.
.
.
.
. The beauty and sacredness that exists beyond this clockwork universe can visit you, but only if you are silent, innocent, and compassionate.
.
.
Monarch Butterfly at her home-tree … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. A warmhearted company supervisor is a respected and cherished individual; a cold boss — mistreating mere vassals — is a dark, long shadow of grief on life.
.
.
Praying Mantis (at the edge of life… literally) … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Interestingly, if you intentionally harm the small and fragile… you harm the universe, the immense and substantial.
.
.
De-flying our garden… Green Leopard Frog … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. If you systematize your life into bundles of practices and methodologies… you — despite thinking that you are vibrant — are likely mechanical and robotic.
.
.
.
. [Below is an Ambush Bug (Assassin Bug); they are “sit-and-wait” predators that eat other insects, including bees, flies, butterflies and moths. They often attack insects much larger than themselves.]
Patiently waiting for the next crawling meal… Ambush Bug … Assassin Bug … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Keen wisdom/deep awareness is far from what infants are capable of… though deep, intrinsic innocence (such as the kind that the very young have) is necessary. Compassion involves (and comes from) growing.
.
.
I’m often mistaken for being a bee! : Hover Fly … Drone Fly … by Thomas Peace 2013
I’m not a bee & I don’t sting! : Flying Hover Fly … Drone Fly … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. That higher intelligence — that all-pervading energy — must affect men, in profound ways that are clearly evident to those who intelligently inquire.
.
.
Just Hangin’ …. Cabbage White Butterfly … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. In the light of true insight, the shadow of mere calculating mental accumulation loses its intensity.
.
.
Endless manna… Nectar seeking wasp … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. The truly sacred may visit an entity of silence and innocence, but one cannot ever merely seek it out to obtain or acquire.
.
.
Meeting for lunch… Elderly Black Swallowtail and Grasshopper… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. You, in actuality, are the whole of life… not just some accumulated, little, symbolic images that were taught that they are separate from all.
.
.
Bullfrog chillin’ …. with a little bug by his nostrils… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Do not merely set boundaries of delimitation, chopping the whole up into identifiable parts; those parts may be mere symbolic, trifling illusions.
.
.
Beyond words… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Words and mental images, being mere symbolic representations, cannot take you to the zenith of understanding. What is limited can only go to a limited degree/extent.
.
.
. Eastern Yellow Jackets:
They prey on insects and spiders. Their underground, globular paper nests, usually built in abandoned rodent burrows (it is said)… may contain as many as 5,000 workers and one queen. The ones which I photographed were expanding their underground breeding chambers; you can see two of them each diligently carrying a huge clump of moist dirt! [Double left click on the photo to get a closer look; hit left return arrow to return.] I was precariously close — they deliver a vicious sting — but I used to keep bees… and all went well! One could see that they were definitely aware of my presence; some were hovering next to my head, keeping a close eye on me. I moved slowly and they allowed me to get rather close to their “woman cave.”
.
Raising a family isn’t easy (1)… Eastern Yellow Jackets … by Thomas Peace 2013
Raising a family isn’t easy (2)… Eastern Yellow Jackets … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Too many give excessive attention to the clever, very intelligent man… and give little or no attention to the simple, innocent, neglected, mentally handicapped.
.
.
Getting together… Gladiator Katydid and a Scarlet-and-Green Leafhopper … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. The hubbub of a disturbed and constantly chattering mind is incapable of being the calmness of the millpond that can reflect the truly orderly, the truly sacred.
.
.
.
. Robber Fly:
Adults prey on wasps, bees, flies, and even larger insects such as dragonflies. They seize prey while “on the fly” with their spiny, grasping legs… and pierce the body with their stout mouthparts. They have very good eyesight.
.
.
From Sherwood Forest… Robber Fly … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Hate is psychological separation — as ignorance — reacting. Without separation, hate cannot be.
.
.
.
. Blue Mud Daubers consume nectar and spiders. They will even deliberately land in a spider’s web to lure it out… and then capture and sting it without becoming entrapped by the webbing.
Nectar and Spider Eater… Blue Mud Dauber … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. If you’re going to be nimble, like young Jack and the Candlestick… then be versatile enough not to remain stuck in the old ground of what was spoon-fed to you.
.
.
Over the Candlestick… Blue Dasher Dragonfly … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. In compassion, space and distance disappear. In indifference, thick walls of separation divides the perceiver from others.
.
.
Busy as a Bee… bumble bee … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. It’s not — as you were “taught” — that you journey through time; it’s that you are time on its journey (as all of us are).
.
.
Jumping Jehoshaphat… Leopard Frog … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. The network of existence that the universe has sewn for us to live in… is not a hammock wherein we can rightfully sleep indifferent and aloof from the real needs of others.
.
.
Raccoon impersonator… Gray Squirrel… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. We think that we are moving and traveling… but psychologically we really remain where we’ve always been (all along).
.
.
Annual Meeting of the Sulphur Butterflies (1) … by Thomas Peace 2013
Annual Meeting of the Sulphur Butterflies (2) … by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. We bath and keep very clean, but the hygiene, the cleanliness of the planet… is going to the dogs. Please recycle and go green ASAP!
.
.
The Flight of the Bumble Bee… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Be careful about doing drugs or hanging out with those who use them… because a fried brain can easily believe in its own cooking!
.
.
Great Golden Digger Wasp (digging for gold)… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. To merely exist as a lot of mental words and images is to be content to exist as mere symbols.
.
.
Treasures in the woods… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Let’s look — for the next few days — not as how society taught us… but without separation, distance, and conflict.
.
.
Silver-Spotted Skipper Butterfly… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Always look at yourself as you actually are… without deception, without excuses. Internal arrays of smoke and mirrors only lead to a distorted brain riddled with self-deception.
.
.
Halloween Pennant Dragonfly… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. In wisdom one sees that the distance between the past and the future is very similar to the distance between you and another.
.
.
Close friend at the fair… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Few, unfortunately, are truly aware of the timeless. Thought is time… for as time, thought is sequential, fixed, and conditioned. Music is sequential too. To go beyond the “conditioned” partially involves ending dependence on mere sequentiality.
.
.
? Question Mark Butterfly ? … By Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. All humans and animals share in a universal suffering; we can, in compassionate wisdom, help to transcend that suffering.
.
.
Red Rooster… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Interestingly, it may be that barriers between what you are and what you see… are “learned thoughts” that do not, in reality, divide.
.
.
Giant Swallowtail without effort… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Thought (i.e., thinking) cannot make itself profoundly silent; what is conditioned cannot — by itself (or through mind-formulated systems) — ever create the unconditioned. The conditioned naturally — effortlessly — ceases as quiet insight flowers. A silence that is the product of a calculating mind — or of a predetermined system — is a limited, dead kind of silence. Intelligence (seeing the dangers of merely being constituted of limited, conditioned patterns) may come upon genuine silence… but not by “making it happen.”
That is true silence’s intrinsic beauty.
.
.
U R the Sunshine in my life… byThomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. It is so easy for the mind to deceive itself, for it to believe in its own or in others’ delusions. Only a mind that is simple and unburdened sees reality as it really is.
.
.
. [She’s a blond, brunette, and redhead… all rolled into one! And, of course, she has plenty of simple, down-to-earth horse sense!] 😉
Real Horse Sense… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Fear of “not being accepted” makes many into the shallow shadows of others.
.
.
.
.
. [Note: Immediately under each of the Katydid’s front leg knees are holes; these are the Katydid’s “ears.” If you are a small, slim, narrow creature — like our Katydid friend — you’ll have the best stereophonic hearing, helping to protect you from predators, (if your ears are situated in your widely spread legs).]
.
Katydid — blending in… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Interestingly, true enlightenment (i.e., nirvana) has nothing to do with visions, images, patterns, sounds, tactile feelings, or your “being.”
.
.
Radiant Butterfly (a Red-Spotted Purple)…Be a jewel among the plain stones… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Wisdom never turns its back on others… because there are no separate “others.”
.
.
Moe, Larry, and Curly (as one) Nuuk, Nuuk, Nuuk… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Confucius said: “The first man who perceives the yeti’s track in the soft mud has a mind that goes into a deep depression.” 😉
.
.
Frog by very strange tracks by wooded area of river bank… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Don’t compare yourself (or your possessions) with others… it’s not wisdom… it’s a waste of time.
.
.
Free and not comparing… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. One of the chief duties of one’s mind is for it to transcend depression and sadness. Keen, holistic awareness and direct, non-fragmentary perception is the flame that will burn the dross of dull monotony.
.
.
Transcending the low depressions… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. We desperately need to get over needless wars, needless hatred, needless borders and separative boundaries.
.
.
Hiding among the umbrellas… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Thought is always “about” energy and/or the patterns that energy seems to take; true enlightenment is communion (i.e., direct engaging) with that energy… it is not mere images or symbols about it.
.
.
Dragonfly resting (with Exoskeleton Friends)… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. If you seek the truly unknown via a system or formula… you — no matter what you think — will have remained in the “known” patterns of others or in the “known” projections of yourself.
.
.
Not seen in the scenery… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Deep wisdom in life reflects immortality… otherwise it is limited vaporousness.
.
.
Magic Manna… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Snakes Alive! :0 Multi-Photo…
A lot of people were taught to (and also innately) fear and hate snakes. All my life i’ve admired them for their true beauty and excellence (as some of God’s amazing creatures). When Steve Irwin died, i cried and cried and cried; for he was a brilliant and wonderful spokesman for the true beauty and joy of snakes/spiders and similar creatures. Steve was such a supreme spokesperson for all of life’s amazing wildlife. When he died young… a lot of species — here on this earth where many animals are cruelly abused — lost their most important, kindhearted friend.
When very young, i used to briefly catch snakes just to admire them; then i’d release them back into the greenery. We had a large family picnic recently, and i purchased a lot of rubber/plastic snakes for the young boys of the family (of which there are many). While purchasing them, the cashier at the store cringed, and stated that she hated snakes. She then went on to say that she and her mother recently killed one that was in her mother’s yard. Many people kill snakes when they see one. I informed her that there are really no poisonous snakes in northern Illinois — the Massasauga is basically extinct and is illegal to kill if found — and that snakes are very beneficial in that they eat disease carrying vermin such as rats and mice.
Below are a few photos of a large Bullsnake that was in our yard recently. It gave off a wonderful fake rattling sound when it was curled around some dried leaves (at one point). It was beginning to shed its skin, so i grabbed it by the tail and moved it to where it could safely get under our gazebo. It was large and awesome… a beautiful, incredible animal! 😉
.
.
Bullsnake (1)… by Thomas Peace 2013
Bullsnake (2)… by Thomas Peace 2013
Bullsnake (3)… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. This isn’t a fly-by-night universe (after all); what each of us does has infinite implications/consequences.
.
.
How sweet it is!… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
.
.
. Forget what everyone taught you about life; go out, sit with nature, and look at everything as if for the first time.
.
.
Wild and Domestic… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Multi-photo: The gravity of living with awareness and kindheartedness outweighs the minuscule misery of mindlessness. Break free…
.
.
. [Below is a Cicada emerging from it exoskeleton case. Prior to this, they lie buried for 7 or 13 years or so… depending on the species. These are the insects that make loud symphonic sounds at the tree tops.]
.
Cicada Emerging (1)… by Thomas Peace 2013
Cicada Emerging (2)… by Thomas Peace 2013
Cicada Emerging (3)… by Thomas Peace 2013
Cicada Emerged… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. To unlock the conundrum of life’s profound and deep messages, one cannot remain shallow and coldly conditioned.
.
.
Ease off please… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. Roses are red, violets are blue… please wake up and realize that what you perceive is you.
.
. [We are addressing this in the psychological, not physical sense, regarding the mind. When you look at the blue sky, your mind — as actual conscious perception (which you are) — consists of blueness… not of actual ozone, and updrafts of a stratosphere.]
.
.
Rosy outlook… by Thomas Peace 2013
😉
.
.
.
.
. Sensitivity is the nonability to function as a mechanical, robotic automaton who is independently aloof within the clockwork of mediocrity.
.
.
Center of attention… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. If a book doesn’t pull the rug out from underneath you (buckling your knees), and if it doesn’t contain true (not fabricated) mystery… then — as with most books — the author probably shouldn’t have written it.
.
.
Quiet and alive… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. So many of us absorb what mediocrity hands to us… and we go on in substandard ways without question.
.
.
Alert and Agile… by Thomas Peace 2013
.
.
.
.
. The dissonance, the lack of true harmony in so many innumerable minds, is largely the result of the wrong kind of education.
.
.
Young and Old… by Thomas Peace 2013
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 