Hawk Medicine on Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton, New York.

These two beauties were together today. What a healing. And a gift. 

Something here about Yin and Yang, and finding balance on the branch of a maple tree. The hawk on the right was sharing its beautiful feathers as the wind blew across its chest. 

Magic like this feels rare and very special. 

Taken in the afternoon light of Springs, East Hampton.

Four Harbors Audubon Society Show

Tomorrow, Saturday the 15th is the opening reception for the Four Harbors Audubon Show. It will be filled with beautiful artwork by artists of Long Island. The show is at the Bates House in Setauket and the hours are from 1-3 pm. The show will be up until the 20 th. 

This year, I am showing this image of one of my Bald Eagles and it printed beautifully. I am pleased with the outcome of the image. I highly recommend the show as so much love and passion shines through the work. Today I got a sneak peak as I dropped off my piece. It is inspiring to see how so many creative eyes capture the beauty of nature. 

The site of the Bates House is also magical. 

Thank you Patricia Paladines for curating such a lovely event!

Happy Valentines Day!

Beannacht by John O'Donahue

Today was a magical day. I was reunited with an eagle. It has been a while since there was an intimate exchange with these beloved beauties. I was happy all day to have had this special connection again, it felt like being reconnected with an old friend. 

Another old friend, even though we never met in person is  

 the theologian and scholar John O'Donahue. I have recently been reading every book, and poem, carefully and with great care. Savoring his words like dark salty chocolate that has a lingering  rich and generous flavor. 

It was fitting to see this beauty this morning and to come home to settle in with a Celtic poem by 

John O'Donohue. His writings on nature make my heart melt and this is welcome on the eve of gale force winds and January snow. 

 

This poem is one of my favorites. From his book Anam Cara. 

Please enjoy, and wishing everyone a fruitful year filled with much beauty and grace.

Beannacht

On the day when 

the weight deadens 

on your shoulders

and you stumble,
may the clay dance 

to balance you.

And when your eyes

freeze behind

the grey window

and the ghost of loss

gets in to you, 

may a flock of colors, 

indigo, red, green

and azure blue

come to awaken in you 

a meadow of delight. 

When the canvas frays

in the curach of thought

and a stain of ocean

blackens beneath you,

may there come across the waters

a path of yellow moonlight

to bring you safely home. 

May the nourishment of the earth be yours, 

may the clarity of the light be yours, 

may the fluency of the ocean be yours, 

may the protection of the ancestors be yours. 

An so may a slow

wind work these words

of love around you, 

an invisible cloak 

to mind your life. 

The Hummingbird Series

Sometimes in a blink of an eye, a spark of inspiration may arise and it has in the past few days. I have created a few new images that birthed a series of hummingbirds and local flowers. 

They are floral collages that highlight the magic of the hummingbirds that have come to the garden over the years.

Here is one image, of Guapo the hummingbird. Bless his heart.

I am look forward to sharing more of them in the future. 

In the meanwhile...

Wishing everyone a generous and safe Thanksgiving. 

Hawk Messengers

This beauty appeared in a series of images that I just found today. I am currently editing photographs for a collection of aviary delights and this beauty caught my eye. 

The bright sky, the red of the tail feathers and the transparency of the wings made me very happy. 

The hawks have been circling the property and their call has been filling my heart. 

While many of the migrating birds are now gone, the hawks and the owls remain. 

Just last night I heard the owls in the tress outside and I wished that they would allow me a sneak peak of them perched in the trees. While the owls have been here for years, I have never been able to photograph them as they come out at night. For now, I must be satisfied with my glorious hawks and be grateful that they fly low enough for me to capture these kinds of magnificent details. 

Hawks always feel like messengers for me, it is as though they are trying to convey an important piece of information from the heavens.

Praying Mantis Medicine and Autumn Sweetness.

It is Autumn now and for several months, the mantis have been revealing themselves to me. At first, on my back door. They hid behind the vines of the passionflowers and they seemed to blend in to an environment that kept them safe.



They had an eye on the house, the garden and on my every move. 

As I got close to them, they would turn their triangular heads, look at me, and seemingly study my every move. They peered through the windows and when I knocked on the glass doors they would move their heads in inquisitive ways.



At one point I felt as though I was under their mindful watch. 

I write 'they' because there were two. At first I thought the couple may have been mating. And then it appeared as though there was only one. So I expected that the female had devoured the male in her mating ritual and that she was preparing to lay eggs. 

My hypothesis was thrown to the wind yesterday when I found two mantis inside my house. No nest, larvae or babies were ever found.

So both mantis were delicately taken outside and released, but my curiosity could not fathom why two were inside my house and how on earth they managed to camouflage  themselves so well. 

A few images were captured, but they are very difficult to photograph.  

 I had the felt sense yesterday that they were protecting the land, keeping an eye on the hummingbird garden and gifting their presence to us. 

They say that they symbolize stillness, mindfulness, protection and good fortune. 

If this is all true, then I have been blessed twice and I am deeply grateful.

Wishing everyone golden sunsets and autumnal sweetness.



Best wishes,
Maria

Autumn Beauties from the South Fork.