Monday, January 10, 2011

In Silence Lies Beauty: Gesture and Lace in a Snowy Forest



Gesture and Lace - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann


Hermann Melville said, "God’s one and only voice is silence."  Somehow I agree.  It's only in moments of silence that we can even begin to grasp the magnitude of the beauty all around us and the profound miracle of every day.


A snow-shrouded forest is a great place to experience the joy and fullness of silence.  Why is silence full?  Because silence allows us the space to let go of conscious thoughts, goals, and all the usual preoccupations that we carry around with us from day to day.  Silence gives us a moment of pause in which we may become aware of our own Being.  In silence, we own ourselves; we own the moment.  Silence lets us "be," if Being is what we want.

Silence asks nothing of us but to befriend her.  Silence will not ask us to defend ourselves.  Silence is forgiving.  She is a balm to our souls.  

Silence is not Golden, but she is buoyant, transparent and transforming.  Listen to Silence if you want to find your Heart.

I was astounded with the beauty of the forest on this bone-chilling day when I walked with my husband at a nearby state park. The landscape was frozen and rigid in the vice-grip of winter.  Yet the trees maintained their winding and undulating forms, held on to their grace under the assault of bitter cold and high winds.  Because the temperature has been so low this week, little melting has taken place, even on the blacktop that usually warms in the midday sun.  

Snow Berries - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

There was so much to see in this transformed land of delicate lace-work and graceful forms: the rolling hills, the frosted berries and dancing trees.  The contrast of bright white snow clinging to twigs, trunks and branches against a background of afternoon shadows, really brought out the beauty of the arbor.  When we left I was again replete again with nature's beauty, though my toes were nearly frozen.

I love silence.  But I know some folks find silence tedious or even frightening.  Do you look forward to moments of silence or do you find yourself avoiding it?

Together in Beauty - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann


All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary site at http://www.lyndalehmann.com/gallery if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog!

25 comments:

  1. The images are so beautiful, they are enough to make a grown man jump for joy! Perhaps one day I'll experience what your eyes have seen.

    Take Care,
    Peter

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  2. Peter - I'm so glad you liked them! It was awesome, being there. Thanks for your visit and your code-related advice. I continue to be challenged with blog issues, but I have too much else to think about right now, to get riled!

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  3. Silence is delicious. And even more than the silence of silence, I love the silence in my head when I paint or am otherwise creatively focused.

    The branches and especially the berries contrasting with the snow are striking and lovely!

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  4. Delightful photos that really portray the beauty of a deep winter silence. I moved to the country farm because I need and enjoy the silence - something city life just doesn't offer.

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  5. Gwenn - I too, love being creatively focused. I get in "flow" and everything else disappears, including all my usual mind-clatter! And usually, I get very excited and into a state of of joy that I can't describe....

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  6. JANICE - You sure have got that right, about city life. Although it's full of stimulation, sights and smells and sounds and activity and people, you can't get that silence (or almost-silence) that you get in the country. If I have to choose between the two, I'll take the quiet country life!

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  7. Lynda,

    I love how your works speaks volumes. You have the magic touch! :)

    Theresa

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  8. Theresa - Thanks for visiting and for your kind words. If I had the magic touch, lol, I could cook like you! ;)

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  9. What wonderful photos. A month ago I was lucky enough to have a similar scene right outside my window, such beauty! I enjoyed your descriptions very much.

    I spend much of my day in silence, sitting at my desk ooking out on nature and the birds and squirrels visiting the feeders just outside my window. (Birdsong is a welcome addition to the quiet.)

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  10. Susannah - I'll go for the birdsong, too. Or any other wildlife sounds. But I can do without the roar of lawn mowers and rumble of garbage trucks, and the ringing of neighbor's telephones!

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  11. Your images bring to mind the proverb "Do not speak unless you can improve the silence”

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  12. RONALD - One can never improve the silence. At least, for those of us who savor the silence!

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  13. I can hear the "crunch crunch crunch" of those people walking through the snow.
    That top photo's almost like cotton candy.
    I'll still pass on sn*w, though. Can't help it.

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  14. LANA - If I had wings, I'd fly out of here to the Southern Sphere, tonight!

    Snow has gotten old for me, too, at this point in my life!

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  15. Lynda, I know exactly what you are talking about. Snow, esp., quiets everything. All the photography that I've done successfully is nature. When I lived in Mexico, I missed the winters here in the Berkshires. I pulled up a song on my YouTube channel. You may know this James Taylor song.
    http://tinyurl.com/2wa6cfq The second stanza reminds me, even though I'm from NYC, the Berkshires are my home. Sweet tides,

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  16. scriba - I didn't know that song--I've been way out of the loop on music for a long time, but I should know a James Taylor song!

    I love your YouTube page background, as Kandinsky has always been my favorite artist, along with Paul Klee.

    Sweet tides to you too, scriba. :)

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  17. Hey Lynda,

    Gorgeous, magical, mysterious pictures! Snow can be so cold and warm at the same time...amazing!

    I love silence myself; through it we can reach a higher state of the mind, body and soul.
    Although I love talking and laughing, I can say that I do have moments when I need silence around me. It is like going Home.

    Depeche Mode sung "Enjoy the Silence!" and I offer the same advice to people lol ;)...

    Cheers, my friend

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  18. MAX - How aware you are! Now that I think of it, you're right about the snow. Just like a blue flame is really hotter than a red flame. Physicists know this.

    I love talking and laughing too, but it's silence that renews me, most of the time! Of course, a good laugh comes in second place to silence. And music. Or a great talk with somebody close.

    Love to you, my friend!

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  19. Stunning images.
    I believe we have a need for silence and it's often hard to find it these days. The still silence of a snowy forest is awe inspiring. And cold! Brrr.

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  20. KATHY - Cold, yes! Just ask me, as I just came in from shoveling the stoop, the walk and the driveway. The temp is going to forbidding minus ten tonight!

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  21. I love the top photo. Very much like what I envisioned the other side of the wardrobe to look like when I read The Chronicles of Narnia as a teenager. Of course it looked quite different in the recent movie. Movies sometimes do that, change your vision of what you saw when you read the book. I did like the movie though.

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  22. Some beautiful snowy landscapes in the area where I live can hardly enjoy much snow and so much beauty. Saludos.

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  23. LEOVI - Believe me, if you had as much snow as we have had this year, chances are good you would not like it! Although yes, it was very beautiful at times. Being in or near the woods when there is fresh snow, especially if it's a wet snow that clings to the trees, is magical!

    Thanks for your visits!

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  24. The Photos are so beautiful. I especially like the "Together in Beauty" photo.

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  25. Reut - I'm glad you like it! Thanks for your visit and come over again!

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