A Novice Desert Mystic

Mystical Light - Lynda Lehmann c 2013

I dance in a translucent dream -- a dream of light and verdure.  Drenched in crystalline sunshine, under high fair-weather clouds that cast their shadows like afterthoughts on distant peaks, I feel the land rolling away from me while it percolates with waves of new life: blossoming and blooming and pouring forth all manner of feathery green after a three-day rain.
I have wandered some Northeast forests and always felt I'd seen plenty of what Beauty there is to behold. But the desert's blazing shades of emerald, amber and gold against distant hills flushed red and glistening in the morning sun, make me ecstatic. Rocky flanks rise under luminescent violet puffs that float above -- coasting, those magnificent clouds that look like great arcs sailing the deep skies -- and I know that I'm in a place that changes me.  The epic fullness of stretching, yawning magnificence in diamond-faceted splendor that unwinds within my view, seems impossible. 
Pointed skeletons of trees and ancient pocked Saguaro Queens, scroungy tufts of yellowed brush and telltale signs of nocturnal burrowing creatures: all cast their net of Intrigue to make me feel spellbound.  I am a novice desert Mystic: I have no need to brush aside the Inklings that make me feel buoyant as those sailing clouds.  I am buoyant with joy at the grandeur of Being.
How can I be so fortunate as to feel I've seen Eden?  The scent, the verdure, the great flowing open space unspoiled by the clatter of urban sprawl, wash my soul.  I stand mesmerized.  And I am content and far more whole than I was yesterday.
All the while, the desert whispers its sacred covenant:  Thou shalt not gain dominion, nor command me. 
And the Garden still grows.

Sea of Beauty - Lynda Lehmann c 2013

Golden Light at Evening-Lynda Lehmann c 2013

Desert Covenant - Lynda Lehmann c 2013

That One Lone Tree - Lynda Lehmann c 2013

Note: You can click on each photo to see a larger version. 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 sites listed in my sidebar if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art, or make a purchase.

The Fabric of Earth

The Fabric of Earth - c Lynda Lehmann


This is an old photo I took years ago when flying home from Arizona, where I'd had an extended visit with my family.  It's not a great photo. I shot it with a digital point-and-shoot that probably captured less than 5 mega pixels.  So it's grainy, as well as having been shot through the airplane window.  The funny thing is that when I found this image while cleaning out some Photoshop files tonight, I remembered that very moment when I glanced out the plane window and saw this spectacular view of mountain ridges (which I presume were the Rockies).  I had that wonderful impulse of Joy, expressed by a quiet "Wow!" that we all get from time to time when we see something awesome and beautiful.  We have a sense of its largess and significance, although we might not be able to define why.

It seems that somehow, taking photos not only reminds me of a given moment in time, but that I can also, often remember my state of mind, even that very moment of Consciousness, that fleeting minute during which I was treated to a glimpse of something Profound.  I knew I was seeing something important, because it gave me pause, not only to feel a sense of joy, but to contemplate the Wonder of the Universe, the Wonder of Being.  And so I must conclude that taking photos of the natural world cements my Consciousness in Moments of Beauty, anchoring me more closely to the Heart of Life, if you will.

When I'm lying on my death-bed, I don't want to define myself by my riches, possessions or popularity.  I don't even want to define myself by the highs and lows of my art journey, or by how I assess whatever successes or failures I may have had.

I want to define myself by my relationships.  That means relationships with other individuals,  those outside myself with whom I have chosen to spend segments of my life, and by my Relationship with the Universe.  This will depend on how many Moments of Beauty I have beheld (to use an old-fashioned word) and how many I've taken into my Soul that will forever Enrich, Inspire, and Nourish me, even as I pass from this Earth.

NOTE:  I've capitalized various words to give them emphasis.  Not proper usage, I know...

NOTE: You can click on each photo to see a larger version. 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 sites at http://LyndaLehmann.imagekind.com/ or http://www.absolutearts.com/lyndalehmann/ if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. You can find a list of my other sites and links in my blog's sidebar. Or google my name for more links. I hope you enjoyed your visit!

Art Creates Hope

Art Creates Hope - Image and Text c Lynda Lehmann

I dedicate these words and this image to all the creative people 

I know, who keep hope and love alive in their hearts!

NOTE: You can click on each photo to see a larger version. 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 sites at http://LyndaLehmann.imagekind.com/ or http://www.absolutearts.com/lyndalehmann/ if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. You can find a list of my other sites and links in my blog's sidebar. Or google my name for more links. I hope you enjoyed your visit!

Sand Beach Serenity at Scenic Acadia

Curve Flow - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Serenity at Sand Beach - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Red Jackets - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

The Tide Among Boulders - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Tranquil Horizons - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Here are a few photos of one of our favorite places in Acadia.  Sand Beach is easily accessible from the Park Loop Road and is one of the most serene and scenic of the spots we visited.  Looking at the tranquil surface of the azure water, one could hardly believe that the flow in this cove was attached to the ocean!  I'm sure it kicks up at times, but on a calm day the tranquility of the place is spellbinding.  I've been there only in September but I'm sure that in the summer months it's a great place to swim, kayak, or just take the kids for a day on the beach.

Add to the sensuous curve of the beach the soft white sand, the influx of turquoise sea, and the majesty of the surrounding cliffs crowned by mixed boreal and hardwood forest, you've got the ingredients for magic.  I can envision spending many days there, watching the infinite movement of the water and its slightly more chaotic, hissing and foaming entry into the clusters of huge boulders at the edge of the beach, while the enchantment grows.

I apologize for the short post, but better short than not at all.  I hope you enjoyed the photos and that you get to visit Acadia one day, if you haven't already.



NOTE: You can click on each photo to see a larger version. 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 sites at http://LyndaLehmann.imagekind.com/ or http://www.absolutearts.com/lyndalehmann/ if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. You can find a list of my other sites and links in my blog's sidebar. Or google my name for more links. I hope you enjoyed your visit!

Enchantment Before Twilight

Bathed in Evening Light - Lynda Lehmann c 2011

 
NOTE:  I have picked these two photos from my archives to post with this poem, as I could not shoot while paddling.  But they don't do justice to the beautiful play of light, water and sky I witnessed on this occasion.  Nor do my words suffice, but I write them in homage.

Enchantment

Thunderheads form and morph: vast cumulonimbus canyons turn from white to gray to orange or silver-rimmed.  They stand silent, at a distance.  Evening sunlight's warm caress, wraps a golden light over the emerald island: a jewel-like scene that seems to shimmer with benevolence and promise.  Verdant glowing hues band outward from the island's shore, reflected with sky tones and bands of gold and black in the flowing stream.

Pale violet clouds in cauliflower forms bifurcate and move higher, until they reach the towering nimbus state.  
So far beneath them, paddling the lake in my tiny blue kayak, I feel my smallness.  
Each dip of my paddle brings up droplets that make whirlpools as they fall back onto the water's surface.  A line of whirlpools ripples smaller as each moves forward from the first set of spreading circles.  I can hear each drop fall and watch it meld.  Ensconced in the drama of whirlpools and lace-like water doilies, my boat is couched in a pattern of of subtle movement: energy waves strong enough to be visible, yet insignificant to the larger universe.  Yet, with my persistent stroke, I have made them.  I watch the forms disperse as they merge back into the infinite and undulating sea. I do not have the power of nimbus clouds, but I make my own music, just the same.
I feel complete, ensconced in the luxury of light show and water symphony, while the sky plays its pastel counterpoint.  
It's hard for me to believe there's room for conflict, greed, and suffering in this world, while I am surrounded by all that seems holy.  
-- Poem c Lynda Lehmann 2011 

Enchantment - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission from me, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my sites at http://www.absolutearts.com/lyndalehmann/ or http://LyndaLehmann.imagekind.com/ if you would like to see my acrylic paintings and more of my photography and digital art. Or you can Google my name to see my other sites and links. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog.

Life as Paradox

Into Shadow - Lynda Lehmann c 2011

Light Play - Lynda Lehmann c 2011

Day's Aftermath - Lynda Lehmann c 2011

Every ending is also a beginning, and every beginning eventually culminates in some state of change and fullness before moving to its finish and conclusion.  Hence the cycles and paradoxes of Life.  A sunset is beautiful and inspiring, yet reminds us of Life's transience.  So it becomes bittersweet, taking on a yin-yang of both positive and negative connotations.  Maybe the best metaphors are like that, ambiguous but meaningful on multiple levels.  To me, a beautiful sunset suggests the cycles of infinite Life moving through time and space, seeking more of itself.  And we ourselves, are reflected in both the glowing waters of sunset, and in the ebb and flow of Life. 
Peace and joy to you.  - Lynda 

Awesome Sky - Lynda Lehmann 2011

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!

Golden Cluster

Golden Cluster - Image c 2011 Lynda Lehmann
 

I wasn't going to post to my blog today, but I was so impressed with these roses that I saw on my walk that I wanted to share them with you!

I hope everyone has had a good day.  It's going to be sweltering here on Long Island for the next few days, with high humidity, so it may be my last walk until a cold front moves in!

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!

A Pale Beauty, Mindfulness, and Being

Pale Beauty - Image c Lynda Lehmann

 I love looking at this gorgeous, pale and delicate rose.  It's dainty and gossamer presence reminds us of the preciousness and transience of life.  It also reminds us that it is during tumultuous times such as we're living in now, times of great upheaval and change, that we need to turn inward to the peaceful core we each carry deep inside; it's only by permitting ourselves to situate at our most centered point on our psychic "fulcrum," if you will, that we will manage to weather the storms of destructive emotions and events.  
While I believe that organized religions often divide us, I believe that we each can find God at the deepest part of us; indeed, I believe God lives in the deepest part of us.  So rejoice in your Spirit, your Being-ness, your infinite Creativity.  Be whole and mindful, and create in the image of what YOU want the world to be.  And BE yourself. 

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!

A Secret, Magic Place

A Secret, Magic Place - Image c Lynda Lehmann

An unlikely combination of living elements caught my eye while deep in the woods of the White Mountains. The light was golden, entering the forest from a low level, in early autumn light. The day was bright and still, the sky a soft, cloudless blue.  
To find a tree hollow with a single mushroom standing in the middle of it, surrounded by lichen and a necklace of pine needles, and all that rough bark texture and pastiche of leaves faded to gold, was mesmerizing.  
It was enchanting, a day to remember.  

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!

Silver Linings Trim the Sea

Silver Linings Trim the Sea - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Some views of nature invoke powerful feelings and there's not a word or set of words that will do them justice.  We know when we are witnessing scenes that speak to mysterious powers beyond our comprehension.  
I took a series of photos the other day on a beach on the south shore of Long Island, facing into the sun.  Photographically speaking, this is a no-no, especially without a good polarizing filter.  Since I had only my Nikon 7000 with me, I had to settle for its built in neutral density filter.  I simply could not pass up taking shots of the clouds and beach lit up in bangles of silver.  
Even the seagulls couldn't get over the drama in the western sky.
When clouds obscure your horizon, I wish you bright silver linings!

Witness to Clouds and Sea - Lynda Lehmann c 2011

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!

Ice Abstract: Nature's Subtle Palette and Dynamic Design

Ice Abstract - c 2011 Lynda Lehmann

Nature never fails to fascinate.  In every season, in every kind of weather, at every time of day, intricate patterns and textures captivate the eye.  My prize for walking the beach on a bitter cold day last week, besides almost-frozen toes, was this view of cracked ice along the side of the road.  I think it makes a beautiful abstract.  
I'm forever marveling at how accidental arrangements can be so arresting and gorgeous.  The Earth's natural processes produce patterns, textures and designs that outdo the best capabilities of the human hand and eye.  
What have you seen in your locale this week, that made you feel blessed with the serendipitous beauty of nature's grand design?

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission. All 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!

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!

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Leaf Aglow

Leaf Aglow - Image c Lynda Lehmann

A single leaf on the road is brilliant in color, almost to the point of iridescence.  The seasons move fast past the windows of our lives, replete with change and dynamism.  I like to look closely, to fill my cup of beauty with the nuances I see every day.
What have you seen today, that gave you joy and inspired your love of life? 

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission (email is okay) by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site at http://www.lehmann.myexpose.com/gallery if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art!

The Monastery Within

The Monastery Within

Fading into the distance, the arches of the monastery at Imperia Vecchia seem to connote the passage of time. The tiny figure staring out at the far end might symbolize the smallness (or perhaps the significance) of the individual, in the stream of human history.

How do you think about your life?  Do you regard each human life as significant or as just a grain of sand blowing in the wind of the cosmos?  How do you reconcile your own smallness and subjectivity with the vastness and competing interests in the universe? 

My particular accommodation is to look for beauty every day, in nature and in the people I know.  What works for you?  What activities, goals, or values do you turn to when you get the existential "blues"?

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission (email is okay) by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site at http://www.lehmann.myexpose.com/gallery if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art!

Sea Lace and Sadness

Rimmed in Foam

This has been a sad month for my husband and me.  We have lost three friends in the past four weeks or so.  Three people full of life and wonder and vitality.  Where their energy has gone, no one can comprehend.

  

 I am reminded of the preciousness of life.  We are all buffeted by the tide, often surrounded by circumstances beyond our understanding or control.

Sea Lace

Yet life remains beautiful, offering us moments of beauty and contemplation at unexpected times and in unexpected places.  Thank goodness for those times when visions of natural beauty quiet the mind and heart and give solace.

Steadfast in the Tide

Like the boulder half submerged and pounded by endless waves both large and small, we endure through pain and adversity.

The Jetty Points West

We take comfort in the love we feel for those who have passed.  We know that the love they showed and our love for them, endures in our hearts.  The sun will set, but we know with some certainty, it will rise again. 
To the families of those who have passed, I wish a sense of comfort and peace in knowing that the pain of their loved one has ceased.  They are part of something larger than we.  Even as our hearts swell to bursting with pain we know we are part of the Stream of Humanity in a larger, incomprehensible Eternity. 

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission (email is okay) by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site at http://www.lehmann.myexpose.com/gallery if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art!

The Weave of Life

"Grounded"  -  Image by Lynda Lehmann c 2010

An expression of love for texture as the underpinning of all the Form(s) on Earth.

Observing the details of nature makes us mindful of the wonder and cycles of life, and our own mortality.

THE WEAVE OF LIFE

I move in firmaments of texture

concavities minute as

bumps of binary code

strung like lights in my mind.

I am visual, viewing the universe

in hieroglyphics:

scratches on glass

grass waving in the breeze

silver bangles in lake water.

In and out,

Consciousness swells

before the place

where streams of words

meet Comprehension.

I will die

dissociated from wisdom and certainty

as do all others,

alone on a Rock

where tides flow to Eternity.

Yet still alive,

I choose the arbor path,

a tactile path imbued with inklings of

water, bark, moss, lichen

and wisps of tattered clouds

dancing among treetops,

to savor the likeness of all things

and their interaction:

the Splendid Shining Weave of Life.

******

All comments and constructive criticism gratefully accepted! I don't know anything about poetry--have not studied it since high school--but still I have the compulsion to write it from time to time.

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site at  Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography if you would like to see my paintings and more of my nature photography and digital art.

Naked in Eden: Robin Easton's Powerful New Book Released This Week!

As many of you know, Robin Easton is one of our most prolific, enthusiastic and passionate bloggers.  She writes with great insight about finding our core selves by opening ourselves to sensory experience through encounter with nature, and growing emotionally and spiritually in the process.

I am in proud possession of a copy of her book, a chronicle of her life-changing experience living in the Australian rain-forest.  I can't wait to read it.  I know every word will resonate with me and echo my own deepest values.  But the book is apparently a great adventure, as well, as my husband will surely attest.  He snatched the book off my desk where it was waiting for me, and hasn't put it down yet.  So I will be second in this household to read it!

Robin's words have power, because she has developed a hard-won "Power of Self" that most of us don't easily attain.  You can read about Robin's journey and book at her site.  You just might want to put in an order at your favorite bookstore after you do!

All images and text on this blog are the copyright of Lynda Lehmann unless otherwise specified, and may be used only with written permission by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

At One and in Harmony: Perceptions from the Middle of the Lake

FLOW


I swam along the narrow, fertile strip of land between two islands today.  
The water was tepid, and the whole world shone in shades of blue and green, reamed with streaming ribbons of silver, turning in the warmth of sunlight. 

The wind whispered through the pines, carrying their perfume.  Golden grasses bowed to the breeze and I floated on my back, 
breathing Earth, Water, Sky into my soul. 

Buoyant with beauty, I'm still floating, hours later....


-- Lynda Lehmann

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

Sunsets of the Heart

Clarity of Spirit - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Evening Enchantment - Image c Lynda Lehmann

What do you think of when you see a gorgeous sunset?  Do you feel joyous?  Or do you become a bit wistful, or maybe downright forlorn?  Maybe you feel regrets for the past or hopes for the future.  Or a nameless mix of strong emotions that you would not even try to identify....

For me the latter is the case.  So many attitudes, perceptions, and emotions seem to surface in the face of that glory: a brilliant, flaming sky that signifies the end of another day of the life cycle.  It's hard to separate or put into words what I'm thinking or feeling.  Yet I'm grateful for the inspiration and catharsis of it.

I will think of all my blogging friends when I bear witness to the sunset tonight, and wish for each of you to experience much beauty and peace in your lives.

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission by the author/artist, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

Whispers and Lake Shadows

Glory Sky

Night Rhythms

Dusk

Twilight Solace

Burnished

WHISPERS AND LAKE SHADOWS

A passing loon cuts a wide swath across the lake, shining more smooth and white-silver in the expanse.

Water glows in sparkling, vast ribbons here, shimmers in tiny fish-scale patches there, moves in undulating bands of black in other places.

Where does the shimmer begin? ...Or the glow end? There are merging points invisible to me; forces incomprehensible to me; power hidden from me yet apparent by its echoes and traces.

I am not a holy person but I am surrounded by the Holy. I rejoice in my smallness and ignorance, glad that the Largess of the universe holds a place for me.

Are all these etchings of wind, current, deep-water spring, and journey, the realm of the snapping turtle and the silent bass who glides under the dock? Or do they hold a note of truth for me, as well?

--Poem c Lynda Lehmann 2010

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission by Lynda Lehmann, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.