Murmur
The rare earth elements perplex us in our researches, baffle us in our speculations, and haunt us in our very dreams. They stretch like an unknown sea before us mocking, mystifying and murmuring strange revelations and possibilities.
William Crookes
Murmur
The Creator said,
“I will make a tiny bird
the color of night
speckled with stars,
this starling
will learn to speak in many voices -
confusing to his enemies,
delightful to his friends.
He will multiply and spread
Across the earth.
Men will name him ‘pest’, and ‘invader’
farmers will call him ‘menace’ -
all will drive him from their lands.
But for his protection,
I will give this beloved,
mischievous bird
the gift of synchronous flight -
When danger threatens -
he will rise
with thousands of his kind
spinning and circling
dancing and weaving
carving and twisting
in formations
mimicking the creation
and dissolution of galaxies
darkening the sky -
a dismay to his enemies,
a wonder to his friends -
each little bird
on his own path
in harmony
with the flock
a murmuration of sound
and movement.”
And when he watched
their first flight,
the Creator said,
“It is good.”
To see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of all creation as oneself.
Mahatma Gandhi
If you haven’t ever seen a murmuration of starlings, this video on YouTube is amazing.
Also check out the beautiful work of photographer Soren Solkaer on starlings and their murmurations here: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/tags/soren-solkaer/
If you want to hear a sample of the variety of sounds a starling can make, check out @inkydragon (artist, Sarah Tidwell, who rescued a starling she calls “the mouth”) on Instagram. Here’s a link if you don’t have instagram or don’t want to follow: the mouth
The creation theme was inspired by a writing class I’m taking from tricycle.org called “Writing as a Spiritual Practice” and my genuine awe of the amazing abilities of these little birds I see everywhere, and am only just now really beginning to appreciate.
Hope you have a great week. See you next Friday!
The Welcome Party
Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.
John Muir
A female boat-tailed grackle in the park where I walked, singing or screeching (depending on your point of view)
hopping around,
and looking for little scraps of food. She was unbothered by my camera and fun to watch.
The first iguana I saw since arriving in Miami Beach- ran up a palm tree beside my balcony. If I hadn’t seen him do it, I might not have seen him at all. His colors blend so well with the tree.
A fish crow contemplates the grass at South Point Park.
A little iguana I’m calling Ignatius perched himself on the top of a palm branch right next to my balcony - he’s been keeping me quiet company almost since I got here.
A beautiful little starling landed on the peak of a house across the alley, singing its heart out.
Ignatius pokes his head from the palm leaves yesterday - giving me a curious (or suspicious) look.
Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.
William Shakespeare
I am always a little nervous about what I’ll find when I come back to Miami. I worry that the people I know won’t be here or that construction projects may have altered the places I know and love. I am sometimes afraid that I won’t find anything new to photograph, and that my photos will become repetitious. This time was no different, but the first morning, when I walked out to watch sunrise, I saw a friend. Then on the beach, I saw another friend. Then, I took my camera out and started noticing the animals. I felt like they were welcoming me, too. I hope you enjoy the photos. I enjoyed taking them!
Thank you so much for being here!
P.S. My technical problems were mostly resolved thanks to my husband, Tom. The new hard drive that I’m storing my photos on got corrupted and he recovered everything and repaired the drive; so… whew!
It has been surprisingly overcast and rainy most of the time I’ve been here so far, but on Tuesday this week we had a beautiful sunrise. This picture was taken overlooking the jetty next to South Point Pier, where some native plants are growing in a protected area.
Morning Ritual
When we do what we love, again and again, our life comes to hold the fragrance of that thing.
Wayne Muller
I wake in the dark of morning
and wherever in the world I am -
I walk outdoors.
Morning calls.
I feel the breath of it
on my skin,
hear its music,
the sound of waking birds,
filling my ears.
My mind is quiet.
Worry has not woken.
Only wonder walks with me,
as I watch the moon
departing,
and the first light of dawn
breaking over the fields;
into the trees.
No matter what the day
before has brought me -
No matter what dreams
haunted my sleep -
I wake in the dark of morning
and wherever in the world I am
I walk outdoors.
Morning calls.
Sunrise through barbed wire and a thorny vine
I hear the sound of birds singing above me
Texas sun blazing through the bare oak branches
A starling sings from the top of the utility pole, silhouetted against the gradually lightening sky.
Every morning it’s a little different - a haze on the horizon softens the edges of light
A big buck staring across the field toward the rising sun
Above the trees in the big Texas sky
The sacred is not in heaven or far away. It is all around us, and small human rituals can connect us to its presence. And of course the greatest challenge (and gift) is to see the sacred in each other.
Alma Luz Villanueva
I had to make a road trip to Texas this week - it was quickly thrown together, and it could have felt rushed and stressful, except for my daily pre-dawn walk outdoors. There is always this quiet time before the sun rises, when I can be outside and walk in peace, before worries or plans begin to fill my mind. I go out in cold, in rain, in snow, in wind, in heat -whatever the weather. It is harder to do somedays than others, but I never regret doing it. It is a ritual that comforts me by making every place I go feel familiar. Wherever there is a morning, I am home.
Hope your week was beautiful too. See you next week.
The waning moon in the early morning hours, just before sunrise in Texas