More on storms and seasons Monty

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Dear Monty,

Today on this last day of October I have been reading 'New Eyes for Plants' , it is all about looking, observing - seeing beyond the obvious. It is on loan from a good friend who also sees beyond the obvious.




Sometimes when I look at myself I see things which I know are potentially as damaging to myself and others as storms would be, then I look out at the stand of trees in the park and take in a deep breath.

I believe God does place us in deep places as well as on high places, in the dark as well as the light, this is reflected in our cycles of night and day and of season. We choose yes, but also we are allowed to become melancholic, and I know that we are not meant to stay there. Self belief can be just as damaging as self doubt. Perhaps most of us are somewhere in the middle sometimes tipping over to one or the other. The rock remains stable like the deep rooted trees while we sway about - this is the way it is. The way is found through our stumbling - we find the way and we find it remains constant. Sometimes I am swayed by the mantra that we need to change, but there is something to be said for The Ancient of Days.

The restlessness and storms are down to this constant drive to change, to move forward to have better to be better, when in fact we is what we is and always will be. I have tried the noise and the calling down of fire.

The pillar and the ground of truth.

The huge forces of God - the dynamic of nature. We watched glaciers being 'calved' on bbc2 last night. bbciplayer.com H2O locked in ice, tons of it cascading cliffs and mini tsunamis, and amazing deep blue watery caverns. It reminded me of the caves locally carved out of solid limestone by the power of water.

I suppose the depths relate to who I am.

The forces of the storm and the earthquake, the melting of ice, the uplifting and erosion of mountains all sculpt and shape the earth, and in a way these forces are at work in me too. Perhaps this is why we respond in shaping music, gardens, words and paint ?



Paul.




Comments

  1. Gardener in the Distance1 November 2012 at 09:35

    Paul, first I love your painting.
    With all these forces going on in this world, my question to my self is how can I best deflect what assaults me? What should my state be if I'm to remain safe from malignance?
    As it is for all of life, the onrushing outer forces exist to test our validity and resourcefulness. They are not, I feel, designed to overwhelm us. We are to become strong through facing them, and we are to put our trust in God, as if He were our little boat out there on the seas.
    It's a tough call, but I feel that it's our sincerity in accepting these things, rather than our apparent success or failure, that signals our identity.
    I'm probably getting too deep. Yikes! A beautiful, thought-provoking post nonetheless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul Steer1 November 2012 at 13:42

      Thank you again, yes strength comes through facing the storms, you are absolutely right, so often we make judgements about 'apparent success or failure' in ourselves and worse, in others when it is not about either.

      Delete

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