Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single
friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore
unsuitable.

I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds
or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of
praying, as you no doubt have yours.

Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit
on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds,
until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost
unhearable sound of the roses singing.
If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love
you very much.

by Mary Oliver, ‘How I go to the woods’

This morning was the last morning at the lip of the gorge in Tennessee. The land is sandstone with little soil on top. As I meditated on the land, I “became” the sandstone. I felt myself being healed by it in my body and I entered a state of peace. Goodbye for now to this wild and wonderful place!

We are each uniquely designed to bring certain energies into play in an innovative and beneficial way for all.

— Julia Cameron

There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time. This expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it.

It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.

We are all conduits for a higher self that will work through us. We are all equally connected to a spiritual source.

— Julia Cameron