There are times when nature reminds us that not all places are hospitable and real danger exists unless we are fully prepared...more than just physically. The same is true when we decide to face our wounds, hurts, and heartbreaks.  The rewards of taking these journeys can be immense; although few are without sacrifice, turmoil, and tumultuous periods...perhaps equal to the peace we find.

Just as the great weaver connects its web to multiple points for strength and support, our hearts send out energetic links to those closest to us. These strands catch us when we stumble, or when life is overwhelming, reminding us we are never alone...even when there are no others physically around.

The bark beetle's larvae create "galleries" in the growth tissue under the bark, known as the cambium.  Each beetle has its own pattern, or signature. As the last hours of the year tick away, may your happy, moving, gratitude-filled experiences be etched in your memories and living tissue so that no amount of time could erase them.  And, may those difficult times, the heartaches, loss, and betrayals be written in the snow, to melt away and be recycled without evidence they ever existed. On the surface, it may seem easy to identify where you would place each event.  Wisdom asks, "Are you sure..." and invites you to go deeper.

What is this a photo of?  On this first day of winter, I wanted to share the gift of perspective. By shifting your vantage point, looking through another's eyes, or changing your story, your life will change dramatically...even though nothing external to you has changed. This is what it means to step into your divine self, for you are creating everything.

Trees that dare to grow on precipices and peaks subject themselves to strikes from the heavens. The same is true for those who go against the flow, stand up for the disenfranchised, share truth from the heart, and speak for those who don't have a voice...nature.They are often lightening rods for the critics, the naysayers, and those with ulterior motives.  Stand tall, stretch into your truth and what you stand for. You make a difference in the world and are expressing what you came here to do, and be.

This photo may elicit emotions across the spectrum from beauty to repulsion.  Why?  Many of us recognize the putrid, rancid death as aspects reflected in our own lives...where we have held on too long in a relationship, job, or self abuse and watched that part of us die off in an abnormal, unhealthy manner. It is never too late to choose again, in each moment, and claim your integrity - the state of being whole or undivided.

Can you sense my gentle presence as I pull on your heart strings? Listen closely and you will hear the symphony of our commingling and know that we are all creating this as the Uni-Verse...one song.

I love it when something really unexpected shows up...dancing outside the box I place things in, making the old, new. The unique Celtic knotwork, which revealed itself in the roots of a Gambel oak, has caused me to explore the world with child-like wonder, knowing that magic is afoot!

In life, completeness is found in the connection of light and dark within.  The proportions are different for each of us, depending on where our path has ventured.  Many times we seek our wholeness in the exterior realm, through another person or work. At best, those experiences only fill the gap temporarily through the distraction.    

Life seems to have a way of narrowing our focus over time. When we are young, our imaginations create worlds upon worlds, and when asked what we want to be when we grow up, our greatest dreams pour forth as though it's already a given.
Then the dream thief arrives, and one-by-one, steals our hopes until we are left defending the one or two that remain...leaving us focused on a very narrow bandwidth of life.

The bold and bright are always competing for your attention, just as the big issues are undeniable and demand your time and focus. But, it is the little things that often go undetected, which sneak up on you, reminding you of the beauty all around.  When you open yourself to this possibility, an infinite world of the minutiae becomes accessible...all you have to do is slow down enough and go deeper into the crooks and crannies. Once you enter this reality, your life will be painted anew with an entire universe previously uncharted.

Once all the flashy, outer expression has been displayed, a subtler, more refined beauty can unfold. The same is true of us.  After the need to be seen, heard, or understood, an inner beauty of raw reality is exposed...and we finally blossom.

For so long, duality has been admonished as something to avoid in the spiritual realms...that the goal is oneness to avoid the pitfalls of polarity. What if, as in this plant, the polarity creates a balance, and that IS the oneness?  How can you know yourself without something to compare it to?  How can you know love in the absence of fear? Duality is the greatest gift, albeit our learning platform, always providing the opportunity to create a whole from the halves.

Have you ever felt like you had to "hide" your gifts, or talents? Was it because you didn't think they were good enough; or, perhaps you knew they were but didn't want to show off?
The male peacock reminds us to offer our gifts with carefree abandon...we don't chastise him for his brilliance, but instead, are in awe. The same is true when we fully express that, within ourselves.

This sporophyte field is the asexual phase of moss and does not photosynthate, therefore it relies on the leafy phase (gametophyte) for sustenance. It is the same with our dreams and imagination, which are symbolic of sporophytes, reaching to the heavens for inspiration, yet relying on the physical for grounding and manifestation. One cannot exist without the other; for the physical without creative dreams is merely a shell...and imagination without the ability to manifest is solely a fairy tale.

A rose, by any other name...What happens when you take away the monikers that define who you are: parent, spouse, child, your work, ethnicity, where you're from, etc.? What's left after you peel back all those layers...the sweet, juicy fruit of your core. How does this inner self compare to the labels we contort ourselves into? Or are you like the rose?

We all release aspects of ourselves throughout the day, flooding our surroundings with the remnants.  Generally, it is due to our emotions and thoughts.  When mindfulness is at play, the result is as intricate as feathers...contributing beauty to the world.

Look closely and you can see how my architecture is compartmentalized into tiny, interdependent segments of life-force. If you were to take a closer look at yourself...going to the cellular level, you would see that you are comprised of the same sorts of interwoven connections numbering in the trillions.  Most of these cells function without your awareness, to support the universe known as You.

Luna's enchanted glow is inviting, almost mesmerizing, as she awakens our emotions and draws us closer through her soft stare.Her suitor, the sun, cannot be directly looked upon for any length of time without injuring our vision...much the way our divine selves are too intense for us to interact with.  Our physical vehicle reflects our beautiful, sacred self so we can experience heaven on earth through our connection with others.

Conifers are a rare classification of plants known as gymnosperms...from Greek meaning "naked seed," or plants whose seeds are not enclosed within an ovary, hence no flowers or fruit are produced. Sometimes, an inordinate amount of energy is spent towards flashy and colorful displays when simplicity is all that is required.