Day 63
This was absolutely a beautiful day. It was cool this morning — in the 30s — but it warmed up to 45 degrees F this afternoon and it is now dropping back into the 30s. These cool days are often so crisp and clear everything looks so pristine and beautiful.
My Ancestors
My ancestors all came from Ireland and England with a few scattered hither and yon. After arriving in the states on various ships they eventually settled in the Carolinas. I cannot imagine what life was like back then and how hard it must have been to decide where to go and where a living could be made.
On days like this, as I drive and see the mountains appear in the distance, I can only imagine what it was like to travel at the time of my ancestors. So many people traveled great distances by foot or by horseback. I can only imagine what it was like to see the Blue Ridge or Appalachian mountains rise in front of you as you approach on foot or on horseback. Wow.
I think about what this part of the country looked like before there were roads or power poles or cell towers or buildings. Just the mountains and the sky. It had to be the most stunning sight to see. My ancestors had to be more in touch with the land than we are because they had to choose good places to try to make a home and decide where they could actually survive.
Of course, the things that were done to the Native American population were horrible. That is the terrible part of our history and I cannot be enthusiastic about how strong and brave my ancestors were without acknowledging the horrible things that were done to the native peoples of this great land.
At One With the Land
Earlier today I was perusing some upcoming workshops that I might like to take. One class being offered at the North Carolina Arboretum really caught my interest: Light Pollution, Health, and the Environment. From the course description:
“Embrace the dark. For well over a century, the night sky has been lit with artificial lighting. Until recently, the dramatic impact of light pollution on wildlife, human health, and the environment has been largely underestimated and poorly understood. This class emphasizes the importance of nighttime darkness and the many ways that darkness is necessary for the natural world and our physical, mental and emotional health. We will explore ways to mitigate the effects of light pollution in our homes and local environments and discuss strategies for making homes more “dark friendly,” thereby improving health, saving money and benefitting the environment.”
One of the reasons I moved back here was to get away from the hustle bustle of the larger city life. Too many street lights, too much light pollution, and noise! When we went to Sedona a few years ago the stars were so vibrant in the sky — the way I remembered it as a child. Even though we live rather remotely, there is still a lot of light pollution.
Upcoming Weather
It is looking more and more like we will get some amount of snowfall this weekend. I’m not sure we will know just how much until late tomorrow or Saturday. Right now predictions are in the 8-13 inch range with possible ice before, during and after the snow. We will be tucking in and staying put until the storm passes. Maybe I’ll get those Christmas cards addressed after all!
“Mountains have long been a geography for pilgrimage, place where people have been humbled and strengthened, they are symbols of the sacred center. Many have traveled to them in order to find the concentrated energy of Earth and to realize the strength of unimpeded space. Viewing a mountain at a distance or walking around its body we can see its shape, know its profile, survey its surrounds. The closer you come to the mountain the more it disappears, the mountain begins to lose its shape as you near it, its body begins to spread out over the landscape losing itself to itself. On climbing the mountain the mountain continues to vanish. It vanishes in the detail of each step, its crown is buried in space, its body is buried in the breath. On reaching the mountain summit we can ask, “What has been attained?” – The top of the mountain? Big view? But the mountain has already disappeared. Going down the mountain we can ask, “What has been attained?” Going down the mountain the closer we are to the mountain the more the mountain disappears, the closer we are to the mountain the more the mountain is realized. Mountain’s realization comes through the details of the breath, mountain appears in each step. Mountain then lives inside our bones, inside our heart-drum. It stands like a huge mother in the atmosphere of our minds. Mountain draws ancestors together in the form of clouds. Heaven, Earth and human meet in the raining of the past. Heaven, Earth and human meet in the winds of the future. Mountain mother is a birth gate that joins the above and below, she is a prayer house, she is a mountain. Mountain is a mountain.”
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