests, I am filled not just with a sense of respect and reverence, but with abject wonder at my surroundings and the constant give and take that balance requires that can be seen and felt in every leaf, root, soil, insect, and creature.

This is my home.  My soul’s breath.  My spirituality.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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HealingThe Forest…

She reclaims as she heals
Taking back all that has fallen
And all that has been lost.
Nothing is wasted
For even the wounds
Can be returned to the earth
As she heals,
And new growth flourishes.

I’ve been thinking a lot today about the month’s end reading I did a couple of days ago. The forest isn’t the only one that recycles things… people do too.  My father’s influences and expectations carry on even after he has passed, whispering through my mind and, in some cases, making me who I am today… and tomorrow.

The key is to find a balance between those whispers and what I want for myself.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography