Wonder – A Prairie Wisdom Card

Sunflower in Detail

Sunflower © 2103 Bo Mackison

“Could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy; and you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.”
~ Kahlil Gibran

If you ever have a chance to see a giant sunflower, up close and personal, you will notice that the sunflower seeds always form in a spiral pattern. Each successive seed placement approximated the golden angle, (137.5˚) and so fully covers the space.

What a wonder-evoking sight. We know nature is filled with patterns and sequences, but often they remain hidden from our unseeing eyes. The sunflower, another natural things like pine cones, the leaves on a stem or the branching of a tree, the fronds on a fern, even the tippets covering a pineapple, follow this mathematical formula.

The beauty of the pattern, in part, is a result of the precise play of the positioning of each concentric layer, and the creation of an eye-pleasing spiral. Gifts of wonderment!

“This very moment of your life, if you experience it fully, will show you astonishing wonders and exquisite delights.” ~ Martha Beck

The WONDER card offers activities for contemplation, art, and writing and a call to action:

  • Journal prompt: Compile a list of things that are common to our culture – for example, a vending machine, a super-sized grocery store, the subway. Choose one thing and write about it, writing from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with such conveniences.
  • Art and contemplative activities: The circular mandala often is used as a symbol for the Universe, for the whole. Seeds are the tiny packages filled with potential.
    • Gather seeds of any kind — choose one kind of seed, or different colored and sized seeds. Begin with a seed for the center, then create a circle with seeds, much like the sunflower with its closely packed seeds in ever-expanding spirals.
    • You can create this in nature as a temporary art installation in miniature. Or you can glue the seeds to cardboard for a more permanent mandala.
    • As you create the mandala, consider the potential of each seed, and consider the potential that exists within you.
  • Call to action: Take a walk in nature and look for some of the countless patterns in nature. Express your wonder with each discovery: “What a wonder-filled world!”

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

A Dose of Sunshine

Desert Marigold at Tohono Chul Park in Tucson Arizona

Desert Marigold II © 2011 Bo Mackison

Sometimes it is the simplest of things that brings on a smile. This yellowest of flower reminds me of sunshine.

There are days when all of us can use an extra dose of sunshine. So here’s a helping of sunny wishes, sent your way, available whenever you need a little sunshine to brighten your day.

Smile. And pass it on!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.

Waving Brown Eyed Susan

Waving Sunflower © 2010 Bo Mackison

Autumn is fast approaching. Last week, Wisconsin had temperatures hovering in the low 90s. This week the thermometer is registering in the low 60s.

Suddenly I’ve discovered I don’t have to rush out of the house in the early mornings and late evenings to see what newest flowers are blooming in the many nearby gardens. The autumn flowers are blooming, even the purple asters which usually don’t bloom until October.

So this seems like an appropriate photo for the season. Yellows, rusts, browns – the palette of autumn. Sunflower photographed at Allen Centennial Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin.

Giant Sunflower and New Perspective

Giant Sunflower

Giant Sunflower © 2008 Bo Mackison

When you take time out to rest your back upon the earth, and look up into the summer skies, it’s amazing what you just might see. Perhaps, like I did, you might see life from a different perspective.