In describing the moment of inspiration, the author creates a meditative environment allowing insight to well up in the mind of the reader. These beautiful moments, grounded in nature, create an appreciation for our world and how it sustains us, how its beauty and bounty depend on our wise use, how our lives, our being, cannot be separated from all that surrounds us.
Table of Contents |
1. Serenity
2. The Orchard
3. The View from the Mountain Top
4. Among the Stars
5. Watching the Sunset
6. The Meadow
7. The Dragonflies
8. On the Trail to the Epicenter
9. The Tidepool
10. The Forest
11. The Rock at the Beach
12. The Ring of Trees
13. Snorkeling in the Virgin Islands
14. Encounter with an Iris
15. In the Midst of Endless Life
16. The Moss and the Fir Tree
17. The Flowing Stream
18. Of Clouds and Sycamores
19. Musings in the Rain
20. The Apple and the Food Chain
21. Seeing Life's Perpetual Progression
22. A Journey to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
23. Realizing Connectedness Everywhere
24. Awareness
Excerpt |
I looked to the valley and saw snow falling in several lower-elevation areas. Further down, it was raining, and around the lake I could see a fine mist rising. Observing this panorama, I also noticed my warm exhaled breath, like a miniature mist, merging with the cold air around me.
It was at that point that the following thought surfaced: 'Things appear to be different, but they are really, in essence, one. Yes, the hail, the snow, the rain, the mist, the water in the lake, the water in the cells of the trees, and the water in the cells of my own body, all interrelate.' I recognized the water, which I saw simultaneously in its various forms, to be an integral part of the one Life. Therefore, I was once again left with the awareness that, while form is varied and diverse, the substance remains identical.
Blue Dolphin Publishing, 1999