To Be Receptive…

” …the sea is a great teacher of receiving. Always rising and falling like the clear blood of the earth, the formless water receives everything that enters it. It rejects nothing.” from “Seven Thousand Ways to Listen” by Mark Nepo

This quote entered my consciousness as I became fully present at Fox Point Beach several days ago. The purpose to explore the beach was photography but I quickly changed my focus. Yes, I was able to make a few images that are meaningful to me and perhaps to you as well. The brief slide show presents my favourites of that day.

Why did my focus change so suddenly? Perhaps it was the fact that the friend I ventured out with was completely absorbed in his own image search and we soon split apart. I found myself in this particular spot, between huge seaweed covered boulders near the water’s edge that only recently had emerged from the receding tide and open water. The light was quickly changing to embrace the beautiful qualities the “Golden Hour” presents. Such light makes wet rocks and calm water sparkle brightly, it softens harsh lines and bathes everything in a warm glow.

It was as if I had stopped thinking… my breathing slowed and my mind settled on the gifts of the sea. Without much effort or changing my position I observed lush seaweed dripping with moisture, tiny dulse plants promising a rich summer harvest, snails taking shelter in rock crevices and under plants. The bounty of the sea was all around me. The sound of constant waves, their foaming tongues rushing toward the sandy areas interrupted by smooth rocks, called for a pause.

My thoughts receded into the background. I was part of the environment, receiving and releasing the gifts the sea was ready to present and share. I was fully immersed, enveloped by this visceral experience yearning for the lasting for eternity. I would not trade these moments for anything. This is a place for healing, for restoring my senses and physical well-being.

All I had to do was respond to the moment, open myself up to active receiving. The strength presented through engaging with the elemental forces brings peace. My gift to the sea is a calmer self, someone whose senses have been restored.

Perhaps today’s contemplation will bring peace to you as well. Thanks for stopping by.

Warm wishes, Anna

How long should it be…?

Please click on individual images to appreciate them fully. Enjoy!

During a recent solitary beach walk I remembered my early days of freelance reporting for a small town newspaper in Saskatchewan. One particular memory came to mind and I had to smile as I was recollecting the experience.

I had received my first assignment covering an arts and culture event and I was wondering about the length of the article I was expected to turn in for the next day deadline. I had less than 12 hours to put pen to paper and create something informative and meaningful. The answer from the editor was swift: “Keep it to 400 words… that’s about all the bum can take.”

Once I picked up my jaw after it hit the proverbial ground I quickly realized that this little side gig I had secured for myself to hone my skills and gain experience was not going to provide me with an opportunity to put much soul into the reports I was to turn in. However, it was a time filled with valuable lessons. Every so often I was able to stretch a submission to 600 words without any of them landing in the trash. Mostly they asked for photographs. That was easy as I love to capture situations and special events. I lasted three years with the weekly paper and I am happy I did. It taught me flexibility, working to a tight deadline, meeting the editors’ expectations, connecting with community members, and I had ample opportunities to practice patience and humility. I continue to draw from these lessons every day. And now, that I am recommitting to my writing through this blog, I keep the lessons close by with the sincere intent to build on them.

Back to my original query: How long should my blog entries be? How much time do you have and how interested are you in a specific topic? I added more photographs to today’s post as some readers will enjoy the photos more than the written word. And I am perfectly fine with that… do take a minute today and please weigh in with a comment. Do you prefer photographs? Do you enjoy the contemplative writing? Or, do you come for a combination of both? I care and I will respond to every comment personally, I promise.

The need to express myself through artistic endeavors is strong. Some days I am satisfied with posting just one image and an accompanying haiku, other days I feel compelled to let my contemplative thoughts get transported to the page, like today. What ignites my passion?

Much like a magpie or crow I look for “sparkles”. Sometimes they are literally shiny bits and other times a quick thought might enter my mind and I am off running with an idea that keeps morphing into an involved project that spans over weeks. I am grateful for this site. Designating it to be a paid for blog is a psychological crutch for me. When I pay for something I commit fully. Free blogs are just too easy to abandon and delete.They are also often littered with inappropriate advertisements that not always reflect my interests or the organizations I support.

This is only day three of blogging on my new site. So far, so good as they say… I am drawing much of my inspiration from my surroundings. So many of us in Nova Scotia refer to the province as paradise and Canada’s Ocean Playground. We had a major hick-up in April with a big spike in Covid cases. Our little town had its first confirmed case in early May since the pandemic took hold in Canada. I continue to feel so very fortunate to live here. Neighbours quickly adjusted to tightening of the rules, our small bubble of four pulled together and helped each other out by shopping for another and connecting on a smaller scale. We continued to embark on beach walks close to home to feed the senses and clear the mind. It signified a return to being more introspective and at the same time sparked my ambition to pick up my fountain pen on a daily basis, and eventually moving from the physical to the virtual page. I hope you join me regularly. Sign up for notifications regarding new posts! And don’t forget to weigh in with your thoughts.

Many thanks for stopping by today.
Best wishes, Anna

Tuning in…

Horseshoe Cove, Bay of Fundy

“Spirituality is the tuning of the inner person with the great mysteries and secrets that are around us. “ U Thant (UN Secretary General 1961-1971)

This quote came to me as I was making my way across rocky terrain to reach the soft sandy shore bathed in sunlight. And, if the calming nature sounds of the receding tide were not sufficient, the discovery of several live sand dollars brought a a genuine feeling of joy to me. It was the moment where my breath and heart-beat slowed, that precise moment where I felt connected with my environment.

The usual thoughts racing through my mind… stopped. I listened inward and there was a great feeling of peace, a calm that I have seldom experienced in the past. The quiet only disrupted by the gentle waves creating ripples in the sand. The colour surreal… like a Mediterranean beach scene without the sun bathers. I soaked it all in, held on to the visual and emotional impressions, recharging my body and mind!

By creating the image I realized that I was the connecting element bringing the experience and well timed observation together forever. One moment in time, on this sandy beach with its pink sand, perfect for sand dollars to find protection between the tides – my contemplative experience. May it bring you a feeling of joy and an opportunity to begin your day with gentleness.

Anna

The Portal… A Turning Point

Clarke Head, Bay of Fundy GeoPark, NS

My new home continues to present me with exciting destinations and discoveries, each more awe-inspiring than the last, at least this is how I experience them. A few weeks ago I embarked on a solitary beach walk. It was on my to-do-soon list for some time. The weather was glorious, the tide on the way out and the beach without another soul as far as my eye could see.

Clarke Head was the destination. Along the vast beach, some rocky areas, some passages easier to navigate, I made countless discoveries. I moved between surveying the high cliffs for variations in the geological compositions and the beach for glass and other treasures. The water was calm with fishing boats in the distance.

I walked between gigantic rock formations on my right and the towering cliffs on my left feeling like a tiny ant and yet, at the same time I realized that as a human my actions have tremendous significance. My thoughts kept me propelled forward. The ground suddenly more rocky again… and there is was, my destination. I could clearly make out a natural arch in the distance with an opening so wide a team of horses with carriage could easily pass through. Up close it became clear that actual passage would be impossible with huge boulders barring the entrance at beach level. My senses were heightened and the thought that no man-made structure has evoked this much emotion in me before manifested itself. I stood for some time appreciating the high arch, wondering how long it has evoked such reverence of anyone coming upon it.

I became very still, my thoughts moving into the background while I listened to the world around me. The ocean was gently lapping at the shore nearby, the occasional wave reaching higher and swooping over the kelp covered rocks no more than 20 steps from where I stood. The early springtime sun illuminating this magical place, warming my shoulders. Grateful for my discovery that day I turned, promising myself that despite not being able to pass through the opening it would surely serve as a metaphor for a new path. The idea for a new communication vehicle, this blog, was born…

All I needed was an appropriate name. I began to write down possible names and tag lines and “Fundy Contemplations” repeatedly moved to the foreground. Nearly two months after that first spark of an idea I welcome you, my reader, to my new place of expression. It serves as a continuation of the Miksang blog I kept for the past 4 1/2 years. A cross country move in late 2020, a new home and a significantly changed landscape at my door step I saw the opportunity to elevate my contemplative photography and writing. There will be haiku writing in the future, but this site is geared to serve more as a journal allowing a safe space for my contemplative, creative writing practice. I welcome you to comment anytime. Insights and feedback serve as inspiration and it will confirm interest. Better yet, please sign up to receive a notification each time a post goes live.

Welcome once more, and may creativity guide our path!
Anna