Click here to view the newsletter and read this article and others.
Our resident caretaker, Thomas Arthur, shares an experience he had here during our February snowstorm and then offers up a beautiful video of that time. Enjoy! —Marnie
I am standing in the courtyard of Thomas Berry Hall in the midst of our February snow storm. There is no wind, no sound, just the wondrous view of huge flakes floating to the ground, galaxies of light falling through space. I am captivated by the moment, filled with a giddy delight as if I were seeing snow for the first time.
I begin to focus on a column of space about ten feet ahead and let my gaze float up against the constant stream. A single flake catches my attention and I follow it to the ground. My breath softens as I repeat the game. Soon I am trying to track two or three flakes at a time, enjoying the simple challenge. Then suddenly my field of vision softens out of focus and a fullness of space between my body and the hillside trees is felt as a single entity, a crystalline community dropping in to visit.
Popped into an imaginal frame of mind I sense a history of this land with each single flake a lived experience finding ground here. Every flake an essential moment, a newly formed friendship, ten thousand tears of shared grief, a walk in the forest, a ringing of the bell, an endless supply of laughter, sudden insight piling high. All of the ravens and owls, every spring bud, each tree logged for commerce, a blizzard, stories out of time. Every native footstep, whispered secret, foraged mushroom, rock deposited by glacier. Snow falling silently upon me.
My cold toes pull me out of my expansive reverie. I stand for a moment feeling a deep sense of peace, alone in my enchantment, grateful for this place, wishing you were here to share the experience.
I invite you to watch this short video of February snow on the land. It’s set to part of a lovely tune by my friend Paul Smith and holds a touch of the beauty and peace I experienced here earlier this month. Breathe well and take good care.