Wordless Wednesday – harvest gratitude
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Category Archives: nature
Wordless Wednesday – just a slice
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Sunset in Vancouver
An untouched photo of Friday night’s sunset from my rooftop patio.
Nature has been flexing her power here over the past week – great big storms with cracks of thunder that bounce off the mountains. Lightening flashes that curtain the sky and fork down to make a point. Rain that pounds down as if to wash away the summer dust.
And then, the storms clear and we are left with the beautiful sunshine and blue sky and the most glorious sunsets.
I think she’s showing off. I, for one, am loving it.
Tofino
Sometimes, I forget how lucky I am.
In July, I spent a week in Tofino with my sister and brother-in-law and my niece and nephew who travelled across Canada to spend time with me. Lots of the pictures from the last month have been from that week. Looking back through them, I realize how lucky I am to live so close to such an amazing place. And, to have family that I love spending time with.
Tofino is located on the west coast of the West Coast of Canada in Clayoquot Sound. That is, the west coast of Vancouver Island. From Vancouver, you take a ferry across to the Island, then drive all the way across the island til you get to the Hesquiaht Peninsula and travel to the end on the only road. There you will find Tofino.
Incredible long beaches with big waves that roll in off the Pacific ocean just ready to be surfed. Huge cedar trees, hundreds of years old and some over a thousand. Incredible marine and terrestrial wildlife – whales and seals and sea lions and eagles and bears and wolves. Oh my!!
Tofino’s economy is based on eco-tourism. Surfing, kayaking, whale-watching, hiking, sailing, bird-watching. Storm-watching in the winter. They’ve got it all. A wide range of artists and artisans and First Nations culture.
The other economic staple of the region is forestry and logging. In the summer of 1993, environmentalists and First Nations groups spear-headed a large, mostly peaceful protest against the intended logging of old-growth forest. Dubbed The War in the Woods, over 800 people were arrested in Canada’s largest incident of civil disobedience. Due largely to these protests, which gained world-wide attention, and a Greenpeace-initiated boycott of BC forest products, an agreement was reached between environmental groups, First Nations groups, the Provincial Government and MacMillan Bloedel, the logging company. There has been mostly peace in the woods since then.
For us, the week consisted of surfing, sea kayaking, whale-watching, kite-flying, long walks and bike rides along the beach, great food, a trip to the local aquarium, lots of photography and art, and a crazy game app called Space Team, where we all had to try to work together to fly a space ship. It mostly resulted in us yelling crazy instructions to each other as the ship eventually crashed into oblivion. If we ever get invaded by aliens, don’t rely on us to hijack and fly the alien ship!
It was a great week. The kids are teenagers now so they finally sleep in (yay!) and they both now like sushi (double yay!). And, my sister and I had lots of time for long talks, as opposed to our regular, cross time zone text-chatting.
People come long way from all over the world to visit Tofino – UK, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand, China and Japan. And, here it is right in my own backyard.
Yup, sometimes I forget just how lucky I really am. May I never take my many blessings for granted.
Mount Robson
Mount Robson, Canada
Wordless Wednesday – Rippled Reflection
Sweet
Octopus
Sacred Fire
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Twists and Turns
I love walking labyrinths.
There is so much about them that mirrors life’s journey. How we sometimes feel lost on our path with its twists and turns. How we don’t see the big patterns when we are inside them. How we journey again and again to the center of ourselves and back out again. How we sometimes interact with others on the walk and how sometimes we walk alone.
A bit about labyrinths. Labyrinths are not mazes. They are unicursal, meaning there is only one path. They come in many designs with lots of variations but there are two main styles – classical and Chartres. The classical seven-circuit style was first found on Crete 2,500 years ago. It was said that the labyrinth was built in Knossos to trap the fierce Minotaur. Theseus kills the Minotaur with help of Ariadne. I have always felt a bit sad for the Minotaur. Perhaps he is the beast inside each of us at the center of our journey. Maybe we’re meant to kill that beast. Or, maybe we’re meant to set it free. Or, maybe it just needs a hug.
The more complex Chartres’ style is found in the Chartres Cathedral in France and was created in 1225 CE. It is more associated with Christianity and is the style often found in Churches. They may be representative of a pilgrimage journey and in the 17th century it was popular to travel them on your knees. The more complex style means it’s harder to see the pattern. You really have to trust in the path and keep walking, even when you feel certain that you’ve made wrong turn or aren’t making any progress towards the centre or towards the exit!
Labyrinths for me have such a connection to the power of the earth. When you walk them, it’s like being plugged into a huge energy source. They have a presence that makes them feel alive. And, they have always had such a connection to the feminine spiritual connection. The hourglass shape made where two turns meet is called a labrys, the double-sided axe, a symbol of the Cretan goddess and of many goddesses. It is the representation of creation.
I have been to Knossos and I have also walked the labyrinth at Chartres.
I have walked labyrinths in many places and under many conditions. I have walked and danced and sang with joy and gratitude and the spirals of the labyrinth have been like springs under my feet giving me bounce.
I have walked with sorrow and grief and the labyrinth has accepted the flow of my tears like a river accepts water and rejoins it to the ocean.
I have walked labyrinths that are hundreds of years old, made of stone shined smooth by thousands of feet (and knees). I have created labyrinths while camping, marking off the paths with ropes that are unwound at the beginning of the weekend and gathered up at the end to wait for another year. And, as I did yesterday, I have walked labyrinths that are temporary, drawn on the sand of tidal flats and reclaimed by the sea in just a few short hours.
No matter what the circumstances of the walk, there is always the wisdom of the sacred journey. The reflection of life’s path. The reminder to walk each day with a similar awareness. No matter what the twists and turns.
A Fish and a Bicycle 