When I am in a garden space, I’m used to looking for the most brilliant color I can find. I love colors! And lots of them, too. But one day a couple of weeks ago, I was feeling tired and little bit blue, so I went outside for an hour or so.
I sat in a comfy chair, put my feet up and laid my head back, talking to God in a very general way. And then I was quiet.
I often find it helps to stop talking. Somehow it makes room for the other, maybe especially so for the Other.
So I began to practice one of my favorite quiet meditative practices — I took out my camera. And I just looked around my yard for something interesting to shoot. These berries caught the sunlight at just the right angle, and I was mesmerized.
Sometimes my desire for lots of color robs me of the opportunity to enjoy God’s gift of one color. Monotones, I’m discovering, can be very restful. Try looking for something in your yard that has different textures, but is all one color. Then sit and stare at it for a few minutes, contemplating the angles, the way the light falls, the innate quiet of a single color.
What did you discover?
I’ve never thought of taking photos as a form of meditation – love the idea!
I find quiet photography, when I’m alone and just looking at things, to be a very wonderful meditative practice. It’s a little different when you’re in the middle of a party, but even there, if you’re training your eyes to look for the little (now where have I heard that before??), you can do a bit of it in the midst of the hubbub, too.
Green. I’m always drawn to green for rest so I love your leaves and berries.
I’m right with you, Elaine – green is a very restful color, I think.