Mosaics

There are mosaics everywhere in nature.
Sometimes they are planned and planted in park-like gardens, other times they just seem to appear out of nothing. Sometimes they have a clear delineation and build into a clear picture. Other times they are just like a big, stained glass window into the Heavens.

It is not as much a matter of nature planning things this way; it has more to do with the decision to look at things differently. To see anything in nature as a pattern that is part of a whole. To see how each individual shape builds into an enormous mosaic.

Sometimes it is easy to see that resulting picture. Other times, no matter which way we are looking at it, it is still nature. Beautiful, but without any discernible ‘bigger picture’, let alone a mosaic that might have to tell us something…

However, the interesting part of it is that what is true on a large scale ~ for instance looking down from an airplane and seeing all the different patches of farmland neatly fitting together ~ is also true on a much smaller scale. There are specific patterns in the way the leaves are connected to the plant. And looking at it, they will form the mosaic of that particular plant. The picture, or even the message of that particular plant…
Sometimes, when it is a plant that we feel an affinity with, it may have a message for us as well. Often though, it is just a part of the mosaic of nature.

And these sometimes truly tiny mosaics are everywhere!

Have you ever taken a close look at a dandelion after all of its seeds have dispersed? The beautiful pattern where the seeds were attached to it. And how this mosaic has a surprising difference in colors? Or at a sunflower, after the petals are long gone, yet before its seeds are harvested?

And even all the different shades of brown and grey in a freshly plowed field come together in its own mosaic, both on a small scale of, say, a couple of square feet, to a large scale of the entire field.

If there is any one message in these millions of mosaics, it has to be a message of life. A message of vitality, and the unfoldment of uniqueness.

And while we may not see it immediately ~ may not even be aware of it ~ we too have our own unique mosaic to show to the world. A mosaic that shows our energy, our vitality, and all of the aspects of life itself!

What does your personal mosaic look like?
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Rip currents

Rip currents are strong, localized, and rather narrow currents of water. They are strongest near the surface of the water, and move directly away from the shore, cutting through the lines of breaking waves. Rip currents can occur at any beach where there are breaking waves: on oceans, seas, and large lakes.
Understandably, rip currents can be dangerous to swimmers. One moment you have everything under control and you are close to the beach, while the next you are in a strong current that leads you away from the beach faster than you would think possible…

At most beaches where rip currents occur, warnings are posted.
This is not true for life itself…

In life we may not call them rip currents necessarily, but we have ~ in all likelihood ~ all experienced a situation that seemed to be going so well, to then suddenly ‘go sideways’. And the goal that seemed so close, rapidly slips from our hands. It is always interesting how in our lives we do come across the same type of events we see in nature, bringing us to where we do have to handle the nice weather days, the stormy days, the drizzly days of life ~ as well as the occasional rip current in life.

Whether we land in a rip current while swimming, or see things go sideways in life; the immediate solution is the same. Rather than fighting the current head on, our best option is to start swimming at right angles to the direction of the current. Because as soon as we are outside of the rip current, we can swim back to the coastline. The same often is true when things go sideways in life; rather than fighting the forces that are pushing us in a different direction, we are often better off choosing a different direction ourselves.
If we cannot reach our goal going around the left, then let’s try going around the right side of what is at play.

Chances are that as soon as we widen our perspective from ‘this is the way to reach our goal’, to ‘there are all kinds of roads leading to Rome’, things start falling into place again. And the new direction, the new path we walk to reach that goal, may turn out to have added benefits that we never dreamed about ~ let alone considered in our decision making process…

Where the rip currents in the ocean can be extremely dangerous, the rip currents of life tend to tell us that there is a better way; perhaps even a path toward better, greater goals than we had ever imagined!
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Zigzag

When we are on the road, especially when we are on our way for a fair distance, long straight highways  can become boring to the point of being dangerous. With nothing happening, just a long, straight, multiple lane road, with similar countryside on either side for miles and miles and miles. It is something that, after a while, can put us to sleep behind the wheel.

In a sense, the same is true for our personal path.
If everything is going on as it should be, with things coming into our lives and moving out of it just the way we had expected it to happen… If life itself continues same ole', same ole’… Then we may find ourselves become a bit less aware of what else could happen.
We may find we have build ourselves a comfort zone that we are quite happy to reside in!

Chances are ~ at least as far as our personal path goes ~ we may run into a ‘zigzag’ at that point. A twisty, turning stretch on our path, that shakes us up. A wake-up call to get out of our comfort zone, and to enter into the full life we are meant to live.

One could even say that we may be better off when the road we are traveling ~ whether that is a factual journey or it referring to our personal paths ~ is meandering. Flowing with the landscape. Following the scenery with sharp zigzag turns in the mountains, and softer, winding stretches when the going is easy.
No ~ almost artificial ~ straight lines…

That would mean that zigzags ~ be it the sharp turns or soft flowing meanders ~ are what life should look like. They are our friends. They keep us awake and aware so that we can see the opportunities as they arise.
As we move along with those zigzags, we well may find that we discover new potential in ourselves as well as in the world around us than we had in all this time we spend in our comfort zone. And pretty soon we may find that we truly enjoy the winding roads and the challenges they bring.

From the scenic vistas to the shadow-filled forests; from the hot, sunny deserts to the cold, wet Winter weather on the coast. As the zigzagging road moves from one side to the next, and back again, there is no time to fall asleep behind the wheel. No reason to lock ourselves into our comfort zone.
All there is, is anticipation of a new adventure the lies beyond the next turn in the road!
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X and Z

Looking back over all the blogs I have written since 2009, I found that there are no blog titles starting with either an ‘X’ or a ‘Z’.

The ‘X-words’ have a more logical reason for not starting any blog-title up to now; the dictionary gives a short list of ‘X-words’, from X-ray to X-rated and from xenophobic, to xerox. Xerox being the most interesting word ~ at least from my perspective ~ as it starts and ends with an ‘X’…
For the ‘Z-words’ this is not likely to be the reason to not have been in a blog title. Looking it up in the dictionary is certainly long enough and the words starting with a ‘Z’ interesting enough to work with.
And yet, it never happened.

So what is up with that?

As I write mostly about things that come up in my life or in my direct environment, it may just be the ‘choice of words’. In the most literal sense. Clearly neither the ‘X’, nor the ‘Z’ start words I often use.

Another way of looking at it is to observe it as an ‘omen’. Something that we may see or that happens to us, which is then read as a symbol or a dream rather than as the factual situation.
As an omen, the fact that I haven’t used the last two letters of the alphabet may tell that I’m not done writing yet! I have not gotten to the ‘Z’ as of yet. Or even to the ‘X’…

Finally, having discovered this, it does present a challenge as well. A challenge to get with it and to make the alphabetical list complete. Not in order to stop writing blog-posts, but rather to ‘have’ the full list.

And this last one shows one of the many reasons we may take things on…
Sometimes it is because we have to. It may be because it is something that tickles our fancy. Something that is interesting in the news, in the weather, in nature, or in our particular walk on our path at that moment.
And then again, sometimes we do something just because we can…

The reality is that we don’t really need any reason at all to do or not to do something. At least no reason that lies outside of ourselves. Ultimately the only reason we should act on, is an inner reason. And whatever the reason, we shouldn’t have to defend them to anybody; no matter how futile that reason may seem to them.

So here it is; a post with a title that starts with an ‘X’!
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No clouds

Let me start by saying that I do understand the difference ~ and at least some of the intricacies ~ between ‘weather clouds’ and the digital cloud.

As time progresses there are more and more words that take on an entirely different meaning; and sometimes this even leads to a different plural form of the word. For instance, for the animal: mouse, mice ~ and for the computer: mouse, mouses.

This is not true for clouds as of yet.

But that doesn’t put my mind at rest, as it jumps form one perspective to the next…

When there is not a cloud in the sky, apart from the fact that it in all likelihood is a beautiful day, the first thing that comes to mind is that because of that, I cannot access my data.
One could argue the fact whether this is necessary in the first place on a beautiful, cloudless day like this. Chances are that that one has to have reached a certain age to see how there could be benefits, and as such, how there could be an argument at all. Most young people would just give us a look of wonderment. A look that says, ‘You can’t be serious!’

Letting my thoughts wander along the cloudy path, I remember a website that took ages to load when I visited it not too long ago. It proudly stated that their data was stored in ‘Cumulus Cloud service’.
Immediately I see those wonderful, white, very tall cumulus clouds in my mind’s eye. Their data must have been at the very top of one of those beautiful clouds, and therefore take a little while to get back down to earth…
And what when the clouds would blanket the earth. Would plenty of data access take us away from sunny days? Would they chase away the sun, or would we just no be as aware of the sun anymore?

I like clouds ~ although admittedly, I haven’t stored much in them as of yet. I like the tall, well-defined clouds, the thin fluffy cloud layers that can take on the most fantastic colors at sunset. I even enjoy the almost dark blue rain clouds as they are coming up, chasing away the sun.

And on the occasional truly cloudless day, I am one who is not worried about data access. I’ll find myself a nice place to relax and enjoy the sunshine, the warmth, the singing birds, and the rustling leaves in the wind.
Using my phone only to take a picture here or there.
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Good things come to those who wait

It is a phrase used to emphasize the virtue of patience. Be patient, wait, and good things will come to you. All things will come to you.

As time progressed the phrase got expanded into something like: “Good things come to those who wait, better things come to those who are patient, and the best things come to those who believe.”

Patience is a good thing. Believe is necessary; be it in the things you do or, more importantly, in yourself. And waiting things out while we think them through has decided benefits!
As it turns out, pushing for the things we want in our lives ~ and when they don’t happen quickly enough from our (very human) perspective, to just start pushing harder ~ may bring those things into our lives we want. Problem can be that they, once we have them in our lives, may not turn out to be ‘good things’. From that perspective our ‘pushing for it’ can have unintended side effects…

That being said, in the energy of this point in time, just sitting back and waiting for things to come our way ~ waiting for things to happen ~ is not quite as effective as it used to be.

Setting our intent, and then voicing our intent ~ for instance through prayer ~ and then waiting for things to come is not enough anymore. At the very least we need to be vigilant and take action the moment there is ‘Movement in the Force’ toward our intent and desires. Working with the movement rather than waiting for it to unfold in our lives.

It is a fine line, and hardly a crisp ‘black and white’ line.

It seems that now that we are more and more partners with the energy around us ~ even with the Universe itself ~ taking the initiative becomes more and more important.

So setting the intent, voicing the intent, and then taking a productive step toward our goal as we intent for it to come into our lives. Believe that we can do it ~ that it can and will happen ~ and then being patient to see the reaction.
When there is a positive reaction, we take a next step. When we seem to get blocked, we may consider changing directions before taking a next step.

It means that believing and being patient are still important in our lives. However, waiting for things to happen without participation on our part is not where it is at anymore.

Good things may still come to those who wait; but only after we have taken the first step!
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Reading

Reading and writing are important in our culture. And they seem to become more important by the day (!) as more and more of our communications are taking place through texts and ‘apps’. Just the other day I was told that a telephone conversation was just so passé. Something for old people and other dinosaurs. Something that is not done anymore…

Surprisingly enough illiteracy rates are still fairly high. Research done in 2013 shows average illiteracy rates in western Countries around 13%. Depending on which Country you look at, a lot of the people who have trouble reading or writing do have smart phones, tablets and/or computers. But for them the spoken word is a lot more meaningful than the written word.

Although we tend to take our ability to read and write for granted ~ and perhaps even over-use it a bit in modern society ~ it may turn out to be overrated.
For eons of time people lived full and productive lives without reading the newspaper every day. Important events were noted, but that could be done in pictures as well, if not better, than through writing.

True reading was not associated with words as it was with signs and symbols.
Our ancestors were in all likelihood far more adept at reading the signs of the weather. Seers could interpret dreams and events that seemed out of place; that had a special feeling to those experiencing them. And when read correctly, often those signs and symbols would predict what was lying ahead.

And that is where the greatest difference is found. The reading of signs and symbols ~ of the weather patterns and dreams ~ would always leave some flexibility. Nothing that was read was in fact ‘set in concrete’; it could be this, or that…

In our desire for certainty, we have started to think in absolutes. Absolutes that we write down. Absolutes that are read by others and taken as (ultimate) truth.

“I read it on the internet and so it has to be true!”

Our ability to read and write comes with a need for discernment that may have been a lot more commonplace in days gone by than it is now.

On top of that it seems that looking at the signs around us ~ reading our dreams for their symbolic stories, even reading the body language of those we are interacting with ~ is becoming more and more important. ‘Reading’ how things are likely to develop.

‘Reading’ our own feelings and experiences in order to determine whether something that is put into words ~ and ‘written in concrete’ ~ is true or perhaps not so much. And either way, whether it is part of our personal truth, or something we choose to not have in our lives…
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