Sacred Space and the Wooly Bear Caterpiller...

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    ...Stepping into October, I have been outdoors as much as weather will permit.  This weekend has been absolutely gorgeous with cool temps and warm sun, breezy with lots of blue skies with playful clouds that provide plenty of room for the imagination to make fun creations from the fluffy forms.  I love Ohio in the fall.  How did I spend the weekend?  Art shows and outdoor festivals were my cup of tea.  To no avail I tried to get various friends to join me.  Don't they get it, it's time to play outside before the cold and wet and snows drive everyone inside for the winter. 
     I saw a wooly bear caterpillar in my garden by the walkway.  For those who know how to read their wooly bears, the body was tipped with black while the main center body was reddish brown.  So goes the 2012 winter prognostication!
      My best reward of the day was when I noticed a little spot in my side garden that would make a wonderful sacred spot.  I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before, but today was the day that I made it my special little retreat.  So many of the magazines and blogsites I have read refer to making a sacred place.  I never quite understood what they meant by sacre place, so I looked up the word sacred.  The one reference that made sense to me was the one that said "consecrated or dedicated to a person or purpose."  Now I get it!  My little spot at the side garden qualified for the purpose of just being outside and private while drinking in the essence of fall.  In other words, it is a place dedicated to fall Zen, the state of being in autumn.  I hear birds and crickets, children playing and the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.  A dragonfly came by to check on things, perhaps to see if I was outside drinking dea or puttering in the garden.  A few bees buzzed around me and moved on.  I sat inside my leafy grotto daring to wear a hat I still hadn't found courage to sport in public yet.  "Peaceful Pond" by Dean Evanson played on my portable CD player.  "More, please..."  "More days like this," I thought.
     The seasons will change and my sacred place will have to change but for now, for a glorious season of vibrant color and spicey breezes, for now this space is reserved.  Table for one, please!...

Comments

  1. Sandy MillerOctober 2, 2012 at 7:22 AM

    Sacred places with fresh fallen snow and hot cup of tea are super sacred! As much as I LOVE fall I find wonder and anticipation in every season........ took me a long time to get to this view :)

    Haven't seen as many wooly bears up here this year....... must be at your house :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wendy's HerbnartsOctober 4, 2012 at 5:18 PM

      Once again it seems we are on the same page with observing nature and philosophizing on life. Only saw the one wooly bear...I think the mosquito sprays have done their damage to caterpillars in general. And then there are all those yuppies who think they have to chemically treat their lawns. Don't get me started! Everyone seems to have noticed the absence of butterflies, too. I'm not sure if the drought affected that diminishing population. It makes any visitor of dragonflies or butterflies and the occasional honeybee greatly welcomed.

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