The other day a client told me a story about
hiking adventures in an out of state area he was visiting. On
the first day he hiked quickly and for many miles; every photograph he had taken included vast, sweeping landscape images. The second day’s hike was at a much
slower pace, covering only a small area, and he had been focused on his inner
landscape—reflecting on his life, relationships, spiritual transformation; the
photos he captured that day were all up-close shots of flowers and plants.
This made so much sense to me as he unfolded his
story.
Nature mirrors us and we find ourselves capturing
that reflection in our thoughts, creative expressions, and even our pace. The
many miles of land my client rapidly traversed in a few hours were symbolized
by broad views in his pictures. When he went deeply inward, his focus on the
landscape was reined in and he found the petals, stamens, and other minute
details inside the flowers intriguing enough to photograph.
When we pair attendance to the natural world
around us with presence to our own processes, we are apt to discover how
amazingly in sync they are: how they offer up reflection upon reflection.
Stand still near a tree. Quiet yourself on the
inside. Close your eyes for a moment and breathe. When you open your eyes, gaze
softly on whatever part of the tree your eyes are drawn to. Allow yourself to
remain there like that for a few minutes. Take a photo of (or draw, commit to
memory, write down) whatever it was that captured your attention. Then consider
one thing that is happening in your life right now. Can you see the connection
between what’s present for you in your life and what presented itself to you
near the tree?
May the gifts of the natural world bless you as you experience your own inner gifts.
(Posted with permission from the
client.)
All blog images created & photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: "©2018 JenniferJWilhoit/TEALarbor stories. AllRightsReserved."
