Agave – A Desert Lesson in Awareness

Agave, Opening

Agave, Opening © 2014 Bo Mackison

Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language. ~ Aldo Leopold

Before the agave blooms, it is a rosette of green spiny leaves. And then, in the middle of the green spines, a thick stem grows. It thickens and stretches, and often reaches twenty or more feet into the air, sending forth a burst of scented yellow flowers high enough to attract the pollinating bats flying in the dark desert night.

In the excited anticipation of the bloom, an occurrence that happens only once in the life of the plant, the beauty of the stalk is usually overlooked. But a close examination of the protruding stalk offers an unexpected desert gift – a multitude of colors. Yellows and oranges, peachy pinks and soft greens, and a spike of purple.

Another desert lesson in awareness and paying attention, in noticing the small things amidst the grand. The gift of the unexpected, the overlooked.

Seeking Wisdom in the Desert

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Center © 2014 Bo Mackison

I lose my center. I feel dispersed, scattered, in pieces. I must have time alone in which to mull over any encounter, and to extract its juices, its essence, to understand what has really happened to me as a consequence of it. ~ May Sarton

When I hear the words “in the desert”:..

… I think it is time to make choices and live with the consequences; to accept who I am, and feel grateful for the opportunity to live in solitude; to follow a contemplative path; to focus on the positives while being aware of the negatives; to look up at the desert sky and connect with the stars.

What I most yearn for “in the desert”…

… a warmth that spreads from outside to inside; to develop tolerance and strength when dealing with stressors; to feel totally alive, embracing each moment.

What I fear while I’m “in the desert”…

…while I know I will make mistakes, may they be mistakes I can learn from; may they cause no harm to others; may the challenges prove fruitful.

Intention is the power of the experience. ~ Cynthia Gale

What I hope for “in the desert”…

…that I will develop courage to see me through my days, and through the long nights, too; that I will make choices that are true to myself; that I will choose life-enhancing while avoiding life-depleting practices.

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A journaling technique I sometimes use, asking and answering repetitive questions with just a change of one word. I considered my relationship with the desert and then incorporated the words hear, yearn, fear, and hope into questions. It provided just enough of a container to direct my thoughts and writing.

Communication – A Desert Wisdom Card

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Petroglyphs © 2011 Bo Mackison

Symbols pecked into boulders over a thousand years ago. What were the ancients saying in these prehistoric communications?

Though nothing is certain, it seems plausible that these rock figures were a means of communication. Whether they were symbolic, astronomical, directional, or ceremonial is not known. What is known is that these petroglyphs were a means of communication or documentation.

Imagine the many ways we communicate. Conversations, the written word, social media, body language, even in symbols and metaphors.

Petroglyphs in Saguaro National Park

Concentric Petroglyph in Sonoran Desert © 2014 Bo Mackison

A trail through the western part of Saguaro National Park leads to Signal Hill.

Here a large mass of boulders featuring dozens of petroglyphs. The  Hohokam chipped or pecked these petroglyphs into the desert varnish, the dark outer layer on rocks.

Petroglyphs in Saguaro National Park

Animal Petroglyphs © 2014 Bo Mackison

Some of the figures seem to tell a story — a hunter following a mountain lion or a deer.

Some are easily identified depictions — figures like humans, deer and wolves, snakes, turtles, and lizards, spirals and circles, mountain peaks and sun. But the meaning behind these simple etchings are mysteries.

Petroglyph Canyon Wall

Petroglyph Canyon Wall © 2014 Bo Mackison

Some are symbols that align at astronomical seasonal beginnings – solstices and equinoxes.

While hiking in a canyon, I met a scientist who had eight cameras triggered to photograph a rock wall of petroglyphs every few seconds.  He kindly showed me a phenomenon he had been studying for several years. A spiral petroglyph splits — half in light/half in shadow — from sunlight shining through a narrow slit in the canyon rocks at the precise hour of the spring equinox.

Petroglyphs in Saguaro National Park

Concentric Petroglyph in Saguaro National Park © 2014 Bo Mackison

While the petroglyphs hold onto many of their secrets, they still offer a glimpse into the world of people who lived over a thousand years ago, people who found a way to communicate with a sharp implement and a varnish covered rock.

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The first photograph in this series is the third preview card of the Desert Wisdom Cards Second Series now in the production stage. The words on the new series of cards are letter pressed, the photographs are printed, the cards are cut and trimmed. Currently I am assembling the cards and I’ve completed the design of the portfolio for the second series.

An announcement re: availability will be coming soon on my blog and newsletter.

Challenge – A Desert Wisdom Card

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Approaching Storm © 2014 Bo Mackison

Sometimes the darkest challenges, the most difficult lessons, hold the greatest gems of light. ~ Barbara Marciniak

The desert is not all cacti and spaciousness.

Although much of the land is open, some desert habitats, especially the desert scrub lands, are open range.  An occasional four strand barbwire fence follows the roadways, separating cattle from vehicles, and these barbed wire fences get entangled with clusters of tumble weed. Bare branched mesquite trees add a touch of the macabre. High winds and encroaching dark clouds transform the high desert into a scene evoking apprehension and concern.

Traveling the back roads in the desert region is one of my joys, but it is not without its dangers.

When storms approach without warning and the winds blow sands that block my vision, I must deal with challenges of rough weather. I usually find a place to shelter, knowing that I have packed enough supplies to see me through a delay. And while I am frightened at times by the stormy weather, once the clouds move on and the sun rays filter through the clouds, I appreciate the desert-scape bathed in golden light.

Without dark clouds and stormy weather for comparison, I wouldn’t be as appreciative of blue skies and gentle desert breezes.

There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet. ~ William Frederick Halsey, Jr.

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This is the second card in the preview of the second series of the Desert Wisdom Cards, now in the production stage. The words on the new series of cards are letter pressed, the 16 photographs for the second set are chosen and printed. The cards are mostly cut and trimmed. Still to come are  assembly, packaging, and creating a new folio for this series. I’ll announce availability (soon) on my blog and in my newsletter.

Awakening – A Desert Wisdom Card

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Awaken to the Day © 2014 Bo Mackison

Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it. ~ Anne “Ninon” de L’Enclos

Sunlight peeks through the glimmering clouds.

The quails are scurrying from one pile of desert brush to the next, intent on crossing the arroyo unseen. Their camouflage antics are erratic, hesitant, but successful. The hummingbirds whirr about the spiky penstemon, drawing sweet nectar from the deep pink throats of the flowers. A cottontail, still like a garden ornament, hides under cover of the prickly pear. A roadrunner dances along the edge of the rocky arroyo edge, dipping his tail, flitting along.

All are alert. The world awakens as I watch the dawn break into day.

“We all woke up this morning and we had with it the amazing return of our conscious mind. We recovered minds with a complete sense of self and a complete sense of our own existence — yet we hardly ever pause to consider this wonder.”
~ Antonio R. Damasio, Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain.

Each morning we awaken to a new day, with routine experiences and unexpected opportunities.

How can I prepare so that I wake refreshed and ready to experience each moment of this precious, never-before-experienced day? How will I go through my day alert to the possibilities, aware of the gifts and offerings that are constantly present?

Am I awake to the gentle nudges, fleeting ideas, serendipitous encounters?

“Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfillment.”
~ John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

What makes you feel awake and alive?

What energizes you? What happenings and experiences feel expansive and joyful? How might you incorporate bits of joy into your daily activities?

“Wander around wonder for awhile and awaken wisdom within.”
~ Soul Dancer

Wander. Wonder. Awaken.

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Today I introduce the second series of the Desert Wisdom Cards, now in the production stage.  Here is a preview of the AWAKENING card. The words on the new series of cards are letter pressed, the 16 photographs for the second set are chosen and being readied for printing. Still to come are paper cutting, assembly, packaging, and creating a new folio for this series. I’ll announce availability (soon) on my blog and in my newsletter.