Photography and Thoughts by Ulanawa Foote

Friday, September 28, 2012

SACRED BALANCE

To see a grasshopper is to see a reflection of myself.
It invites me to stop and take a closer look.
It teaches me the importance of searching my heart
and gaining a better understanding of what is required
of me and the courage to leap forward in the way I must go.
As I watch them peacefully feeding,
I know there is a plentiful food supply for them.
Watching them reminds me of sacred balance …
in taking only that which we need,
so that the abundance of all things
is available to everyone in a good way.
 
It invites me to look even closer,
beyond material abundance,
to see that I am giving of my heart and time
in a sacred and good way as well.
 
It reminds me to hold close to my heart and honor that which
is important to me and to try and see the beauty in all things.
And it cautions me...
 
It speaks to me of the devastation that can happen
when we allow ourselves to become unbalanced and
depleted. There can arise a swarming of the heart,
where in frenzied desperation we find ourselves
feeding on negative thoughts and feelings.
 
Grasshopper says let go of the negative energy and move on.
It encourages us to move through life in beauty and balance,
in a good and sacred way. This is what my heart tells me.
I see a grasshopper, and I smile.





























Thursday, September 13, 2012

WILDFLOWER SPIRITS

 
The spirit of the wildflower touches me.
It is able to endure where other flowers cannot.
It is able to grow and thrive
in most any environment.
In times of plenty or want, it manages to survive.
They continue to spread their beauty,
often in places where there are very few to acknowledge
or even appreciate them.
But their beauty still shines.
Unlike those with exceptional flowers
in prestigious gardens,
where attention and adoration flourishes,
the wildflower spirit peacefully exists without clamor or fanfare … but nonetheless never lacking in its own breath taking beauty and plentiful purpose.
 Often hidden away in obscure places with nothing to really draw attention to them, they speak the colorful language of hope to those who think themselves ordinary with nothing spectacular to offer.
In the hidden meadows, valleys and quiet places where the wildflowers thrive, there brims a fullness of life not noticeable to the busy world surrounding them.
They are a refuge, a shelter, a comfort to those who inhabit them. They provide nurturing and care to the small and fragile who depend upon them for their very survival. There is nothing ordinary about them. Their quiet nature may seem to keep  them hidden and even feeling overlooked , but in reality, a buzzing and busy place of wonder exists.
A colorful and fragrant garden is the wildflower spirit, offering hope and rest to what so much of the world has rejected and deemed unimportant.
They give freely, asking nothing in return.
They give fully, holding nothing of
themselves back to those who need them. 
They love unconditionally, and their fields are full of song.
They exist to make the lives of others a safe place and a haven. They take a quiet joy in seeing the lives they contribute to thrive and succeed. That is their own reward.
Blessed are the wildflower spirits, for their hearts know no boundaries and their love knows no limits. In their medicinal meadows of mercy, hope for others will always abound.
 
 
 











































Friday, September 7, 2012

SOMETIMES BEAUTY HIDES

Sometimes beauty hides.
 
I am up before the sun most mornings, and enjoy sitting outside listening to the last of the  night songs and the early awakening of sweet morning sounds. I was sitting contemplating some recent  “ugliness” I had experienced when I  caught a glittering glimpse  of something hidden beneath a leaf. As the trees danced and sang their water songs (suggesting rain was soon to follow), I could see this particular leaf catching the moonlight and silently doing a dance of its own. 
 
I went to examine it more closely, and a small white moth was resting underneath the leaf, almost completely hidden from view. It’s beauty seemed to glow on the dark leaf in the moonlight. My heart leaped with joy at the discovery of this lovely moth.  In its quiet beauty and simplicity, it was absolutely stunning. As the trees had sung their water songs minutes before, I watched as the early morning mist gently kissed the moth, making it glisten all the more in the moonlight.
 
But no matter how hard I tried to photograph it, I could not. It was just too well hidden on a leaf against the house. I could not manage a picture of it without disturbing it. It had found a safe place to rest and I respected its space. So I went  inside, all the while thinking how some aspects of beauty, like this small moth, in its fragileness and delicateness,  may feel the need to hide to protect itself. And as I turned to close the door, still lost in contemplation, the moth was in complete view. The underside of the leaf was resting against the door window. So without disturbing the resting beauty, I managed to get a few pictures of it. And this encounter has touched me deep in my spirit and has me thinking about many things ...
For sometimes beauty does hide;
And one must view it from the inside in order to see it. 
 
****After Thoughts****
Just as I was about to close the door after taking pics of my hidden beauty through the beagle snot on the front door, I caught the glimpse of fluttering wings in the moonlight. I saw where it landed but could not see it. So I took some pics from where I saw it land and discovered another hidden beauty. :) ♥ ♥ ♥
 
This one blended in so nicely with the weathered wood on deck.
Was almost invisible without zoom on camera. :)