I finally had a chance to post the poem I worked on during my recent trip into the mountains, and hope my readers and visitors will enjoy this brief video. https://videopress.com/v/SlIyuuM6?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Here is the text of the poem, so you can read along as I recite it. Enjoy! The Only Light in the Wilderness The … Continue reading Light in the Wilderness
A few weeks ago, I ventured out into the wilderness of the northern mountains in my home state for nine days, in a remote area designated as a campground in the Stokes State Forest. I generally prefer to visit state parks when camping, since most often there are public facilities available, and options for enhancing … Continue reading Wonder in the Wilderness
View of the lake in the Pennsylvania mountains Several times during the year, I have recently been able to enjoy the exceptional privilege to be invited to my sister's lakehouse in Pennsylvania, occasionally for family gatherings, and sometimes simply for the pleasure of a visit. As someone who savors opportunities for communing with the natural … Continue reading Enriched Beyond Measure
Back in September of last year, I posted an account of the removal of the tree out in front of my home, whose presence we had enjoyed for the previous thirty years of residence in our neighborhood, and I shared a video of me reciting the poem I wrote in response to the event itself, … Continue reading After A Tree Falls
MIDWAY upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost. Ah me! How hard a thing it is to say What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear. So bitter is it, death is … Continue reading A Writer’s Dilemma
There have now been a great many times when I have crossed over from the temporal awareness of everyday life and ventured deliberately and purposefully into the world within. Inevitably, as I travel inward, I have found myself visualizing imagery of what I would characterize as a clearing, where I always seem to go when … Continue reading The Clearing at the Water’s Edge
As is often the case with the approach of the autumn season, I can strongly sense that change is coming, and it’s not just in the dazzling panoply of autumn leaves. My spirit—my soul—the very essence of my existence—is rising. I feel its approach; I sense its immanent arrival; and I welcome it. I understand … Continue reading Auguries of Autumn
View from Blue Ridge Parkway in southwestern Virginia There are few experiences for frequent highway travelers that can compare with the exceptional countryside road views available along the highways within the Blue Ridge Mountain range, which stretches from northern Georgia all the way up to Pennsylvania. Recent camping trips have resulted in several wonderful opportunities … Continue reading Countryside Contemplation
"There is something in the mountain air that feeds the spirit and inspires." -- Henry David Thoreau from his essay, "Walking," 1862 Once again, after a long hiatus due to the complications of modern life, I had the privilege of traveling into nature's cathedral, unwinding from the relentless demands of daily life, and drifting into … Continue reading September Journey
August has nearly flown by this year, due in large part to the rapid pace of life these days for me, but also by virtue of the daunting blank page that has been staring back at me these past several months. There have been lots of ideas and thoughts and musings percolating in my heart … Continue reading August Musings
John's Consciousness 