|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 February, 2020
Dear Friends,
If I wasn't such a coward, I'd show you a picture from the nature journal I've started keeping: maybe the chickadee I drew last week, which despite my best efforts has sinister eyes and a freakishly elongated head, or else one of the drawings I've done of our dog that make him look like a pig.
Instead, here's a picture of a work done by a much more talented artist than me. This is Little Elina, one of three Forest Giants at Bernheim Forest near Louisville, Kentucky. The troll-like creatures were created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who uses recycled materials and discarded items in his works.
Seeing these whimsical creatures has led me to ponder my own artistic endeavors, and has made me think, too, of the spiritual lessons to be learned from the intertwining of nature and art.
I started keeping a nature journal because I wanted a different way of experiencing life, one that would encourage me to slow down and better appreciate the natural world. I also wanted to try my hand at a new skill, even one I know I'll never be very good at. (Though the other day I drew a pathetic-looking bald eagle, but then did a separate drawing of its talons, and to my delight they actually looked like talons.)
Especially when we reach a certain age, I think it's good to try something new. Buddhists say that we should have this approach to all of life. They call it Beginner's Mind, when we drop our expectations and see things with the fresh perspective and curiosity of a beginner.
Which brings me back to those Forest Giants. I love how seamlessly they blend into the landscape, despite their immense size. They look like they belong there and that during the night they might get up and lumber through the forest, trimming branches and replacing bird nests that have fallen down. Those giants make the beauty of the landscape around them even greater, which is a neat trick for any work of art.
And that's what my nature journaling does, too, as amateurish as it is: it helps me see more clearly the beauties of the world.
The Forest Giants have put other nature-inspired art on my radar. I've discovered Andy Goldsworthy and Nils-Udo and I'm making plans to see more of Thomas Dambo's work at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.
Some day I might even be willing to share my drawings with the larger world. But in the meantime, I'm trying to form a regular habit of taking out my sketchbook and pen.
Maybe there's something new that you can take on, too, something you'll never master or even be very good at. But I think in trying ballroom dancing, or painting, or writing poetry, or any of a host of other skills, our souls get the chance to move a little more freely. You can almost hear them give a sigh of relief. We don't have to be good at these new skills. We just have to be willing to try.
And if you get a chance, visit Little Elina in the Bernheim Forest. Tell her I said hello.
Blessings on all your journeys,
Lori
P.S. On a separate note, my husband Bob Sessions and I may lead a one-week workshop on spiritual writing (me) and the spirituality of photography (Bob) next January in Costa Rica. Send me a note if you might be interested. No need to commit--we're just trying to get a sense for whether there's enough interest.
|
|
Recommended Reading:
 Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You by Claire Walker Leslie and Charles Roth is a wonderful primer on how to capture the world around you through pictures and words.
Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature showcases the influential artist's works made from snow, ice, leaves, rock, feathers, and other natural materials.
Learn how to create your own works of art from natural materials in Peter Cole and Leslie Jonath's Foraged Art: Creating Projects Using Blooms, Branches, Leaves, Stones, and Other Elements Discovered in Nature.
Spiritual Travels Highlights:
 This month I'm highlighting these two articles from my Spiritual Travels website:
The Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Mississippi celebrates the nature-inspired work of the eccentric artist, naturalist, and mystic whose genius was revealed only after his death in 1965.
The Sacred Kauri Trees of New Zealand describes a Maori-led visit to a remote forest in New Zealand where two forest giants grow.
Book Updates:
 My new book Near the Exit: Travels with the Not-So-Grim Reaper is an exploration of places that have helped me come to terms with mortality.
My previous book, Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God is a memoir told through trips to a dozen holy sites around the world.
Coming Up:
Speaker at Worship Service: February 2, 10 am, Decorah Unitarian Universalist, Decorah, Iowa
What I Learned From Traveling With the Grim Reaper: speech at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, February 19, 11:10 am
Book Talk: February 16, 9:30 am, Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City
Book Talk: February 27, 7 pm, Matthew 25 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (sponsored by Christ Episcopal Church)
Speaker at Writing for Your Life Conference with Barbara Brown Taylor: Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 27-28
|
|
|
Have friends who are interested in inner and outer journeys? Forward this message! They can subscribe here:
|
|
|
Follow Lori on Social Media:
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
