The Feel of the Path – A Desert Pilgrimage

Palo Verde

The Feel of the Path – A Desert Pilgrimage

I walk
Through thorn scrub and desert foothills
follow a winding arroyo into high canyon country.

I memorize my foot fall, draw a map, illusion of being in control,
glimpse lizards skittering into rocky crevices,
hold silent conversations with the crone saguaro.

Canyon boulders balance with precision,
boulders shoulder boulders, a giant’s cairn guiding my way.

 

Road to Nowhere

Tree skeletons loom above the grasses choked dry. Scant rainfall.
Agave, flowers spent, seed heads brittle brown
they remain standing tall, rooted in the ruts of an abandoned mine road.
Dust swirls. Land obscured. It does not require eyesight
to know one’s place. Vision will do.

A rattlesnake coils, rises from the earth,
iridescent eyes level with my belt.
A warning flicker, rattle dry like bamboo chimes,
then he disappears in the thick grasses of the arroyo.

I stand on the edge, breathless. Desert encounters.
Precipices. Edges. Stay in the moment.

 

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This is a rough land, it fits my temperament.

Her wilderness is comfort,
her unexpected lushness is gift,
her relentless demands insist on awareness,
her solitude is rare blessing,
her sun-bleached land a tonic,
her dark night skies a reminder to rest.
It is in darkness that the light returns.

How ancient the land upon which I walk,
volcanic rock cold upon the hot desert earth.
Fossils of trilobites and shark teeth hint at
its story, once upon a time an ocean.

I commit to memory all that surrounds me,
Reminders of being home.

Even when I leave I stay.

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Terry Tempest Williams writes,  “If the desert is holy, it is because it is a forgotten place that allows us to remember the sacred. Perhaps that is why every pilgrimage to the desert is a pilgrimage to the self.” Yes, desert pilgrimage is sinking into the depths of self — getting lost, getting found, sometimes staying in the middle space between lost and found.

 

 

 

 

Foggy Walk

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Foggy Walk

It is not the clear-sighted who rule the world. Great achievements are accomplished in a blessed, warm fog.  ~ Joseph Conrad

I’ve been walking in a blessed, warm fog, thanks to a persistent weather pattern. But there is beauty wherever I look, and gratefulness for the opportunity to walk in this world, foggy or not.

Journey – A Prairie Wisdom Card

Journey - A Prairie Wisdom Card

Coneflowers Along the Path © 2013 Bo Mackison

“We may run, walk, stumble. drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way.”  ~ Gloria Gaither

Not every path winds through a garden of purple coneflowers, a beautiful sight to enjoy. But every path has its own appeal — sights to see, places to visit, people to greet. Today’s journey may be a stroll through a garden or a walk up and down the aisles of a grocery store.

Today’s journey may be a cross country flight or a walk in the neighborhood. Today’s journey may be a journey in your mind from anxiety to calm, from boredom to engagement, from disappointment to acceptance.

Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you’re going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are. ~ Anne Lamott

Though life’s journey encompasses years, one  expereinces those years in months, weeks, days, moments. How are you going to spend these next precious moments?

The JOURNEY card offers inspiration for contemplation, journal writing, perhaps an art activity or a daily practice. How does it inspire you?

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  Bo is creating the set of Prairie Wisdom Cards, second in a series of cards based on natural habitats, and used as inspiration for exploration and self-discovery.

Overhanging a Winter Path

Overhanging a Winter Path

Overhanging a Winter Path © 2011 Bo Mackison

Your life lies before you like a path of driven snow,
be careful how you tread it ’cause every step will show.
~ Lowri Williams

Double Vision

Double Vision

Double Vision © 2011 Bo Mackison

I’m moving at a slower speed today, but I am taking in a good many things.
Seeing things not only once, seeing them over and over.
And concentrating on what I am seeing, feeling, doing.
Moving through the day mindfully, slowly.

Moving through the day in winter mode. All bundled up, and heading out into the storm.

One step at a time.