Lovely photography Karen, I do think that you bring both peace and joy to others daily with your nature photography! Yes, it’s an unsettling time, I find that nurturing myself helps me feel calm, starting my day with meditation and exercise, and making time for art really heal my inner being. Baking is the way I share my joy, it’s a very peaceful place for me. It’s also the way I heal my body. Blessings on you 🙏💗
Thank you Terra - yes, I have watched you doing this! I have been doing meditation, exercise, walking and now I'm learning Qi Gong. I really want to get back to art and writing more but whew, it is hard to find the time. I'm so glad you are healing yourself, you do so much healing for others!
wow, your photos are exquisite and convey such depth and peacefulness and balance. Beauty is one way that I experience safety and you certainly capture that in your photos. Safety: when I don't feel safe, I remember that I am part of a larger web and only responsible for my corner. I also specifically will look around the room and notice that I AM safe in that very moment. Also, working on my resilience of my nervous system helps a lot with me feeling more resourced and able to keep myself safe. <3
omg! otters...such incredible photographs. when i lived next to the Salish sea we would always smell the otters first, they loved to drag their prey onto boat decks to feast and then poop all over the place.
safety. gosh the danger of being preyed upon, which is now so perverse, closeted from real dangers, apex predators, the wild and the unknown, we do indeed prey upon each other. I find the biggest threat to my safety is the insistence that we live without death and that we view our bodies as potential prey, ready to turn on us at a moment notice.
May we always know our own way home.
the biggest act of safety that i gave myself was coming home to myself, feeling that I am enough and that I am not alone and that I am always loved by this complex and magical universe. the rest they say hahaha is details ;)
Oh my, I am not surprised about the otters! :) I love this: "the insistence that we live without death and that we view our bodies as potential prey, ready to turn on us at a moment notice". That is worth some pondering and those things have been on my mind too.
"mix between a dolphin and a cat. Playful, quick, curious, powerful. All muscle and teeth. Electrifying, terrifying. Spectacular." so insightful, thank you! Can't believe nobody has described otters in this way before - it makes total sense
I always see these descriptions of otters as cute and cuddly and I don't get it - but then I think maybe there are more than one kind of otters? Maybe sea otters are different than river otters (we have river otters being so far from an ocean)? I don't know, but this is certainly my experience of them.
Lovely pictures and yes your Dad does carry a peaceful safe vibe ❤️😍
One of the things I did to feel safe was stopped watching the National and local news on TV and when I go to the store I make sure I go during middle of the day when there’s more people around and be observant if my surroundings. And knowing the safer parts of town. I do check in occasionally with news etc so I’m not completely oblivious to what’s happening in the world… just not a daily influx of chaos and tragic happenings… concentrate on daily life with my granddaughters and their activities give me happiness and joy and contentment ❤️😍👍
Yes indeed, I stopped listening to the news on video or TV a long time ago too and getting my news from less...inflammatory...sources on my schedule. I am glad you have your daughters and granddaughters to focus on!
Brava! Such elegantly expressed common sense concerning the "negative spiral" of violence and abuse in our anxious world, and your own honest desire and quest for peace and a sense of trust and safety. You are an extraordinary peace-carrier and a peace-giver through your creative gifts. And thanks for the de-spamming tip!
Thank you Lauren! It was kind of helpful to realize at the end that I am doing the work of peace even if I don't feel peaceful. (You know how it goes, I didn't realize it until I wrote it at the end!)
Your photos really do bring that sense of calmness and peace. Considering how much of people’s lives is spent online, willingly or not, having that sensibility through this medium seems important, too.
(There is a fair amount of research on how perceived threats and/or lack of feeling safe correlate with conservativism, and it’s easy to see how it leads down a path to more extreme views, too. I recommend Rianne Eisler’s book “Nurturing Our Humanity,” which goes into some research on how growing up in an authoritarian household can lead to only feeling “safe” with authoritarian political leaders.)
I adore otters and haven’t seen one in so long--thank you!
Oh, I love this "having that sensibility through this medium seems important, too". Thank you Antonia. I totally believe that lack of feeling safe correlates with conservatism - that makes perfect sense to me.
Just came across this line in the book I’m reading: “We have an opportunity to come into contact with the nobility of being if we expose ourselves to the perspective of the whole biosphere and do not give in only to our needs for sovereignty and protection.” (“Enlivenment,” by Andreas Weber)
Reading your newsletter brings me peace, Karen. Lots of love
Thank you
Thank you Karen, such a beautiful post and full of peace and generosity.
How did I miss this? Thank you!
No problem Karen! You're so welcome. :)
Lovely photography Karen, I do think that you bring both peace and joy to others daily with your nature photography! Yes, it’s an unsettling time, I find that nurturing myself helps me feel calm, starting my day with meditation and exercise, and making time for art really heal my inner being. Baking is the way I share my joy, it’s a very peaceful place for me. It’s also the way I heal my body. Blessings on you 🙏💗
Thank you Terra - yes, I have watched you doing this! I have been doing meditation, exercise, walking and now I'm learning Qi Gong. I really want to get back to art and writing more but whew, it is hard to find the time. I'm so glad you are healing yourself, you do so much healing for others!
wow, your photos are exquisite and convey such depth and peacefulness and balance. Beauty is one way that I experience safety and you certainly capture that in your photos. Safety: when I don't feel safe, I remember that I am part of a larger web and only responsible for my corner. I also specifically will look around the room and notice that I AM safe in that very moment. Also, working on my resilience of my nervous system helps a lot with me feeling more resourced and able to keep myself safe. <3
I love all of this Susi! All wonderful suggestions. Thank you.
Thank you, Karen--once again!
Thank you Alison!
omg! otters...such incredible photographs. when i lived next to the Salish sea we would always smell the otters first, they loved to drag their prey onto boat decks to feast and then poop all over the place.
safety. gosh the danger of being preyed upon, which is now so perverse, closeted from real dangers, apex predators, the wild and the unknown, we do indeed prey upon each other. I find the biggest threat to my safety is the insistence that we live without death and that we view our bodies as potential prey, ready to turn on us at a moment notice.
May we always know our own way home.
the biggest act of safety that i gave myself was coming home to myself, feeling that I am enough and that I am not alone and that I am always loved by this complex and magical universe. the rest they say hahaha is details ;)
Oh my, I am not surprised about the otters! :) I love this: "the insistence that we live without death and that we view our bodies as potential prey, ready to turn on us at a moment notice". That is worth some pondering and those things have been on my mind too.
"mix between a dolphin and a cat. Playful, quick, curious, powerful. All muscle and teeth. Electrifying, terrifying. Spectacular." so insightful, thank you! Can't believe nobody has described otters in this way before - it makes total sense
I always see these descriptions of otters as cute and cuddly and I don't get it - but then I think maybe there are more than one kind of otters? Maybe sea otters are different than river otters (we have river otters being so far from an ocean)? I don't know, but this is certainly my experience of them.
Lovely pictures and yes your Dad does carry a peaceful safe vibe ❤️😍
One of the things I did to feel safe was stopped watching the National and local news on TV and when I go to the store I make sure I go during middle of the day when there’s more people around and be observant if my surroundings. And knowing the safer parts of town. I do check in occasionally with news etc so I’m not completely oblivious to what’s happening in the world… just not a daily influx of chaos and tragic happenings… concentrate on daily life with my granddaughters and their activities give me happiness and joy and contentment ❤️😍👍
Yes indeed, I stopped listening to the news on video or TV a long time ago too and getting my news from less...inflammatory...sources on my schedule. I am glad you have your daughters and granddaughters to focus on!
Very important work. I look forward to them. I've been sharing them. Today I'm going to try cross-posting.
Thank you
Brava! Such elegantly expressed common sense concerning the "negative spiral" of violence and abuse in our anxious world, and your own honest desire and quest for peace and a sense of trust and safety. You are an extraordinary peace-carrier and a peace-giver through your creative gifts. And thanks for the de-spamming tip!
Thank you Lauren! It was kind of helpful to realize at the end that I am doing the work of peace even if I don't feel peaceful. (You know how it goes, I didn't realize it until I wrote it at the end!)
Your photos really do bring that sense of calmness and peace. Considering how much of people’s lives is spent online, willingly or not, having that sensibility through this medium seems important, too.
(There is a fair amount of research on how perceived threats and/or lack of feeling safe correlate with conservativism, and it’s easy to see how it leads down a path to more extreme views, too. I recommend Rianne Eisler’s book “Nurturing Our Humanity,” which goes into some research on how growing up in an authoritarian household can lead to only feeling “safe” with authoritarian political leaders.)
I adore otters and haven’t seen one in so long--thank you!
Oh, I love this "having that sensibility through this medium seems important, too". Thank you Antonia. I totally believe that lack of feeling safe correlates with conservatism - that makes perfect sense to me.
Just came across this line in the book I’m reading: “We have an opportunity to come into contact with the nobility of being if we expose ourselves to the perspective of the whole biosphere and do not give in only to our needs for sovereignty and protection.” (“Enlivenment,” by Andreas Weber)
Mmmm. That's lovely.
Thank you especially for the how-to on unsubscribing. I don't have that problem, but I think I'll mention it to my readers as well.
Thanks Janisse!