The Kapoho Tidepools, Guapo the Hummingbird and the Solstice

With so many changes upon us today, I want to write about transformation and all of these big natural changes that we are observing in these fiery days.
Pele's glory has taken the coastline of the Big Island and made it new again with a raw and new beauty. I am in awe of her passion. I am transfixed by the intense and explosive lava and the magnificent colors, all shades of deep red and orange. She is burning through everything and demanding transformation.

I revisited these pictures from my last visit to Pele's lands. I am grateful to have these images of the tide pools before she reclaimed her magnificent garden.
And so we let go.
And allow.
Stay present.
And gentle.

In this collage is a picture of Guapo my returning ruby throated hummingbird.
Taken today during the last hours of solstice daylight.
Each and every time I see him my heart is filled with so much joy. He reminds me that change is a constant force of nature, we are always pendulating between different energy states. Just watching him is a reminder to stay fluid.

Guapo arrived during the cool Spring days and nights. He waited patiently for the flowers to bloom. Now that the garden is in full glory, he and Flora have returned with another male.
Every morning that I hear their wings beating outside the door I am filled with such gratitude and love for them. They make me feel hopeful and full of goodness. It is the kind of sweetness that I want to share with the good people in my world. And I want to say to everyone... that goodness, gentleness and beauty do prevail, in the end.

 Thank you Pele and the hummingbirds for sharing your magnificent gifts with all of us on the longest day of the year.

The Way of Heaven

During times of change and transition in the seasons, I always return to the study of rhythms in nature, the Classical teachings of Chinese medicine and Daoism. The past few days, I have been reading excerpts of great richness. I have been sitting with concepts surrounding the Way of Heaven and the Dao.

It is the Way of Heaven to keep moving and and to allow no piling up-hence the 10,000 things come to completion. It is in the Way of the emperor to keep moving and to allow no piling up-hence the whole world repairs to his court. It is the Way of the sage to keep moving and to allow no piling up-hence all within the seas bow to him. Comprehending Heaven, conversant with the sage, walker on the 6 avenues and 4 frontiers of the virtue of emperors and kings-the actions of such a man come naturally; dreamily, he never lacks stillness. 
The sage is still not because he takes stillness to be good and therefore he is still. The 10,000 things are insufficient to distract his mind-that is the reason he is still. 
Zhuang zi, Chapter 13

 I am applying these words to the concept of Wu-Wei or the middle path. Non-action, or the art of 'allowing'. When I am with my camera, I try to pull my energy inside and be an observer and participate in this flow. There is a wisdom, that does arise if we allow it through our stillness. As I lean deeper into my own studies, and process, I am so curious about how one can cultivate more capacity to allow the physiology to reorganize with greater ease.

Above is a picture of an osprey, taken at Three Mile Harbor, in Springs, East Hampton. 

I have delighted in their prehistoric piercing eyes that focus on far away prey that swim underwater. 

Watching osprey often feels like a meditation in Wu-Wei. 

Observing how they fly through the air with such beauty and grace is magical, they have a steady and determined presence despite the strength of the wild ocean winds.