Earth and Water

I am hungry for spring to come, anxious to tramp around in the woods once more. The flocks of migratory birds that we see in the meadow tantalizes and teases me with hints of things to come. Beneath the trees the rich green carpet of moss stretches upward after months spent under the weight of snow. I feel the same, responding to the lengthening northern days. After a lifetime of living with all the trappings of civilization, I find myself at home in the natural world; my daily activities attuned to the stirrings of other creatures.

See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self,
Then you can care for all things.
… Lao Tzu

I carry in my pocket a miniature copy of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, translated by Stephen Mitchell. In all of its simplicity, it has become my guide for how to ‘be’ in the world. Even the Swamp horsetail Equisetium sp., the scourge of gardeners everywhere, can be loved and appreciated in the right setting. It grows in the wetland and shallow water around our beaver pond. For my collage, I used the Chinese symbols for earth and water to represent those elements.

... P. L. Morningstar
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