Laughter erupted spontaneously as the stars witnessed my sudden understanding. Photographing the night sky, whether through a camera and tripod or a telescope, is a master course in patience. You cannot force the stars to move any faster, if you are wanting to capture their movement to create a star trails image. You can’t stop clouds from moving in to obscure the galaxy the telescope is imaging. The moon won’t slow its rising to give another 10 minutes of dark sky. The sun won’t go down any faster to help you start the imaging session sooner. The laughter emerged when I realized I was having to embody the cycles and timing of Nature…to S L O W down and be present. A nearly constant message coming from every direction these days.
For months I’ve been ‘listening’ to trees. Or feeling trees. However a human might interpret that idea. To me, it’s listening to them. Why do humans go so fast? That’s the question I hear when I’m hiking among the old ones on the high trails. My answers have varied. Snow’s moving in, gotta make it to my car before the road closes. Wind’s picking up, don’t wanna be hit by a falling branch. It’s raining. I’m hungry. The list grows.
But when I take the time to sit on the moss-covered, fallen tree, I meld into the forest. I slow down. I remember cycles. I remember to breathe.
M 81 or Bode’s Galaxy
The stars teach me this, too. Inhale………..exhale. Pause. Inhale………exhale. Pause. Let go. Remember.
Total Eclipse of the Moon
I am the cycles of Nature. I am the stars, the moon, the galaxies. They are me. We are part of a whole. Separation no longer exists. Peace comes….and then? The clouds creep in. And it’s okay.
“The stars serve as an anchor point of stability in a dangerous and ever-changing world.” This quote from The First Astronomers: How Indigenous Elders Read the Stars, sang in my mind last night as I stood beneath the blanket of twinkling beauty.
I don’t recognize the country that I dearly love. It has become a war zone of political insanity, with fear being the commodity propagated by the current administration. It’s unbearable to stay fully informed, but the small news bites I allow to filter through my boundaries, drive me deeper into the woods and cause me to linger longer under night skies absorbing the beauty and capturing it to share, with hope that it brings comfort to those who also need an anchor point of stability.
May we gather in beauty and celebrate it, in its many forms. It is possible, in that space of undeniable grace, that we may find each other again and come together in Oneness.
The First Astronomers: How Indigenous Elders Read the Stars by Duane Hamacher with Elders and Knowledge Holders.
We are shifting. Consciousness is evolving. We are witnessing the breakdown of the old way of fear so that we can live from our hearts. Those that are wanting to amass more power and wealth are doing everything they can to create more for themselves. What they don’t realize is that the chaos they are creating is causing a massive awakening. And it’s scary.
Transforming the self takes hard work and the level of transformation we are going through is deep and powerful. Fears arise. Deeply rooted fears arise. The scariest things we’ve ever imagined began to stand beside us as we tremble. And yet, the way through this time is to dive deep into the shadows within ourselves, for in those shadows are found our most incredible gifts. Our inner treasures are hidden in those dark shadows. The question is, who is willing to journey there?
It comes in waves for me and I was doing pretty good by staying off social media (I don’t watch the news). Then there was a fire near my home…a big one…and I used social media to stay informed. Then I got back in the habit of scrolling. And this evening, I got triggered.
You see, I work on a federal grant. The government does not fund the grant, though. Nursing homes that are fined for violations fund this grant and many others. Last week all applications for new grants funded thusly were frozen as well as extensions on current grants…which we were about to apply for. This program is funded by nursing homes for nursing home residents, to improve their quality of life. So, not a waste of money or funded by the federal government. It’s one of those programs that support our elders who are suffering in their later years.
The post that triggered me listed more agencies and programs that are being gutted…service programs for the less fortunate. And fear arose.
So, I went outside and stood on the ground with bare feet and placed my hands on the bare earth and felt my feelings. And breathed. And asked for help.
My life has been about service…state park naturalist, mental health counselor, massage therapist, nature photographer and writer. And now, project coordinator for a nursing home grant. I’ve volunteered to help sea turtles, dolphins, manatees…have worked with children in environmental education and with children and adults as a fly fishing guide volunteer. I’ve picked up litter on beaches and along roads, and currently volunteer with the national park nearby. Most of the books I’ve created and published I’ve shared profits with environmental groups. It hasn’t been about amassing a fortune. It has and will always be about wanting to help others…people, animals, places.
My life has been focused on empathy. Something the current administration says is a weakness, a flaw. If this is so, I am horribly and magnificently flawed.
As I knelt under the new moon, I spoke out loud about my gifts and talents and my desire to serve and help in the massive awakening occurring on our beloved planet. I don’t know if my job will continue or if tomorrow, I’ll be without income. But I do know I came here to serve and share beauty, kindness, and compassion. And I will continue doing that, no matter what.
I’m engaging deeply in my own transformation and I’m here to help others who wish to engage with theirs. Reach out. You are not alone.
The past several days have been intense all over Western North Carolina. Wildfires have been burning thousands of acres. Very dry conditions, unbelievably low humidity and wild winds have created a nightmare for residents, firefighters, and wildlife.
One of those fires is only three miles from my home. It sounds like a long way, but with steep, mountainous terrain, that is mostly inaccessible for ground crews, and high winds pushing the flames, three miles doesn’t seem that far away at all.
When the Alarka fire started on Tuesday March 25th, it moved so fast that residents had no time to do anything but respond to firefighters beating on their doors, grab their dogs, and leave.
I have two large dogs and three cats. Those kiddos are my first concern. So the cat carriers came out of storage, the dog harnesses placed on the dining table, and I packed the very smallest amount of possessions I could. The dogs get the backseat, the cats the far back of the Subaru, and I get the passenger seat and floorboard for whatever I decided to take.
Deciding what possessions to take is a wonderful exercise in what is important in life. Of course, my furry kids, but what else? Camera gear. A couple days worth of cloths. Favorite hiking boots. Checking account ledgers and info. Passport. Tiny safe with deed and other important papers and of course dog and cat foot. A couple of work notebooks. That was it. It all went into the car except the live critters. (Thankfully photographs are stored in the cloud).
I wasn’t under evacuation orders but I’m the only person responsible for my five kids and getting them together is like…well…herding cats. And wildfires can move incredibly fast with winds like we had. So I opted to live in a bit of chaos for a few days to make sure I could devote my full attention to saving my dogs and cats, if need be.
I took Thursday off work to clear all leaves from my yard, which was already mostly fire-proofed. I keep it that way. But one area I left natural for the last five years, so there were considerable leaves within 40 feet of my home. I raked and hauled leaves for hours that day, which actually helped dispel some of the emotions that were spiking.
There wasn’t a lot of information coming out from Swain County Emergency Management then, but in looking at weather and fire apps, I decided I could leave for a few hours Friday afternoon to attend the birthday celebration of a dear friend. That much-needed visit with friends helped me release stress I’d been carrying.
Gray TeamGray Team NC Forestry Service
And then Saturday evening, there was a community meeting at the Alarka Fire Department. Before it started, I spoke with residents who had incredibly close calls with the fire. They said firefighters were beating on their doors and insisting they leave without being able to gather anything but their dogs. The fire started and spread very fast. They spoke of firefighters defending each home, with fire coming within 15 feet of many homes and within two feet of one home. All of those homes were saved. The only home burned was where the fire started, by an undetermined cause.
According to the state forestry commission investigator, there was a small half-acre fire that started from a power line and that was extinguished by firefighters. The big fire started at a home and the cause is under investigation.
Our local firefighters and state forestry commission did a great job but needed backup as the fire grew from 85 acres to over 750 acres in a day. (That’s why I was packed and ready to leave). They asked for more assistance and the Southern Area Coordination Center sent the Gray Team. I heard several members of this team speak at the meeting and they are an incredible group of people.
I learned so much about this national group that is called the National Interagency Fire Center after I got home and started reading their website. They are professionals from several agencies including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Association of State Foresters, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service. The guys and gals are top notch in their respective fields and mobilize to help when local and state agencies need help. The last time the Gray team was in this area was during Hurricane Helene when they operated a mobile medical unit based in Hickory. They respond to emergencies. I could go on, but for those interested, please explore their website at www.gacc.nifc.gov.
After the meeting and what I learned about the team’s efforts, I unpacked my car. And Sunday, I spent digging in the garden, transplanting mountain mint, under a misty rain. I wasn’t about to miss celebrating the rain. And as I write this, it’s actually raining steadily, this Monday at 7am.
I love my little home, sitting atop a small 2050 foot high mountain. But what I love more are my furry kids….and camera gear. That’s what I chose to save. And that informs me greatly about my passion in this life: To document and share beauty. And that has never waivered.
To the amazing fire suppression teams working 24 hours a day on these fires, thank you so much. The Alarka fire has burned 1511 acres as of Sunday, March 30th. The Table Rock Complex Fire was declared the #1 priority in the nation on Saturday night. The fire size is 10, 904 acres. My supervisor’s husband is working the Tablerock Fire and I think of him and her often…and all firefighters and their families. The Rattlesnake Branch fire near the Shining Rock Wilderness as of Saturday was 1200 acres.
There are four teams in the Southern Area Coordination Center. All four teams are here working these fires. This is the first time this has ever occurred. So as North Carolina burns, we have exceptional help with these teams and now, with rain, we are hoping the fires will be greatly diminished.
I leave you, dear readers, with a question. What would you save? Let that be a contemplation that takes you deep into your life.
Thank you for so many friends, family, and chosen family that have sent up prayers, support, and offers to house my zoo and me if the need arose. Much love and gratitude to you all.
I laid on the porch, gazing into the clear sky, as Orion slowly moved across the sky. In another area of the immenseness of space, my little smart telescope took 10 second exposures for 1 ½ hours of a small section of Ursa Major known as M 81 or Bode’s Galaxy.
The stars seemed to enhance the stillness of the evening as I allowed my mind to wander through constellations and galaxies. All chaos of the external world dropped away and the ‘I’ slowly dissolved into the vastness of the heavens.
I’m finding the night sky my haven, my place of refuge and safety, during these times of social discord and unrest. This quote I came up with sums it up for me:
The image I see on my iPhone–as the telescope works its magic–is below, but what I see when I look into the night sky is pure awe sprinkled with the stardust of Oneness.
If you want to know how the Hubble telescope sees in the M81 galaxy…..
M 81 is 11.6 million light years away and is a 6.9 magnitude spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. In the center is a black hole 70 million times the mass of the Sun. This image taken by Hubble uses visible light and infrared light. Ultraviolet light from hot, young stars is fluorescing the clouds of hydrogen gas. M 81 is 15 times the mass of the Milky Way, our home galaxy. Thanks to NASA for the information and image.
My images won’t be perfect. I do very little post-processing because I want more moments under the sky and less hours in front of a computer. Some amateur astrophotographers devote hours to stacking, color correcting and come up with lovely images and that’s their bliss. I’m super-grateful there are those who choose to push the boundaries of software and computers to show us even more beauty. I’ll just sit outside as long as I can with a far-away look in my eyes and an open heart to the magnificence of the Universe. That’s my bliss.
