A few weekends ago, my husband and I took a drive over to Fort Foster Park, on the coast of Kittery, Maine. As we explored the beach, my attention was caught by the leaf-like patterns that the outgoing tide had left in the sand. I was struck by the realization that as many times as I have walked the beaches of southern Maine, I had never noticed these patterns before. Had they not been there, or had I just not seen them?
This simple pattern in the wet sand put me in a state of mindfulness that I experience all too seldom: getting out of my own head to truly see and experience what’s right in front of me. I’ve always known that being closely connected to the natural world is important to my writing, but I never really thought about why. Now I know.
Elizabeth Gauffreau 
Namaste Liz , Happy New Year 🙂
The interconnectedness of our being with Nature is seamless. One wonders what conclusions you drew from patterns drawn in the sands of Maine and quite where those thoughts may take your writing?
Namaste 🙂
DN
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Happy New Year to you as well, Dewin! The patterns in the sand served as a channel to my subconscious, where the source of my best writing resides. I need to be out in Nature to drive the monkey chatter out of my head. (I have a very demanding day job.)
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Namaste Liz 🙂
Thank you for best wishes for the New Year. I hope the next twelve months exceed our wildest expectations 🙂
Nature serves us well in providing a means of escape from ‘monkey chatter’ (a phrase I enjoy very much and understand completely) She has a very special way of quieting the mind, calming the soul and returning us to a balance point. You appear to hold her in high regard, which is a delight to hear. Mother Earth is precious to us all.
There is simplicity in the complexity of patterns that transcend its apparent aesthetic. I do not profess any knowledge of the matter per se, but experience much the same sense of liberation of mind when searching for ideas for my artwork…invariably repeating abstract form removes me from preconceived ideas and delivers me elsewhere. I think Nature operates in much the same way – her diversity is prolific, sufficient to disrupt and distract our rational mind and encourage no thought at all other than wonder, Love and gratitude: the keystones of our being. I am also fascinated by Fractal Art as much as I am Mandala Art, and by extension of the latter, the work of Carl Jung whose esteemed mind delves into mandala forms with great insight and awareness. No doubt you’ll have knowledge of Jung, but whenever I return to his work, there are always more nuggets to be found: seams of rich thoughts, ideas, concepts just waiting to be mined by a mind mindfully.
I read your About Page and was intrigued to understand more of the work you do: it’s application and practical aspects particularly.
Thank you for your reply. I look forward to further discussion. Until next time…
Namaste 🙂
DN
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My dad was the Jungian. He was very much into the notion of the Shadow self.
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