Patterns On the Shore

an old theme but one that never fails to fascinate me is the way the chaos of the ocean meeting the shore creates such fine art ...

here are some recent photos of this phenomena

A fascination of crows

see the crows?

they graze on the shore

companionably.

 one appears to have something round in its beak. A pearl perhaps? Or a satisfying stone.

now they fly off, we have come too close.

Walking as Prayer

If walking is a prayer, and I think it is,
what does this mean?

By this, I'm talking of yesterday's walk,
where, as a few times before, I walked on what I thought
was tidal flats to find that it wouldn't hold me upright
and in fact, yesterday morning,
the earth flung me down,
onto my back, my camera thankfully held up.
Nothing hurt - too slow a tumble and I did
laugh and laugh, looking up at the sky in surprise.
To get up again meant that I had to get further wet and muddy

by placing one hand firmly in the muck and pushing up.
If you had seen me you would've seen a tall  woman who was
covered in mud from  her head all down her back and jeans to her boots.

I continued my walk reciting the mantra of dependent arising
on to the first beach where I sat in the sand and contemplated
the extreme beauty of everything.

I unwound it - unwound it - unwound it and found at the center nothing
but the earth's desire to claim me as her own - that falling was always a good
thing - to remember where I came from - the mucky sea - and where I am
headed no matter how many meanders I may make. In trying to avoid the mucky shore I had, like Oedipus, walked squarely into my fate.
My prayer then is this - thinking I am separate from the earth may I be remember that is an illusion,
may dependent arising always reach up and pull me down to where I can tip my head back and
see the true upside down world.

oh frabjous day!

Today was excellent good!

We got up early after a late night at the Ice and Water Dance - which was good rockabilly music, bring your own hooch and lots of group dancing. I gave a talk at the church service - Speaking of Silence - on meditation and silence in our lives. It was very well received and I felt gratified. Then home for a quick bite - grab the beasty and into the truck to go off to place a Peace Vase at Muskrat Falls.

Whoa! Wait a minute.

Peace Vases - to find out about them go here -
here is the short answer for those who don't like to wing about - A peace vase is a small tightly sealed container that is intentionally filled with all kinds of substances, blessed by those who have made them, with the sincere wish to benefit all beings and then they are buried around the globe, in major oceans, lakes and rivers, holy sites, places of war, strife and ecologically damage or degradation, with the hope that it will restore health to the planet, our earth, healing the land, turning war into peace.

PLANTING PEACE ON THE PLANET

---

May the placement of these vases across the planet assist in creating world peace and harmony on all levels, in all places: in all major water bodies, on the highest mountains, in the largest rivers, at the most holy and powerful places, in all major ecologically endangered locations, and even in space.

Muskrat Falls - to find out about it go here - this is just one view but there are very few friends of the environment, friends of Aboriginal peoples and friends of Labrador that think this hydro-electric monstrosity is a good idea. I obviously don't and that and the fact that it is a beautiful and sacred place made it perfect for having a peace vase placed in it.

It is so beautiful there - especially on the North side where we were. You can't go on the South side much anymore - Nalcor (the Newfoundland and Labrador crown corp in charge of energy) won't let folks go there. There is lots of degradation of the environment happening already - here are photos of the side of the hill - stripped of its trees and the logs sit and rot..

So very very sad. All of this area will be flooded and so much lost. But that is why it needs a peace vase, no?

On the way home (and by the way - just to go down a different road - the different road - was thrilling) we saw another bear and the dear guy took this photo as I was on the wrong side! Isn't it the loveliest! 

This Mud Ball

 The earth is a ball
and that is not disputed -
a slippery mud ball
sliding through the universe
on its way to home plate.

Sometimes I see a bit of
the pitcher's glove.
Sometimes the kind face
of the catcher concentrating
on the trajectory.

The batter?
A total mystery.

I took my heart

I took my heart to the shore
where I found peace
in the water,

the clouds in the water,
the birds on the water and in the air,
the grassy verge,
the sandy beach.
I found peace.

The Ice and Water Dance

Now that is something I'd call a poem about this shore but it is an actual dance that will be happening this Saturday night. It happens every year around break-up. Obviously it has to be fairly loose. I never even heard of it until last week when someone wondered out loud. I'm going to wear some sort of costume. I haven't decided whether to be ice or water but that is the point. Today the bay is ice, yesterday it was water - this dance seems to go on day after day... The other thing that happens is that as the ice gets rotten it makes ice candles - then me and the fella and the dog go out and jump on the ice pans to break them open revealing their exquisite crystals. Here's some photos to give you an idea. Perhaps the Ice and Water Dance could be lit with these?