The briefest of moments

…a portion of a rainbow appeared in the sky in the centre of my field of vision just as I was taking this photo.. I had lined up the two circles and next thing it just shone out over the horizon.. and as quickly, it disappeared. I do love these chance happenings, moments of beauty, one blink and they’re gone. But in one blink you do see them, take them in. Its been my gift from my times by the sea at Findhorn this year, my times in nature, silent, listening, and just being. I remember a time when being alone, just me and my thoughts, terrified me, the silence was deafening, but now (perhaps this is what happens naturally as you get older) I realise that it is in the stillness that the magic is… not in the noise and bustle but in the silent moments of waiting. Eileen Caddy, one of the founders of the Findhorn Foundation wrote about ‘the still small voice’ that we can hear in the moments of silence. I’ve realised that I can override it (my own inner voice..my gut-feeling) all the time…. hearing it and ignoring it over and over again and not even realising what it is that I am doing. I don’t know an awful lot about Eileen Caddy but I do know something about the still small voice inside of me and I know that when I listen to it and am courageous enough to honour it; to honour myself,  wonderful things happen; art appears in a creative flow, words stream from me as if written by something other than me, I can move, dance with the freedom of a wild bird… This is something that can so easily be mocked, and is tender, like a new shoot, but it is the roots of such strength and the source of our uniqueness, our creativity, our connection and our sense of purpose in life. 

I read an article recently referring to Viktor Frankl’s book ‘Mans search for meaning’, it talked about how our search for happiness leads to temporary moment of happiness that fade to emptiness but..when we live with purpose and meaning, the landscape of ups and downs become more navigable; a life lived with meaning, purpose, direction and dedication leads to a sense of something greater than oneself… 

“…..again and again, one is commanded and ordered to ‘be happy.’ But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to ‘be happy.'”

“Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself — be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself — by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love — the more human he is.”

I don’t know that seeing a portion of a rainbow above  the sea beyond two circles made from random shale is synonymous with having meaning in my life.. it isn’t… but there was something about the stillness of this moment and my decision to dedicate my art and my creativity to life; to hopefully inspiring others that warms my heart, fills me with hope and allows me to lean into the possibility that there is just simply beauty and magic in the simplicity of quiet moments by the sea. In my search for better ways of living I come back over and over and over again to the need to sit quietly, to allow life around me to reveal itself to me, to stop my frantic search for answers and instead to simply let them land with me.. if even for the briefest of moments. 

Reference

http://www.businessinsider.com/a-lesson-about-happiness-from-a-holocaust-survivor-2014-10?IR=T