Being in Nature Archives - Page 2 of 21 - Madhu Bazaz Wangu
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Being in Nature

Day 311, Monday, November 11, 2024

Posted on November 10, 2024
in Being in Nature, Nonverbal Activities, Travel
4 Comments

Reflections The monumental elements of nature such as mammoth mountains, immensely vast oceans, milky way and galaxies stir deep wonder and dread that has a divine quality. That's how I felt as I walked below the colossal rocks that seem to kiss the sky from where I stood. The feeling of dread, a side-effect of awe is similar to the feeling we get from death defying rides at an amusement park. Inspiration An astonishingly beautiful place is Zion National Park in Utah. “Zion” means “holy place” or “kingdom of heaven.” The park’s colossal mountains and steep cliffs and abundant crystal-clear streams are evidence of its majesty. Their beauty transports the traveler to a fantasy world. Temporarily I forgot where I was – in the human world or another planet. I felt the similar...

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Day 309, Saturday, November 9, 2024

Posted on November 8, 2024
in Being in Nature, Creativity, Travel
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Reflections Good morning friends! Do you know of a friend or an event that relates nature and people? Someone you know who lives in the mountains, near a river or in the woods? If not perhaps today's post inspires you to write a short story about it. Inspiration Natural landscape can absorb you in its majesty, shake you up with its exquisite beauty, and spew you out transformed. This has happened to me over and over again in U.S. National Parks. Many individuals report feeling connected to the sacred through nature. Were you aware that regions with higher levels of natural amenities have lower rates of adherence to religious organizations? Mountains, hills, lakes, beaches, coastlines, forests, and pleasant weather all contribute to the powerful spiritual effects on people’s behavior who live close by. Spiritual relates to...

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Day 308, Friday, November 8, 2024

Posted on November 7, 2024
in Being in Nature, Travel
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Reflections The photos included in this post are also featured on the cover of my book, "Images of Indian Goddesses." Such images had triggered the strong emotions while I was researching and writing my doctoral dissertation. I held them in my heart-mind for years. And then when I finally stood mesmerized in front of them all my emotions poured out. INSPIRATIONKali in Himachal While driving in the lower Himalayan Mountains with my husband, we viewed the River Bias as its flow shimmered in the deep valley. The intention of our trip in the state of Himachal Pradesh was to photograph the images of the Indian goddess Kali enshrined in the locally well-known temple. I had seen goddess photos in art history books, describing such local temples, and this one had attracted my...

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Day 307, Thursday, November 7, 2024

Posted on November 6, 2024
in Being in Nature, Creativity, Travel
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Reflections Magnificence of nature and magnificent art, music, dance-drama performances turn me speechless. Words lose their meaning. Coming from a writer, this is a significant declaration. In silence, my eyes well, heart hurts (in a good way) and my ego self dissipates. I merge into what I'm beholding as the matter turns into spirit. The object can be as small as a flower or a bonsai arrangement. Or as marvelous as Michelangelo's David. Inspiration A photograph of a great work of art is the mere memory of the original. In no way can it have the same impact as an in-person encounter. I experienced this when we visited the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy. I had seen the reproductions of Michelangelo’s marble statue of David, but was clueless about how I would...

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Day 304, Monday, November 4, 2024

Posted on November 3, 2024
in Being in Nature, Meditation, Nonverbal Activities
2 Comments

Inspiration Seeing There is sheer joy in seeing. Watch nature through the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, the clouds, the ocean, the river, the waterfall, the lake, the flames, the crackling sparks. Whether you are a child or a ninety-year-old, you can never see anything better. How can one learn to use visual skills to the utmost? Start observing nature and art any day, any time. The details in painting, sculpture, architecture, and crafts will surprise you. Take in the sense of composition, color hues, gradations, and visual balance. See artworks viscerally. There is no logic to what you learn thus but you will begin to appreciate the world around you with new understanding. Whatever style or period of art charms you or touches your heart, keep looking at those works. Let them...

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Enchantment: After Machu Picchu

Posted on October 18, 2024
in Being in Nature, Travel
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Enchantment Disenchants Packing for PeruI dreamed of Cusco and Machu Picchu,Enchanting, impalpable, ethereal. Imagining majesty, craving the view,    Awe had enthralled me before, it would bewitch me again.I had disappeared into sublime presence of canyons, oceans, mountainsbecoming One with them.Nothing had existed then. The train sped through the Sacred Valley of Cuscotunnels and valleys above us the vista of Andeans,around us rice crops swaying in wet fields,   wonderous jewel of the Inca Empire.  At the summit ancient marvel of town planning, roofless rooms, corridors, courtyards, steppes.I saw. I looked. I gazed. Nothing. I felt nothing.I relooked with my whole body,Nothingwith all my senses, Nothing. National Geographic photos look are so enticing! A feeling of guilt washed over me.  Guilt of not being able to appreciateof not being awedof letting my “I” overtake my wonder. My guilt ground in, as we descended. The train ride through the sacred...

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Peak Moments in Nature II

Peak Moments III: Grand Canyon

Posted on October 8, 2024
in Being in Nature, Travel
5 Comments

Sky is pitch dark when we arrive blind with exhaustion. A hot shower, alluring soft bedI’m in the dream world.  Before dawn, air nips.Hot sips of coffee satisfy craving, warm my hands.Peaks and valley hundred shades of grey Whispering softly people fill the benches.A sheen of orange announces the sun,the gentle babble quiets. Radiance evaporates the mist,the greys take colors. Slowly peaks emerge, then the treetops above and the gorges below.A hush falls in the crowdwatching the sunrays paint in orange, gold, and glistening hues of viridian.  Earth is being born. Inhalation. Exhalation. Inhalation. Exhalation. Inhalation. Exhalation.The newborn and I are one.I’m the earth. The Infant. The Immemorial.Imagine  This repeating every morning! Sounds return in slow motion, chirping, cheering, chatting. Seated on the bench I’m back to myself.  ...

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How Ordinary turned into extraordinary

Peak Moments II: Looking Up at Teton Range

Posted on September 27, 2024
in Being in Nature, Travel
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Today and for the next few weeks I'll post the poems I wrote after experiencing peak moments in nature. Looking up at Teton Range, Grand Canyons and Mount Denali. I share my deep feelings and photos whole heartedly with you. Hope you enjoy! TETON RANGEJackson, Wyoming On our way to Yellowstoneour bus stops for a bathroom break. Waiting last in linemidst summer meadows of swaying yellow flowers and wild grass,I inhale the same air as the Teton Mountain Range. I see people existing a log cabin. I walk to itEnter as the last person leaves the Chapel of Transfiguration. The sparce decoration on the log wall,I sit in silence on the front pew.A ray of sunlight coming through the large glass panel blinds.My eyes close I wonder.What is transfiguration? When I open my eyes the rays...

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Peak Moments of Awe & Delight

Posted on September 21, 2024
in Being in Nature, Meditation, Travel
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Dear Friends,Deepak Chopra defines peak moments of self-realization as having six characteristics. To illustrate each character, below I’ve quoted from my won experiences at various National Parks in the United States that are included in the book, Unblock Your Creative Flow: 12 Months of Mindfulness for Writers and Artists. Most of these are excerpted from the chapters, “Mindfulness and Travel” and “Mindfulness, Stillness, Silence and Solitude.” • Loss of ego: “Rapture envelops me.”• Time slowing: “People seem to be cheering in slow motion.”• The inability to hear: “I can’t hear a thing.”• The feeling of being one with all that exists: “I am one with all that exists, a living cell in the body of the universe.”• A heightened sensory perception: “Everything looks radiant. Surroundings turn luminous.”• Connecting with the inner...

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