A Message from the Garden

How many times have you walked past a tree, rock, or geographical formation and thought you saw something else...a face, an animal, or a meaningful symbol. This picture from the garden falls into that category. There was a time I would have dismissed the image as fantasy, make believe, or an over active imagination. Over a lifetime, and then at an accelerated pace these last ten years the conversations with nature that I have been privy too have taught me to stop and pay closer attention...the natural world around us is purposely and purposefully communicating with humanity.

The first picture was taken on a brilliant sunny afternoon. I did not see the white cloud that is hinted at in the photo when I took the picture.

This willow tree that Court has nurtured in our back garden for twenty something years sculpted herself into this graceful embodiment of a demure Lady Willow (with a very deer like look). It wasn’t until Court gave the Willow a very serious “haircut” this winter that I clearly saw her face. Now as she is sprouting “hair” her exquisite feminine energy has come into focus.

The second shot was taken in a morning light, giving her a come hither look.

A quote from Charles Baudelaire describes these kinds of experiences perfectly: “The natural world is a spiritual house. We walk there through forests of physical things that are also spiritual things; they watch us with affectionate looks.”

I've discovered this story isn't complete without adding my friend John's voice...The (weeping) willow's message for me is, "Weep no longer, though tears inevitably will fall, there will always be new, vibrant growth after the old has fallen away; a time to face the nurturing sun, naked, peaceful, and proud once more." (So let it be).