Winter Wisdom

  As we are now experiencing a true Winter, I have been exploring the Classics of Chinese medicine through the translations of Claude Larre and Elizabeth Rochat de la Vallee. I am currently reading their book titled, The Kidneys, which discusses the element of water, and the energy of seasonal stillness. 

I just came across this passage which so elegantly conveys my understanding of this season. It contains beautiful instructions for how we should live during this time of year. 

On these beautiful snowy days I have been taking pictures that reflect the mood and energy of the winter light.

This translation is from the Su Wen, Chapter 2. 

'Three months of winter

are called closing and preserving.

Water freezes, the earth is broken up,

there is no longer any communication with the yang.

One goes to bed early, one gets up late,

doing everything according to the light of the sun;

exerting the will as if buried or hidden,

taking care only of oneself,

falling back on oneself, in possession of oneself.

One must avoid the cold and seek the warmth, 

letting nothing flow out of the layers of the skin

through fear of losing qi. 

This is the way that is natural to the qi of winter 

which thus corresponds 

to the maintenance and preservation of life. 

To go against this current would injure the kidneys

causing weakening in spring

through insufficient contribution to the generation of life.'

Seedtime

As a child, I was gifted many little envelopes and preciously folded pieces of paper filled with seeds from my grandmother Isabelle who was a botanist. 

It was not until I read Seedtime by Scott Chaskey and heard his interview with Stefanie Sacks on Stirring the Pot that I had a full appreciation of the many gifts that my grandmother had given to me. 

http://peconicpublicbroadcasting.org/post/stirring-pot-stefanie-sacks-seedtime

It was as if a light bulb went on in my head and my heart. I saw my grandmother's legacy in a completely new light and my appreciation for her presence in my life deepened. 

Seedtime is a similar gift, but it is for all of us. This is an important book that we must share with our friends, families and communities. It is deeply meaningful and masterfully written by a luminary in the fields of organic farming, poetry and botany. 

Last year, Scott asked if I would be interested in submitting some of my work to Rodale Press for his book on seeds, and as I recall, I said "yes!" in the blink of an eye.

I am deeply honored that my photograph of a milkweed seed is on the cover of Seedtime. The seed came from a pod that was collected at a nature preserve along Accabonac  harbor in the Springs, East Hampton, N.Y. It was photographed in natural light on a precious piece of black velvet in the Winter sunlight. 

This book is a beautiful and poetic exploration of the history, husbandry and promise of seeds. It is a celebration of the very essence of the cycles of nature. As I read each page of this book, I felt that I was going on a journey through time, from the ancient tombs of the world to the current accounts of GMOs and how they are impacting our agricultural industry.

The very first sentence of the first chapter reads…

"Encapsulated in each seed is a story, a story held in a state of rest until released. Only with significant patience and effort can we interpret this language, which gradually is revealed as the cotyledons, or first leaves, unfold from a seed's invisible center."

In this book, there are many gorgeous and poetic sentences that ask for us to put the book down, if only for a moment, to relish in the cadence of the words and take in the magic of Scott's vision and lyrical expressions.

There are many curious and amazing historical details about ancient seeds, Native American traditions and the evolution of seeds through time. Scott masterfully weaves personal stories, personalities of plants, along side important information about botanical history. 

I have been deeply moved by the sincerity and the depth with which this book was crafted and published.
Rodale Press did a lovely job in the design and printing of this book. It is a book that you want to hold and read with time so as to savor the depth and richness of the words.
Thank you Scott for sharing your magic with us!
This book may be purchased locally at Canio's book store in Sag Harbor, N.Y.

It is also available through Amazon books.

http://www.amazon.com/Seedtime-History-Husbandry-Politics-Promise/dp/1609615034

Winter Beauty

The winter light helps us to see the simple beauty in nature. 

The Courage to Heal

The snow has made the light particularly beautiful here in the woods, and while the air has been crisp, there has been time for many hours of reflection and internal stillness. In my quiet time, I have been exploring the topics of courage and healing. I have been remembering moments in my own journey when I followed my heart onto a new terrain and trusted my internal compass to lead me in the right direction for my highest good.
In my own process, the greatest moments of courage were initiated by stillness. It takes a very brave heart to open up to the of healing trauma of any kind and wounds that are sometimes inherited by our lineages. Along the journey, many may stop. It requires steady patience, inspiration, hope, and great self care. It also requires a community of loving and supportive people who understand what it means to the person on this deeply personal journey.

As Dr. Peter Levine so elegantly suggests, we are naturally 'restoring our bodies to goodness'.

In the new year, it is my intention to bring together a larger community of likeminded people that understand this critical work especially in these  turbulent times. Creating a safe space, or sanctuary is the first step to healing work. Our nervous systems settle with more ease and grace when we are comfortable.

Healing trauma is a sacred process.

 In our current culture it is often difficult to take the time to allow our nervous systems to truly heal.  We often need a lot of space in our lives for much needed stillness and integration of the work. We are delicate, yet resilient. In my current study of healing trauma through a three year training of Somatic Experiencing I am learning so many new aspects of our system and our amazing and often mysterious capacities to heal.
As I move through the grace of this training, I too am being transformed.

Once someone commits to this path, miracles can happen. But this process may take time, often years. There are moments of challenge and there may be internal activations that require attention in our lives. It also requires the slowing down to listen to the subtle needs of our bodies.
We must also have safe environments where the people around us understand that we are in a delicate and meaningful process. We often come to this path because there were aspects of our lives that were not working for us, we may have been in pain or we felt the pull to experience life more deeply. 

During this time of exploration, we are committed to living in the land of the heart and exploring the terrain of the body. 

The heart, is the Emperor in Chinese medicine. It may lead us along a new path if we listen to the whispering of the call.

In my personal journey, I have also found mother nature to be a beautiful healer. She frequently opens her heart to me and sends me courage through beautiful messages. It may be the unexpected arrival of a marsh hawk, a butterfly or the chance meeting with a beautiful lady bug.

For more information on this particular process of healing trauma, Dr. Peter Levine he has written several beautiful books and has also created a CD workbook.
To find a practitioner please visit:
www.traumahealing.com

The Majestic Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

This past month I had the amazing and rare gift of seeing a Blue Heron, a Marsh Hawk and a Snowy Owl all in one day. It was a sequence of fortuitous events.

During my search for the snowy owl I drove by marshy lands and kept my camera ready. 

I was delighted to get this picture of a lovely Blue Heron perched on an Osprey nest. It seems that the Osprey had already headed South for the Winter and this Heron took advantage of the vacancy for a better view of the landscape in Napeague. 

Blue Herons are the largest of the North American Herons and can be found along marshes, slow rivers, streams, fields, swamps and the ocean. They are most active at dawn and dusk and their breeding season is between mid-April and late June. 

They may feed at night or during the day due to their exceptional eyesight. 

The oldest recorded Heron was 24 years old.

As an animal totem, this beauty represents determination, exploration, transformation and balance. 

Gifts from Nature

This past Autumn I collected many new pictures of colors, textures and forms from nature to create this collage. Berries, nuts, fruits, flowers, bark and seeds! From this image I made beautiful gift certificates for my on line store and private practice. 

To purchase one of these sparkly holiday gift cards kindly contact me at 

mariabowling@me.com

Sending my best wishes!

Dreaming with Dolphins and Whales

   I often dream at night that I am swimming with dolphins and whales. Last night I dreamt that I was on a small boat in the Pacific followed by a baby Humpback that was breaching in its wake. In my dream, it was so close that I could see the bumpy texture on it's shinny skin and beautiful dreamy eyes. My heart was so opened by this night time encounter, I told my dreamy self that I want to feel like this all of the time!

I awoke this morning with an urge to share how much I love being in the water, especially where the whales, dolphins, whale sharks and other deep sea creatures swim in many shades of blue. 

These are dolphin pictures from my last days of free diving in Kona. 

I have never been afraid of deep water. When I had my orca encounter, the water was roughly one mile deep. I often feel very safe and almost supported by the open ocean. Over the years it has given me great comfort to be in the vast and beautiful sapphire depths.

It is an elixir to my soul. 

  The photographs above and below are my very first photographs of the Pacific bottle nose dolphins. I have been with them from a distance and had the joy of swimming with them at night with the mantas  in Kona but I had never taken a picture of one so close. The sonar was very strong and it felt wonderful to meet these curious eyes, face to face. 

     Each time that I am able to make contact and document what I see underwater, a feeling of joy flows through my entire body. It is a somatic experience that feels blissful and exciting. I love making contact with new sea creatures and sharing my experiences with my friends and family. I also enjoy learning about new environments, the animals and my journeys.

       When I share with the little ones there is always an immediate sense of curiosity and wonder. They are always eager to know more, children really appreciate and pay special attention to each detail of my stories. Adults on the other hand, often look at me with a dubious glance followed by a tilted head and often have a confused look in their eyes. 

    When I am underwater,  I feel that I am in the flow of life, and that nature is much bigger than me. My soul sings. As I swim with my weight belt and my camera I am in my perfect element. This is a feeling that many people who spend a lot time in the ocean understand. We are like a secret society, participating in two worlds at once, it can feel sacred. 

There is something magical about being submerged in this beautiful aquatic world. It is mysterious, delicate, unknown and expansive. The ocean teaches me something new during each encounter and she also gives me  profound and beautiful healings.

     It is my hope that my pictures may open another world for people to experience or know the mysteries of the ocean.  

 If we love and appreciate something close to our heart then we will take good care of it, and protect it's future. 

 Jacques Yves Cousteau said: 

"People protect what they love". 

     I love the dolphins, the whales and other sea creatures so much so that  I am now sharing my pictures with more frequency. I am deeply concerned about the Pacific Ocean and the leak of the reactor in Fukishima, Japan. What has been my personal sanctuary and retreat is now being continuosly poisoned by pollution. I am feeling the push to go deeper inside myself to find what I can do to curb this immediate  crisis. In my heart, I feel that beauty is what moves people and so it is my hope that these pictures of amazing sea creatures will open others to a new level of curiosity, wonder, consciousness and respect for what lives beneath us in the watery realms.

The time is now.