moment of mindfulness...gathering qi from the heavens and earth

Now that the weather is warmer, we practice Qigong outside at my friend, Mary’s house. She graciously shares her really lovely space with us. Practicing outside adds another dimension to qigong. After clearing away stagnant qi, we always spend some time gathering new qi. We gather the qi from the heavens, and we gather the qi from the earth. From my spot in our circle last week, when I looked up I could see way up high into the crown of a beautiful oak tree. And when I looked down I saw the smooth brown cap of a mushroom.

I was struck by the way that nature models for us how to take in qi from the heavens and the earth. Stretching up like a tree, I gather the energy of the heavens. Folding my body over like the mushroom, I gather the energy of the earth. These energies are healing, rejuvenating, restorative, and connect me deeply to the moment.

week in snapshots

1. colorful adirondacks creekside, 2. caterpillar and slug, 3. jude and the moth, 4. daisy, 5. japanese maple, 6. woods turtle, 7. strawberries, 8. open heart, 9. jude smells flower, 10. jude smells flower profile, 11. peace, 12. orange fungus

You can click on the links above to see the full size picture.
1. This is a really lovely spot at our neighbor's
2. The gypsy moth caterpillars are out in full force, but in a way they are beautiful despite the destructive nature. This little tree was covered with caterpillars. John swept them off with a broom!
3. Jude looks at this really pretty yellow moth. A minute after I took the picture the moth flew into his face and he screamed like he was being attacked and needed a hug to be consoled.
4. Lazy daisy weeds in my garden with other (hmmm) weeds and artemisia.
5.This is my favorite tree in the world. It's Ms. Lucy's Japanese maple. Ms. Lucy was a dear old lady who lived down the street from us. She took numerous pictures of this tree. I know because she showed them to me. Ms. Lucy is no longer here, but her beloved tree is and now I take pictures of it;) I am entering this in the "it begins with a colour" challenge this week because of the color contrast with all the green but also because of the ruggedness of old tree in the foreground contrasting with the graceful form of the Japanese maple.
6. Jude and I rescued this wood's turtle on a walk. It was walking down the road (not across).
7. Nothing is better for breakfast than fresh local strawberries. They are good for dinner too! I adapted this recipe that my friend Jenn recently posted to make a really delicious salad.
8. This has been a weekend of sinking into my heart. This butternut on the moss was symbolic of that for me...the hard nut shell on the soft moss. I am entering this in the "it begins with a colour" challenge this week.
9. This was too cute. Jude is as enamored with the daisies as I am.
10. I took a whole series of these you can see here.
11. Me being silly with my shadow (my rear isn't really that big...really!)
12. I love the color of this fungus we discovered on a walk this week. I am entering this one in "it begins with a colour" too.

it begins with a colour...numbers!

1. one robin egg, 2.two poppies for poppy anne, 3. three kayaks, 4. four heron toes

This week's it begins with a colour was not a colour at all! It was numbers. Jude and I went down by the creek early in the week and found animal tracks in the mud. The heron track reminded me instantly of counting with fingers (or toes in this case). So the hunt begin for other numbers that popped up during the week. A neglected patch of oriental poppies bloomed spectacularly this year. I'm dedicating this shot to Poppy Anne because everytime I would see them I was reminded of this inspiring blog, and the child who inspired it and this thought would pop into my head... "poppies for poppy anne". When I took the shot it was late in the day, and the light was really pretty coming from behind them. The little robin egg that hatched this blog was one. And the final shot for this collage was taken on Sunday. I only wish I could share how peaceful being on the creek was. I forgot how relaxing it is to float and see the creek from this perspective.

I love this mind bending quote about numbers, counting, and hope...
"Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." ~Robert H. Schuller