The past few days have seen us up to our eyeballs in research, planning and speculation. With the December Living Land workshop less than two weeks away, this was our last chance to get out in the field and check the details… so out into the fields and hills we went.
We were lucky with the weather, in spite of the frost that whitened the world. The chill of mid-November was mitigated by clear skies and a hint of sun on the coppery carpets of beech leaves. The emerald leaves of bluebells, reminding us that spring is just on the other side of winter, cluster thickly around stone and tree. Wherever we went, a robin seemed to be watching and busy squirrels worked frantically at secreting their winter hoard. And, wherever we ventured, odd and intriguing clues seemed to laugh at our blindness.
Places we have visited many times before suddenly seemed to be revealing secrets. Not that they had ever been hidden. Most of them had been seen, even photographed, before… but we had not seen them to any purpose. The familiar was made new in our eyes and, as we finally considered what we thought we already knew, intriguing lines of exploration wandered across time and history, opening our eyes and minds to possibilities we had never noticed.
There is a curious ‘blindness’, as if some things may not be known until the time is right…or until you are equipped with sufficient knowledge or experience to begin to appreciate the insights they are offering. Their presence is registered, you can call them up on memory, yet their significance is veiled and does not impinge upon conscious thought. What goes on in the subconscious mind, though, is another matter.
All that which has apparently passed unnoticed is filed in a dark corner that might as well be labelled ‘classified’ for all the good it appears to serve. Yet, beneath the surface, everything we see, hear, read or experience is busy ferreting out the connections needed to give it enough relevance to be useful. It may eventually resurface with the flourish of a pantomime fairy, throwing off its dark cloak to reveal the magic it has kept hidden…and leaving you wondering at your own lack of vision.
Whether it is a clue in the landscape that elucidates a mystery, or something that was within you all along that illuminates your vision of yourself, we are all blinkered from time to time. The conscious mind and its hidden counterpart seem to work at different speeds and have a differing view of the world. Then sometimes they work in tandem, needing only a single clue cast into the cup to create an elixir that clears the mist to leave you speechless at what was right there in front of your eyes all along. Knowledge becomes understanding and your world takes on a new depth and dimension. How could you possibly have missed that for so long..? But you did, and you undoubtedly will again… until the moment is right.
The Silent Eye 
Reblogged this on All About Writing and more.
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Thanks, Henrietta.
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You are welcome!
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Some of those photos look like watercolors. Gorgeous!
And, yes, we do seem to miss what’s before our eyes so often, blinded by what seems like familiarity. But every situation is nuanced, every angle a different perspective. There is no day or hour or minute like any other; we couldn’t recreate one if we tried.
I think many a relationship would be reignited if we remembered this — that while there is perhaps comfort to be found in a dependable person, every moment with them is new and unique unto itself.
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Well said, Erik…every moment is a new beginning, like it or not, and embracing that allows us the freedom to fail and yet succeed…and to see the world constantly new. And yes, the day was a painted day 🙂
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Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
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Thanks, Jaye x
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I am constantly being surprised when I notice something that has been under my nose, so to speak, for ages.
There has to be a reason we haven’t noticed these things before, but so far I haven’t figured it out the connection…
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I don’t think we start to figure them out untlil we are ready and the time is right… which is when they become relevant and when we are equipped to begin to understand them.
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Reblogged this on Sun in Gemini.
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when standing still we see what other wise we pass by
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We do stand still a lot 🙂
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Such beautiful photos, Sue – the first one particularly seemed to grab me, the colours are gorgeous 🙂
And I love those kind of revelations – they grip one on every level, don’t they?
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It was such a glorious day, Helen…pale sun and the last of the autumn leaves 🙂
Yes, they do…and then you have the delight of waiting to see where they will lead 🙂
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Absolutely 🙂
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🙂
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I can’t get over the colors in the photos Sue. I have to know if you’ve retouched any, like the pastel looking one with the colorful rocks and the sky peeking through the trees. ❤ Gorgeous!
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No, I only resized them Debby… that’s how it was 🙂
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Wowwwwww, spectacular! 🙂
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It was 🙂 ❤
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Reblogged this on Stuart France.
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