silence

Night, Still and Silent

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Profoundly still the twilight air,

Lifeless the landscape; so we deem,

Till like a phantom gliding near

A stag bends down to drink the stream.

And far away a mountain zone,

A cold, white waste of snow-drifts lies,

And one star, large and soft and lone,

Silently lights the unclouded skies.

– Charlotte Bronte, “Speak of the North” –

 

May the skies of your heart be unclouded, lit by the star of peace.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

A Sign of Strength

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“Don’t ever mistake my silence for ignorance

My calmness for acceptance

Or my kindness for weakness.

Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness,

But a sign of strength.”

– Dalai Lama –

 

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

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Text and photos © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

The Presence of Everything

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“Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything.”

– acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton –

 

We need silence, the space between thoughts, between steps, between notes, between words, between day and night. If you have time, click on the link to Gordon Hempton and listen to his recordings of the sounds of silence.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Text and photos © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Infinite Love Will Rise

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“On blue summer evenings I’ll go down the pathways

Pricked by the grain, crushing the tender grass –

Dreaming, I’ll feel its coolness on my feet.

I’ll let the wind bathe my bare head.

I won’t talk at all, I won’t think about anything.

But infinite love will rise in my soul . . .”

– Arthur Rimbaud –

 

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Text and photos © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Like the Sun, Silent and Still

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“Be like the Sun,

King without courtiers,

silent and still as a fulcrum.”

– Rumi –

Wishing you moments of silence and stillness this week. Close your eyes. Listen to your breath. Feel the subtle messages your skin receives from the air and the textures you touch. Catch scents that drift to you. Open your eyes and focus on one small object. Notice its shape, size, colors. Listen to your breath again. Feel the peace of the moment. You’re a fulcrum, a support, a point of balance calming the world around you.

Nurture peace. Cultivate kindness. Carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Text and photos © 2019 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

The Cornerstone

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“Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind and spirit.

. . . Silence is the cornerstone of character.”

– Ohiyesa (Dr. Charles Eastman, Santee Sioux) –

 

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

In the Misty Morn

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“I saw old Autumn in the misty morn

Stand shadowless like silence, listening

To silence.”

– Thomas Hood, “Ode: Autumn” –

 

Pause a moment to stand with old Autumn. Listen to silence.

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week – cast by a decoration on a glass table:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

For my longer posts on the art of noticing, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Moon-Washed Apples

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“Deep is the silence, deep

On moon-washed apples of wonder.”

– John Drinkwater –

 

Sun-splashed and moon-washed, autumn is a feast for the senses and the soul. So is the deep silence of wonder.

Let yourself wonder, nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week :

Shadow of the Week – catnip:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

For my longer posts on the art of noticing, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

A Heart Without Words

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“When you pray, rather let thy heart be without words

than thy words be without heart.”

– John Bunyan –

 

Prayer often has no words but is simply a heart silent and open and listening, searching and sensing and settling, like a child reaching out and grasping a mother’s hand. And that is more than enough. You are the prayer. Your heart is heard and loved.

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, be the prayer, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

For my longer posts on the art of noticing, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

Even the Silence

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“Even the silence has a story to tell you.

Just listen.

Listen.”

– Jacqueline Woodson –

 

The Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic National Park, known as the “quietest place in the Lower 48” states, is where acoustical ecologist Gordon Hempton recorded “one square inch of silence.” You can listen to the silence at this link. Enjoy!

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

 

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

For my posts on life and the wonder of it all, link here.

 

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.