The Ancient Redwoods Spoke to Me

“To experience sublime natural beauty is to confront the total inadequacy of language to describe what you see. Words cannot convey the scale of a view that is so stunning it is felt.”
~ Eleanor Catton

On a second journey to the redwood forest at Jedediah Smith State Park in
California, I was shown something that   was so sublime and beautiful that the image of it is embedded in my memory and my soul.

If you love trees and nature then the Redwoods are a must-visit to experience their majesty, beauty, and subtle energies. These are ancient trees, that can reach the height of a thirty-story building. Their trunks can be as wide as twenty-seven feet. They are ancient in that their age can be as long as two thousand years.


"Awe" is one of the keywords in my book 333 Keywords to Change Your Life. I was in a state of awe during the entire time with the Redwoods but also especially during two experiences.

The first experience was in the early morning. There is a one-lane dirt road that goes through the park and if you get there early enough before any other cars or people, you have the experience of being alone with this forest without other human distractions. At one point on the road, I had to pull over and just walk towards one particular tree on the side of the road. The sunlight was coming through the upper canopy of the trees as rays of light that seemed like divine light. The experience was like I was in an ancient primeval forest, and I felt the presence of the trees in silence, and some unique energies that I have never felt before that cannot be described in words. It was a stunning experience. 

The second experience happened on the “Boy Scout Trail”, a hike on what has been called one of the most pristine old growth hiking trails on the planet. At one point my attention was drawn to a tree off of the trail. The trunk of the tree had a shape that was a profile of a Native American, and upon seeing it, I could not help but feel a whole range of mixed emotions. It was not carved by human hands, as it was an integrated part of the thick bark that the Redwoods are known for, which also takes various shapes with burls and natural

changes. The eyes and eyelids, nose, mouth and chin are all there. It is an amazing display of nature that has a message for anyone who sees it. That message may vary for each person. For me it was in retrospect the deep connections that we have to both ancient trees and ancient humanity, and in this area, in particular, it is sacred, and a reminder of the love and respect that we have for the Earth. The ancient Redwoods spoke to me in the deep and profound silence. And I am still listening.

Compassion,Tibetan Mastiff Puppy, and Facebook

Part of my plan to get the word out about my new book , 333 Keywords to Change Your Life, is to take each keyword, add an inspiring quote and then place them in a beautiful photograph with Photoshop.

When I saw this Tibetan Mastiff puppy in my search for photo ideas, it didn't relate directly to compassion, and yet the Dalai Lama is always talking about all of us creating more compassion in the world. So there is a tie in with this amazing looking dog.

I have decided to "adopt" this puppy as my "mascot" for my Facebook page, and if you go there you will see his photo at the top in the cover photo along with my book cover. His name is Rumi.
 Facebook page - @333 Keywords

With all of the chaos going on in the world, I prefer to stay within "the eye of the hurricane" - that still calm center surrounded by the turbulent winds. As a metaphor, it works for me as to how I show up and choose to be with news and world events (see blog - Sacred Activism - Why I Stand in the Eye of the Hurricane). I remind myself to "embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty". Then I see the wisdom in that puppy's face and know how we are all connected.

Launching a New Year, a New Book, and a New Life

The term "reborn" may have a religious context, and there is nothing wrong with that. I like the description of being reborn in the Divine Spirit since that can also transcend religion as well as be a part of it. No one person or organized religion can exclusively define someones experience of being reborn and Lady Gaga nails it when she states that it can be a choice as well as an unexpected gift of grace from the Divine Spirit.

As we start this New Year, already five weeks in, I celebrate launching a new book - 333 Keywords to Change Your Life, self published on Amazon. I also just launched this new blog to share some thoughts and write and rant and shout out and inspire and live in the question and just let loose with whatever words and thoughts stream through.

We are our own sanctuary in that we can create our own sacred space in our home, our minds, our hearts and our soul. During meditation I feel like I am in a sanctuary of the spirit, and it is a very special time of the day.  In fact I am going into meditation right after posting this.

It is 3:44pm, Wednesday, Feb 8 2017. Time to visit a sanctuary.