I do a lot of wildlife photography and saw some people being really stupid today…approaching sparring elk within 20 feet! The rule is 50 yards! So….I added some hopefully helpful commentary for anyone wishing to photograph or video the elk here in the Smokies.
There’s some pretty cool footage of sparring elk here that I took ‘legally’ following the rules of the park. The still images at the end are taken from inside my car. So get out and enjoy the beauty….but please stay safe and DRIVE SLOW through the park when elk are present and always drive within the speed limits posted. Speeding has become a major issue in the park and already this year 6 elk have been killed. SO…..chill out and enjoy Nature!
I’m starting to offer guided meditations. These meditations feature nature sounds and gentle, guided imagery to help relax, practice mindfulness, and go deeper into the spiritual journey. My first one is simply entitled, Guided Meditations. You can purchase by making a donation. Click the PayPal Link HERE
The titles are: Beach Walk, Bear Cave, Council of Beings, Diamond Hill, Mountain Mist, Rock in the River. You can choose one or more than one for a donation. All feature Nature sounds and gentle, guided meditation to help with stress, to go deeper into your life, and to simply feel better.
My music releases are available on all streaming platforms. It’s music for relaxation, yoga, and heart-opening. Mountain Mystic Music…that’s me!
I have a confession to make. Anyone that follows my writing and photography knows I hike. I have a deep love for the trails and forests that said trails meander through in the Smoky Mountains. But I don’t just hike…I dance. And since truth is a light I bear, I also sing and have been known to play one of my flutes to the creeks, trees, rocks, and today I played for a great blue heron.
It was a moment of flow, where the music of the water and the song of my soul came into harmony. I was smiling as I played in the blissful state.
Standing on a large rock beside the creek, I recalled feeling this open in Ireland when the wind was playing standing fence pipes and I sat in the lush grass in the 5000 year old stone fort and wrote in my diary: we are like flutes, with Spirit the wind and if we open ourselves, we can be in universal harmony and allow Spirit to play us, to move us. So….I was remembering that moment and feeling that inner flow and harmony when a beautiful great blue heron flew within a few feet of me on her way to a favorite rock somewhere upstream. There’s no way to capture that image other than with words and simply closing my eyes and seeing her fly, hearing the water and flute…feeling the Oneness of us all.
Magic happens when we can be in a place of neutral stillness, with no agenda, and just follow the energy as it arises within and around us. I have received a lot of guidance about being neutral lately, of not putting myself in a position against anyone, but being in neutral and allowing that stillness, that stillpoint, to unfold. If we hook into the chaos, we feed it. So it’s a balancing act of learning to be neutral, finding stillpoint within, and staying in that place. Maybe that’s unconditional Love.
My friend Katherine describes it like this: “True Love is Neutral. True love has no polarity. As we strive to seek that point of stillness, to hold that point of stillness as an anchor, a fulcrum, a central point of balance, around which the chaos of polarity can bring itself to Quiet, and fold itself into the same resonance of stillness…until there only exists the Neutral, the True Love.” I like her explanation. A lot.
Something special happens when I allow myself the freedom to sing, dance, and play my flute in these sacred places. I consciously acknowledge the spirits of the places, the pure essence of life, and allow myself to celebrate them and all life. There’s so much we have to grieve about in this time of chaos, but there is also so incredibly much to celebrate.
One of the old growth trees along Ramsey Cascades Trail
What has made you dance lately? What songs are you singing? How has your soul expressed itself? Find a way to celebrate the beauty, even as the old paradigm crumbles. Refuse to hook into the chaos because it’s counting on us to feed it with anger, hatred, and fear. Step away from that trap. Feed your soul beauty and share that experience with the world.
