February: Beauty – Wisdom – Alchemy

BEAUTY

WISDOM
Leave it for Another Day  (after all we have a leap-day this month!)

Leave it for another day…
The rug that’s inched away from the wall
in the direction most often walked across.
The cat fur building up on the futon cover,
Margot’s spot curled against the pillows,
Richie’s, perched on the high back.
The baking pan in the sink from
last night’s salmon.
This is no time to make things pretty…
The packing paper sprawled out
across the creeping rug,
a delight for the cats to jump on and
crackle in the wee hours of the morning.
Leave the untouched art supplies out,
they might yet inspire.
Let the dreary drizzle keep me
house-bound. Have another cuppa joe.
Leave the daily “to-do” list undone,
no one’s keeping track.
February sometimes feels like
the longest hump-day of the year.
The in-between time, when it’s still dark
at breakfast and dinner.
There’s no desperate need for groceries
just yet. Eek out another day
of leftovers and salad. Taxes can wait.
Tonight, though, since it’s Valentine’s,
open the bottle of sparkling Rosé
sitting in the fridge.
©LjWinston 2024

Wild Writing practice, inspired by poem “This is no Time to Make Things Pretty” by Maya Stein

ALCHEMY
For almost 20 years I’ve been making Divine Reflections in Nature™ goddess photographs, transforming an original photo into a mirror image… and sometimes mirroring that photo again, and again, playing with special effects in photoshop. This started shortly after my NDE, in a subconscious effort to heal my body, mind and spirit into wholeness again.  I’m blessed to average two to three really stellar images a year. Here’s an example of this alchemical process from this week.  The knowing, of seeing the original “Dancing Trees 00,” recognizing them and imagining them mirrored in my mind’s eye, as I did with these, is quite magical and awe inspiring. There’s no cropping, only mirroring, first one time horizontally, then taking that image and mirroring vertically. I see what they look like in both color and B&W. Then I play with maximizing saturation, inverting, shifting hue (green) and also mirroring left to right, top to bottom completely in reverse (purple) forming tapestries, or mandalas. I’ll sit with “Dancing Trees o1” for a while to listen to her wisdom, to learn what goddess and message is coming through before I add her to my collection. “Dancing Trees 2×4 purp inv” resembles neurons in the brain, and is such a great example of the interconnectedness we share with nature.  We are not separate. I hope you enjoy my process. I’d love to hear which image is your favorite and why.
Click on an image in each row to see gallery view. All photos and words ©LjWinston 2024

Peace, love and blessings,
Rev. Lisa

Spiritual Companion/Guide
Contemplative Photographer
Interfaith Chaplain/Eco-Minister

Free Photos at Pexels
Inspirational Photography Books at Blurb
Beauty calls us beyond ourselves and encourages us to engage the dream that dwells in the soul. –John O’Donohue