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Short reflections on the connection between Nature and Spirituality that can be used in our daily lives. |
a MONTH at a glance... |
Diversity in Nature
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2023 11-30, 5879 - DIVERSITY IN NATURE – I learned on our recent tour of 9 tropical islands about the diversity of Nature. One island had boa constrictors, another alligator, another monkeys, and another iguana. Nature and life seem to mimic each other.
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2023 11-29, 5878 - HOLDING BACK THE SEA – It was interesting to see how the islands of the Caribbean are attempting to deal with the rising sea by using very large concrete castings to help block the damage caused by powerful storms. Much of the lowlands were created by fill. Stay tuned for the results.
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Holding Back the Sea
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Play Me A Tune
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2023 11-28, 5877 - PLAY ME A TUNE – Years ago when the local school playground was dismantled due to new construction, we moved a giant xylophone to the Center. It waits silently for kids of all ages to play a tune on its one octave scale. I love things that bring the kid out of people who think that they are adults.
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2023 11-27, 5876 - READY AND WAITING – I have a twenty-plus-year-old tractor that stands ready and waiting in case it is needed to move big snowbanks in the winter and grade the landscape in the summer. In life I believe that I have a whole team behind me ready and waiting to assist me on my soul’s journey.
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Ready and Waiting
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Faces in the Wall
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2023 11-26, 5875 - FACES IN THE WALL – If one has ever been in a room where the walls are made of knotty pine, it is easy to feel that faces are looking at you. Some people even feel as if the walls are alive and sending messages. It is good to be aware of reality when staring at the wall.
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2023 11-25, 5874 - TREASURE HUNTING – I am always searching for treasure on the Mountain. It would be nice to find precious metals, crystals, and other gemstones, but I also focus on finding hearts. Hearts are a treasure for my heart. It has a value worth much more as an indication that I am supported by the riches of the Cosmos.
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Treasure Hunting
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Investing in the Future
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2023 11-24, 5873 - INVESTING IN THE FUTURE – The tiny hemlock caught my eye. It was only a few inches tall. I thought of the length of time it takes a tree to mature. Investing in future forests takes a lot of patience, but as the tree grows, its value increases. That is good for the environment and for our souls.
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2023 11-23, 5872 - THANKSGIVING – This is the day that our country celebrates Thanksgiving. Other counties have set aside different dates to pause and observe a time to be grateful. I like to think that I celebrate Thanksgiving every day of the year through heartfelt gratitude. I am thankful for many things.
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Thanksgiving
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Next Year's Buds
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2023 11-22, 5871 - NEXT YEAR’S BUDS – The rhododendrons are all budded and ready to produce beautiful blossoms in the spring. It is just nature’s part in preparing, just as people have been getting ready for winter. Now it is time to begin to think about next spring. It is always good to have something positive in your future goals.
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2023 11-21, 5870 - STONE CUTTERS’ REST – When we first acquired the property, we found a small overgrown area that had been quarried a couple of hundred years ago, and when cleaning it up, we discovered a wonderful little seating area that has since hosted a wedding and an Eagle Scout ceremony. Just another special place.
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Stone Cutter's Rest
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New Life in the Old
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2023 11-20, 5869 - NEW LIFE IN THE OLD – I paused to appreciate the beauty of the old log teeming with new life. I thought of old outdated thoughts and realized that many of them may be hosting new ideas. There is still a lot of value in old ways.
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2023 11-19, 5868 - HYPNOSIS GLADE – For several years now the Center has had the privilege of providing space for the Granite Back Country Alliance to establish and maintain four ski trails down the Mountain. I love to see the parking lot full on a winter day. I know the energy of the land is working its magic.
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Hypnosis Glade
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Painted Cones
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2023 11-18, 5867 - PAINTED CONES – Nature has its paint brush out again and has created white pinecones to decorate the landscape. Besides being works of art, they carry seeds to plant the next generations of trees. They may also wind up as decorations for a holiday wreath.
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2023 11-17, 5866 - OUTHOUSE TALES – When I was growing up, I would visit my grandparents in the next town who lived in an older with an outhouse in the Barn which was as cold in the winter as outside. I have a lot of memories from my visits. We all have stories of when we were young.
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Outhouse Tales
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Return of the Ice Age
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2023 11-16, 5865 - RETURN OF THE ICE AGE – When my grandson was little, he loved watching a movie about The Ice Age, and one day I took him over to the top of the Lupine Field when Mt. Washington was covered with snow. He pointed and said excitedly, “I see the Ice Age.” Most of us have a fond memory as a kid.
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2023 11-15, 5864 - RED BERRIES – We have a couple of red berry bushes on the property probably planted by the birds. Their shiny green leaves last late into fall, and the berries last into the holiday season and make good decorations for green wreathes. They are also good for bringing smiles to my face.
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Red Berries
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Drill Marks
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2023 11-14, 5863 - DRILL MARKS – There are places on the land where the drill marks still remain from quarrying granite for foundations and walls a couple of hundred years ago. The settlers used star drills to gouge holes in the stone and then wait over the winter for ice to expand. This old way can still work with patience.
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2023 11-13, 5862 - BEYOND THE LEDGE – The Center’s property lines go right over the top of Chamberlain Ledge, and we have some pretty severe drop-offs on the back side. It is not easy to climb down, requiring a zigzag descent. Getting from point A to B in life can be a journey filled with surprises.
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Beyond the Ledge
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Cloud Scrying
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2023 11-12, 5861 CLOUD SCRYING – Scrying is a psychic way of receiving information by staring at an object and letting your eyes go out of focus. Some people use crystal balls, tea leaves or gazing at the clouds. Everyone has a type of intuitive ability, and you may fine scrying one of yours.
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2023 11-11, 5860 - BOUNDARY MARKERS – It is interesting how old land deeds defined the boundaries. They often used trees that have long since disappeared. Today GPS devices can make it easier to find and stay within the lines. People have boundaries as to how much they want others to intrude. It is good to establish them.
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Boundary Markers
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Pieces of Granite
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2023 11-10, 5859 - PIECES OF GRANITE – The mountainside is littered with pieces of granite in places where the settlers split large pieces to use for foundations and walls for cemeteries. The unusable pieces were just left, and I find a use out of many of them. We all have parts and pieces waiting to be used.
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2023 11-09, 5858 - AN OAK LEAF AND A HEART – On a recent walk I spotted an oak leaf on the trail and saw a small stone heart close by. I smiled and felt gratitude for always finding affirmations that I am surrounded with love.
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An Oak Leaf and a Heart
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Building Trails
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2023 11-08, 5857 - BUILDING TRAILS – A couple of years ago, when we had logging done to the land, skidder trails were created to haul the trees to a central place for processing. Now we have an opportunity to use them to create new trails and improve old trails. In life it is possible to find better ways to achieve your goals.
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2023 11-07, 5856 - DOWN TO BEDROCK – There are places in the old road that are worn down to bedrock from use and plowing. In fact, there are places on the mountain that must look like the way they were after the ice age. In life, when thoughts of success have worn away, we always have options of trying a new and different idea.
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Down to Bedrock
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Hanging On By Its Roots
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2023 11-06, 5855 - HANGING ON BY ITS ROOTS – The hemlock tree growing in the very thin topsoil covering the ledge at Stone Cutter’s Rest is literally hanging on by its roots trying to survive the storms that pass through the area. Fortunately for us, we have deep roots connecting to our belief and our soul.
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2023 11-05, 5854 - TIME CHANGE – The time has changed back to Eastern Standard Time. That means it will be getting dark an hour earlier all winter. The body wants to slow down and eat and sleep more. It is the feeling of wanting to hibernate. Our light source becomes the inner light of our heart.
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Time Change
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Wildlife Safety Area
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2023 11-04, 5853 - WILDLIFE SAFETY AREA – Here in the foothills and mountains of New Hampshire, November and part of December means hunting season for deer. When we opened the Center’s trails for hiking, we also created a wildlife safety area without hunting for people to experience Nature safely.
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2023 11-03, 5852 - THE SPOTLIGHT IS SHINING ON THE LEDGE – In late afternoon we took a picture of the ledge across the valley at a time when the sun shined a spotlight on it. I wondered what stories the ledge could tell of times when ancient shamans traveled through its portal to the vast Cosmos beyond.
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The Spotlight Is Shining On The Ledge
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Crunch Time
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2023 11-02, 5851 - CRUNCH TIME – Now that most of the leaves have fallen off the
trees, they have covered the places where we walk in the woods and there is a crunching sound with every step. |
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2023 11-01, 5850 - TO THE RESCUE – The pumpkin people are at work throughout the Valley, including our local rescue squad, and I recently watched two of them as they attempted to rescue a pumpkin cat stuck in a tree. Human people often rescue others who may be stuck in sad moods with a smile or a kind word.
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To The Rescue
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