A Dance in Peru

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The last month has been a dance in Peru - like the swing at times, a waltz at others, and a tango or two. Bridget has been a great host and a lesson in listening.

What strikes me boldly, in addition to connecting with Bridget, is smiling wrinkles, dancing skies, majestic mountains, flowers aplenty, and stones - stones everywhere.

Bridget Contenplating

Rose

Smiling Wringles

Dancd

Rock way

Winding Road

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How do you get over a mountain? Slowly - back and forth, winding curves, north, south, east, west. For some, it is stomach turning. For others it’s an adventure to memorialize a sight to behold. It’s a metaphor for life - wondering if you’ll get to the other side, enjoying the journey, or scared about what’s around the corner - unexpected light, fog, darkness, falling rocks, washed out road, reliable transport, or risk worthy awe inspiring beauty. The imagination can go on and on about troublesome possibilities, or let go of thinking about possibilities and, be open, embracing what is presented, with acceptance and wonder.

Glory

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I usually apply an artful filter to my images, often to enhance the sky to my liking. With Glory I didn’t need a filter to enhance what I felt. It is amazing what is possible with the iPhone 15. I took Glory at 30 miles an hour, in the passenger seat of a car, cropped it once to get Rock Almighty and again for Glory.

What is most amazing is natural beauty presented to me constantly. Since I started to look Skyward, at our majestic horizons, I have been filled with awe frequently. The Andes have delighted, as a foreground for the awe inspiring skies, as has the Adirondack and Green Mountains. Can you images seeing all, Mike.

Glory

Rock almighty

Cacao

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We drove four hours over the 12,000 foot high pass from Urabamba, Peru to the Keyabama area to visit a few small organic Cacao farmers. Bridget and I were on a journey to do a little sourcing of quality organic cacao for MotherFolower, our family business.. Our goal is top quality organic cacao directly from a small family farm business.The pass views were absolutely spectacular. I will display a few images soon, but now I want to tell you how amazing it was to walk the high jungle farm of Mario Antonio Durand Olave and family. I felt touched to tears by nature, walking the paths, tasting the cacao, and a half dozen natural fruits of the farm. They made it clear they love the land and growing quality organic Cacao. Bridget’s great organizing of personal driver and connections made it happen Maybe it was serendipitous, as Bridget said, to hit pay dirt on our first stop. Mario’s daughter-in-law is creator of maywa products which she has had her eye on for awhile now.

Cacao pod

Cacao

Cacao products

The Eagle and the Condor

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A Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor speaks of two ways of being, that of the Eagle, far-seeing, rational, linear, and structured, and that of the Condor, earth-connected, intuitive, wise and receptive. At the end of the eagle cycle, about now, a chance would emerge for these two types to co-exist and cooperate, moving forward into a future that would honor both approaches to living, and bring the earth back into balance. This is a moral blueprint that, through metaphor, points to what is needed to create a future where all life is respected and held sacred. Without this marriage of world views there may be no future at all.

Machu Picchu

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Machu Picchu is one of the seven wonders of the world. It takes an effort to get there. Maybe everything worth while. does. The view and remembrance of Incas, way back when in the 1600’s is astonishing. It’s a sacred place. Our guide said take ten minutes. Get away from the crowds. Open your heart. Feel the power of the place. I tried. I was so overwhelmed by the place, I Clould only think about capturing the feel, the beauty. Future reflections will help feel the sacredness of the place.

Bringing the Outside In - NOW

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I can fixate on the pains of the past. I can worry about the uncertainty of the future. But,. I long to Be with nature now. In Peru I feel the Sacred Valley is a sacred valley. Natural beauty abounds. The Peruvians live the outside in - open markets abundant with fruits, vegetables, flowers, outside restaurants, flowers on every table. Buildings of windows. The people wear bright colors and hats of their native regions. I feel filled with joy as I photograph the skies of the Andes. I find myself saying unf……believable, all the time.

Outside In

Going with the flow - Being

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Yesterday I wrote about my recent revelation - having is not what’s important to my loving, being real is. I mean, what IS important, to me, is going with the flow of being in the moment - more specifically, serving, relating, contributing, as I allow my natural goodness to flow from my being. These are three of the nine attributes of the Self-realizing, Connecting, and Giving (SCG) principles I frequently speak and write about. Having, in the sense I’m thinking, is self absorbing. Loving what IS is seeing and being present with the real goodness of all natural beings and things.

What is interesting is that in giving and being in the present, I receive - I feel exhilaration, gratitude, joy. No past, no future, being now. It’s the ideal, for me to do now. It’s a beautiful thing for me to prioritize my passions and positively impact others. What that means for me tomorrow, I don’t know. I am just going to go with the flow, taking the lead from my Inner Wisdom.

Swimming against the current

Loving What IS

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A few years back, I woke before Patty and was full of love, as I admired the brimming light on her profile. It was beautiful to me. I captured the moment with my iPhone. I am glad I did - the memory is lasting. The image of the moment is below. It may be morbid, or inappropriate to you, but telling to me.

Recently, Johanna, a dear friend, and class mate of Michael and Bridget, posted that Patty saved her life. Later she posted that Patty was a dear heart to all of the ‘hanging around’ class mates. Patty lived… and loved, in the moment. Past and future were of little attention for Patty. I was unaware of Johanna’s experience and probably a lot more of Patty’s loving moments. I suspect there were many.

During a recent long meditation, I realized that; life is not having what you love, nor even loving what you have. It is loving what IS. You would think that I would have picked this up from a half century of living with Patty. I guess I am a little slow. It is never too late to learn. Thank you Patty for shedding light on what’s important.





Up Close

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Graphics of close up photography appeals to me. Exploring with the telephoto talent of the new iPhone 15, and even cropping the telephoto’s narrow view to get to the image essence is resulting in my delight. This delight, in looking close, for essence, or authentic goodness applies not only to nature landscapes, but to people, to me. I love it.

Blue falls close up

The River Flows Still

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A reflective walk along the St. Paul Mississippi path is my occasional delight. SKYWARD is my present photo project. Meditation is my present journey. The stars must have been aligned for me, this visit to brother John’s and sister Eileen’s at the GNL in Lowertown, because the great river flowed still. Never before have I seen this still. The blue and white skies and surrounding structures imaged perfectly in the water. The fishers were at peace.

The moment screamed silence, gear neutral, no mindful duality, peaceful quiet, block out road noice in favor of bird speak. I enjoyed the urban nature - a real treat, with a couple images to boat.

Still

Peaceful Paul

Growth Spurt

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Looking back on 2023, I’m stroke by how an amazing growth period it was for me - spiritually, most importantly, and also, photographically.

My quest for more being versus doing is ongoing, and surprisedly, I’m reaching fulfilling depth of Inner Wisdom. I am now searching for why the ego is always being beat up in what I hear. I know there is a good purpose for the ego. We are not created with bad stuff, we learn it! A dear friend of mine suggested we have ego “to get shit done”. My daughter, Bridget, says the same, and contrasts it with, too much ego - narcissism.

I’ve put up my reticular activator to ego, and shortly thereafter I heard the Dalai Lama and Eckhart Tolle both talk about reconciling doing and being. My take - healthy ego is having LOVE oriented strength of self-esteem, humbly knowing, and gratefully reaching, passionate service capability. More on this in a longer writing of I LIVE LOVE NOW, when I figure it out, for me.

Photographically, I was prolific in 2023. I tagged over 600 images as ones I like - pretty much unheard of for me. And, I didn’t pull out the big guns - the PhaseOne equipment. Most of the images were taken with compact cameras and a monopod. I love it! I think the impressionistic style I’m adopting, and the convenience of having a compact camera with me all the time is resulting in all this fun I am having. See my gallery website MESipe.com. I am amazed at the skies. I am making great progress on my passion book SKYWARD, which I was motivated to do when I captured TO LIGHT, FOR PATTY in February 2022.

Plane site - the black walnut trees must have grown three feet in 2023

The End Game

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“Angels clapping” - Bernadette declares to the hospice nurse. I am not surprised - Bernadette prayed for that. Bernadette’s expressed wish for her husband, five children, their spouses, and thirteen grandchildren - hell - everyone - was they go to heaven. Her focus was eternal happiness for all.

Bernadette, my big sister - was just two years older than me - It seemed like quite a difference at 10 and 12, when she was a foot taller than me. She apologized numerous times for chasing and beating me with a broom at that early age. I may have apologized once, for pushing her, to the point of breaking, a window in the living room. I don’t think I ever apologized for setting her hair on fire.

During the last three years, while in the nursing home, she always started a call with me- “Is this my dear, wonderful, loving, talented brother?” And she ended the call - “That’s life in the Big City”. I think the last uttering was just a couple weeks before her crossover.

I remember in a recent talk, Bernadette declared that I always plan for something and then make it happen. Yes, I have been fortunate to accomplish my plans. I am very grateful for that… and for Bernadette’s positive, encouraging, loving comments.

Now, in this End Game, I am learning that planning the future is overrated. Being in the present is where it all happens. I wish to be quiet about the future, suck up the present and let the universe guide my remaining years, until I again embrace my loving sister Bernadette.

Cloud light - Stairway to heaven

Bare Passage

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Walking along Lake Champlain in unusual temperate forty degree weather, for the end of December, at Shelburne Farms, listening to Awakening Love by Gina Lake, was a delight today. I was listening to wise words and still, my senses were in tune with the beauty of bare trees against artful skies. I recalled the sentiment of a nature loving friend saying the bare trees are most beautiful. She is right - most beautiful to see the bare branches reaching skyward, bathing in the sun’s warmth .

Bare Passage

Bernadette is LOVE

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My dear sister Bernadette passed over this morning at 4:17am. She was a beacon of light at her rest home. She expressed love to all the patients, their mates, children, staff - whoever was fortunate to be in her path. She prayed like no other. Others came to her side requesting to pray together. She was slow to judge, and quick to forgive - a very wise woman. She is now surrounded by LOVE.

Moon over rock dunder