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It’s easy to harm something else when you think that it is separate from what you are. In the actual tree of life, we are all connected… all one.
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[A frisky squirrel eating one of many acorns.]
Wisely plumping up for winter. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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No one – not anybody – can accurately define what true awareness is… because true awareness is too dynamic to merely be put into words and categorized.
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[Local natural rock-work formation. (There is, by the way, something man-made in this photo. Can you see it?)]
Natural beauty! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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If you’re like me, you don’t let your good looks go to your head.
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Mantis of the year! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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A mind that is often aware without needing things or thoughts to “be aware of”… is a supremely free, non-dependent, unique, and rather majestic mind.
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[Dragonfly in flight…]
Free and uncluttered…. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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A mind that merely clings from one experience to another in order to be happy is, unfortunately, a rather infantile, impoverished state of affairs; it need not be that way.
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[Poison Ivy leaf cluster in the fall.]
Not a good thing to walk through! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Love often acts without self-motivation.
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[Grapeleaf Skeletonizer Moths are interesting in that they are both diurnal and nocturnal. I’ve got the same attributes for sure!]
Night or Day… Day or Night! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The left arm can hate the right arm and think that it is separate… but it isn’t. Peace takes intelligence.
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[A unique variety of Heal All Plant growing on a river bank.]
Heal All. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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I’d much rather listen to a natural, babbling brook than the babbling from all the bourgeois, self-important, stale politicians and bureaucrats.
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[Close-up of a natural, babbling brook that one was passionately listening to.]
Alone again… naturally… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Happiness isn’t a warm gun; happiness is a warm (compassionate) heart.
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[Red Milkweed Beetles, I think, are among the most evolved and “intelligent” insects in our area. As I’ve mentioned before, sometimes when I approach Milkweed Plants these beetles will deliberately fly at a rapid rate into me, striking my face repeatedly to entice me to leave. Some panic and fly away. This one decided to “play dead.” It fell from a Milkweed leaf above. After I backed up and watched from a distance for a while… it subsequently straightened itself out and flew away. I laughed at its ruse!]
May he rest in peace! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Poise is the elegance and sound balance that a truly aware and, hence, compassionate mind has… without following blueprints.
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[A Blue Bottle Fly and a Lady Bug. Blue Bottle Flies are most active during spring and fall. Lady Bugs are active spring through fall.]
A lady and her bottle. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Man may exploit nature, use nature, try to cultivate nature, neglect nature, and even allow nature to be destroyed; but, in the end, nature always prevails.
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[Wild Grapes, using a tractor as an arbor.]
451 Cubes ain’t diddly. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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In a big way, everyone in the whole world is facing in one direction.
Can you turn around?
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[These are Tetras in one of our aquariums… all facing in one direction. The ones with the red dot on their sides are called Bleeding Heart Tetras. The others are Black Tetras. The plants are a type that grow on rocks or logs and do not need soil; they are called Anubias coffeefolia.]
One direction. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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True happiness is not merely an acquisition… it’s a wise, intelligent, aware, and blissful state of being and non-being.
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Go beyond grasping. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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One need not wince at one’s fears and endlessly run away from them if one intelligently realizes that one is not at all separate from what they are.
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[A couple of Fruit Flies and a hiding Lady Bug. Though the Lady Bug is carnivorous, the Fruit Flies need not worry; they are too large. The Lady Bug goes after even smaller insects, such as Aphids.]
A good day to explore. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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If you bully the small one… you are bullying the whole, bullying life’s child.
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[A Hover Fly and a couple of other small insects on a wild Chicory Flower.]
Little and frail. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The learner is the learned; the controller is the controlled; the reader is the read.
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[A Red-winged Blackbird informing me that I’m in “his” territory. I promptly departed.]
This vast spot is not big enough for the both of us! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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If you are very wise, every time you throw a rock it always lands in the same place.
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[Photos of local river in the fall season.]
Always and never (1) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Always and never (2) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Let the authoritarians keep their gobbledygook. Look and feel for yourself!
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[Fall colors! That acorn may be the Oak Tree’s first move regarding continuing the game.]
Splendid fall colors. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Lucid wisdom doesn’t take time… but sequential, symbolic thought does.
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[This Acrea Moth larva, also called the Salt-marsh Caterpillar, is eating heavily and preparing for winter. These caterpillars are relatively abundant in the fall and over-winter as pupae in cocoons. The Salt-marsh Caterpillar feeds on herbaceous plants. There are small rain droplets upon this one, as it was beginning to rain when the photo was taken.]
Salt-marsh Moth Caterpillar preparing for winter. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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All true wise men have a propensity to understand the whole.
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[Silver-Spotted Skippers are distinguished from true butterflies by the antennae, which are wider apart at the base and end in pointed, curved clubs. Silver-Spotted Skippers — and all Skippers — are so named for their erratic, skipping flight.]
Silver-Spotted Skipper with its curled proboscis. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The essence of love is deep caring (beyond the limited self).
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[Lazy Susans at a Hospital Park… There are at least two Hover Flies resting upon them.]
Lazy for a good reason. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Life is not dull or monotonous to a dynamic mind that inquires joyfully.
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And frightened Miss Muffet away! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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To wisely question may be more intelligent than having concrete certitude.
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[Eyeing the camera (with a smile)…]
Captured by the Hopper’s lens. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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A requisite attribute of time is distance. A requisite attribute of thinking that you are separate from others is time.
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[The Ailanthus Webworm Moth thrives from spring through fall. The caterpillars of the Ailanthus Webworm Moth spin loose cocoons low on the host plant. There is one generation per year.]
Ailanthus Webworm Moth, eats foliage of deciduous trees and shrubs. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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To question everything wisely and intelligently… is to deviate from the norm.
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[This Honey Locust Tree is protecting itself well with an array of spiked thorns. Honey Locust Tree thorns are thought to have evolved to protect the trees from browsing Pleistocene (i.e., Ice Age) mega-fauna. The name derives from the sweet taste of the legume pulp, which was used for food by Native American people, and can also be fermented to make beer.]
Honey Locust Tree protecting itself! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Go beyond what all the pundits and so-called experts teach… and inquire for yourself beyond tradition.
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[The Heal-all Plant (Prunella vulgaris) is edible, and can be used in salads, soups, stews, and boiled as a pot herb. The Cherokee cooked and ate the young leaves. The Nlaka’Pamux drank a cold infusion of the whole plant as a common beverage. The Heal-all Plant contains vitamins A, C, and K, as well as flavonoids and rutin. The Heal-all Plant is taken internally as a medicinal tea for sore throat, fever, diarrhea, internal bleeding, and to alleviate liver and heart maladies. Topically, a poultice of the plant can be applied to irritated skin, as from stinging nettle toxins. A poultice of the Heal-all Plant also serves well as a disinfecting agent and is used to pack wounds in the absence of other wound-care material. It has been cherished by the Chinese to “change the course of a chronic disease.”]
Native Americans loved it! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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See each facet of life as part of the undivided whole.
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[A Horsetail Plant growing through some Queen Anne’s Lace. The Horsetail Plant is an extremely primitive plant; indeed, it looks rather Devonian-like in appearance. The stems are hollow, with no true leaves. The Horsetail Plant likes wet areas, such as ponds or marshes. Horsetail has no known food value to wildlife.]
Horsetail Plant extending through Queen Anne’s Lace. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The ending of sorrow is the beginning of true and intelligent wisdom.
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[These are wildflower Chinese Lantern plants. They were found growing in a prairie near a local pond.]
Small but beautiful! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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True enlightenment occurs as actual, immense energy… not as mere ideas, symbols, and patterns “about energy.”
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[This Grasshopper has less “hair” (on his face, legs, and back) than I do!]
Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Peace never comes by mindlessly clinging to separative groups or leaders.
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[This is a Sheepshead Mushroom with a Midge Fly resting on it (to the left). The Sheepshead Mushroom is edible and is considered to be one of the best tasting mushrooms. They tend to grow at the base of Oak Trees.]
Resting on a Sheepshead. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Hate and indifference involves separation, distance, and a lack of compassion.
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[In cooler weather, Katydids often cling to the sides of houses or garages for extra warmth. Katydids have excellent climbing abilities. This one is clinging to the warm, reflective side of a garage… an effective way to beat the cold!]
Wall Walker! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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It’s likely best to be rather low-key and unnoticeable. For, in the long run, you will (especially if you are wise) really impress no one except yourself.
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[There is, within this flower, and unobtrusive, little winged insect… a Hover Fly… having the time of his life! There’s also an inconspicuous ant there too!]
Beyond the Camera Eye and Superficial Fame! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The key to understanding life is not made to fit the rigid lock of powerful authority.
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[The Spotted Jewelweed is an annul plant native to North America. The Spotted Jewelweed likes to grow along creeks and rivers; this one is growing along a creek flowing into a nearby river. The Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) was transported in the 19th and 20th centuries to England, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Finland, and potentially other areas of northern and central Europe. These naturalized populations persist in the absence of any effort of cultivation by people.]
Love is the key. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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There was a wise man… and every time he bent down, the whole world (including all the people, animals, and plants) bent down.
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[This Goldenrod is being bent over by the wind… not by the weight of the Hover Flies upon it. Hover Flies seek nectar from wildflowers, such as this Goldenrod, which is growing along the periphery of a local, nutrient-rich, rural pond.]
Bending together. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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If one doesn’t exist primarily in (and “as”) the present now… one is living in the past.
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[This Lady Bug is getting ready to leave a dried out Thistle Plant. Probably the Lady Bug had been searching for small insects to feed upon (that were nesting within the seed pod).]
Leaving Lady! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The thrown rock creates the ripples, but the ripples of thought create the ego (i.e., the so-called central “I”).
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[This is a Banded Argiope Spider – with ripples of colors – waiting for prey in a perfect web that she has spun. The Banded Argiope Spider is a large spider and is related to the Black and Yellow Argiope Spider (i.e., the Banana Spider). Their expertly woven webs have crossed, zigzag bands running through them that are very thick. It is thought that these have the dual function of attracting certain insects – since they reflect a lot of ultraviolet light that certain insects are attracted to – and for warning low flying birds. (Humans cannot see in the ultraviolet range.) I used to have a lot of these spiders crawling all over me when out in the fields photographing (and didn’t mind it at all); but now I am better at spotting and avoiding the webs and going around them. Many of these spiders are well over and inch long. It is common for them to wait in the web with their head down. Note the webbing to the left and right of this spider.]
A real tiger. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Do not merely look through the screen of fragmentation that was instilled within (and “as”) your mind.
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[This is not, as many might think, a Monarch Butterfly. It is a Viceroy Butterfly, resting at the base of an Oak Tree along some moss. Unlike Monarchs, Viceroy Butterflies do not migrate south for the winter. Viceroy Butterflies overwinter as caterpillars, resting inside rolled leaves. Once the weather gets a bit colder, this Viceroy will likely perish; but its caterpillar offspring will survive the winter to emerge as new, splendid butterflies.]
At the end of an excellent life! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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What you perceive is not, psychologically, separate from what you are.
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[These are Mycena haematopus mushrooms growing along a river bank.]
Far from the beaten path. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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One oftentimes has to unlearn the erroneous conditioning that was hammered into one’s core and foundation.
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[This Harvestman – some call them Daddy-long-legs – is resting on a leaf. Harvestmen (Daddy-long-legs) are not spiders. Spiders have two main body segments. Harvestmen have one. Harvestmen do have eight legs like spiders… but theirs are usually much longer.]
A Daddy with Long Legs. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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If you deeply care… then the universe is deeply caring.
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[This is a close-up shot of moss growing on a fallen tree stump in the woods. I’ll post this same type of moss (with spore shoots sprouting out) at a later time.]
The rolling stone gathers none. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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The supple mind goes beyond pigeonholing others and coming to dead-end conclusions.
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[These are the small, fruiting parts of a large underground fungus.]
Mushroom burst. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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To psychologically die (each and every day) to endless fears and separative images… is living wisdom.
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[This is, because of the enlarged pedipalps, a male spider… probably a Grass Spider. Pedipalps have sensitive chemical detectors and function as taste and smell organs, supplementing those on the legs. In males, the pedipalps are enlarged, functioning as organs for reproductive purposes.]
Oh, that movie-star face! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Direct perception is timeless; it’s instantaneous. Greed, hatred, envy, and comparison all take time.
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[This is a Potter Wasp, some Hover Flies, a small wild Fly, and a Soldier Beetle. Potter Wasps make nests of mud that are pot-like. (They were all circling around the flower cluster, but the Soldier Beetle didn’t get the direction right!)]
Time for nectar energy! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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There are no separate (isolated) pieces to the universal puzzle… once you see the golden whole.
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[This is a Hover Fly on a wild Sunflower Plant. This Hover Fly is likely searching for flower nectar (and is distributing pollen as part of a symbiotic relationship).]
Psychologically, the perceiver and the perceived are one. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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My biggest vice (according to my wife) — and the observer is the observed — is that of purchasing too many fossils. Perhaps, thinking a few words would be sufficient (instead of getting the fossils)… fossils being fixed impressions of the past. Words – all words – are symbolic representations from the memory bank (i.e., from the stored, dead past).
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[These are Micro-mushrooms growing on a healthy Lichen covered, large Oak Tree. These diminutive mushrooms are around 2 mm in total length.].
Stairway to Heaven (lyrics & video by Led Zeppelin):
There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there’s a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long,
And the forests will echo with laughter.
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now,
It’s just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.
And it makes me wonder.
Your head is humming and it won’t go, in case you don’t know,
The piper’s calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
Another Stairway to Heaven. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Warm affection used for ulterior means is often cold and calculating; beware of false, mechanical reactions, including your own (such as in selfish self-adoration) !
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[Some Daddy-Long-Legs – or Harvestmen – eat vegetable matter and mushrooms, but some are carnivorous. This Havestman (with dull, dark, leaden eyes) didn’t need to spin a vast, clever web of lies to catch his gullible Fly victim. Daddy-Long-Legs are harmless to humans, but are bad news for germ-carrying (egotistical) flies. Havestmen are not true spiders, but they’re close enough for the inclusion of the following poem:
from Mary Howitt (1799-1888):
“Will you step into my parlor?” said the spider to the fly;
“’Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many pretty things to show when you are there.”
“O no, no,” said the little fly, “to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.”
“I’m sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?” said the spider to the fly.
“There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I’ll snugly tuck you in.”
“O no, no,” said the little fly, “for I’ve often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed.”
Said the cunning spider to the fly, “Dear friend, what shall I do,
To prove the warm affection I’ve always felt for you?
I have within my pantry good store of all that’s nice;
I’m sure you’re very welcome; will you please to take a slice?”
“O no, no,” said the little fly, “kind sir, that cannot be;
I’ve heard what’s in your pantry, and I do not wish to see.”
“Sweet creature!” said the spider, “You’re witty and you’re wise!
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf,
If you’ll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.”
“I thank you, gentle sir,” she said, “for what you’re pleased to say,
And bidding you good-morning now, I’ll call another day.”
The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon be back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing
“Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with the pearl and silver wing:
Your robes are green and purple; there’s a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead.”
Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly,
Hearing his wily flattering words, came slowly flitting by.
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue;
Thinking only of her crested head — poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlor; but she ne’er came out again!
And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you ne’er give heed;
Unto an evil counselor close heart, and ear, and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly. ]
Gullible Fly! (1) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Gullible Fly! (2) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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On Twitter, a couple of Twitter friends, Kitusai & Bohdan — who happen to be excellent, creative musicians, by the way, (and who go by the Twitter icon-image of two Zebras) — suggested to me that it is good to give others a second chance when they do wrong. However, maybe not always; as I told them: two zebras who give the lioness a second-chance aren’t zebras for very long!
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[If insects were mammals, this Robber Fly would be the lion of our rural area. In our area, I will often see a Robber Fly diligently flying from leaf to leaf, looking for prey to attack. They are very voracious and persistent predators. They will even attack much larger insects than themselves. This one has caught a Blue Damselfly. Blue Damselflies are, themselves, predators of other insects.]
I have nothing against meat eaters! Robber Fly attacking Damselfly. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Compassion is that alive awareness that cares beyond the cadaverous uncaring.
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[This is a small Leafhopper on a cluster of colorful, wild Pigweed seeds. The Leafhoppers in Illinois are all relatively small. Leafhoppers have piercing-sucking mouth parts, which enables them to feed on plant sap. Pigweed is considered a weed and is a nuisance to farmers… but it is edible for humans and is full of nutritious vitamins.]
Down the Up-staircase. (Leafhopper on Pigweed) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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Untethered freedom is not mesmerized by authority’s lopsided systems and structures… additionally, it is full of deep order, intelligence, and integrity.
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[This is a web-free Crab Spider in Phlox Flowers. Most Crab Spiders do not form webs. Crab Spiders, as we have shown, often change in chameleon-like fashion to suit their needs. They are usually found in flowers, even garden flowers.
Additional note: I will be posting more spiders (and similar creatures) in the Halloween month of October. It is neat that they are part of an old Halloween tradition (that is fun for kids). However, it is unfortunate that many children grow up associating spiders with “being frightened” and as “terrible creatures to be horrified of.” As the late, superb naturalist, Steve Irwin often propounded, spiders and snakes can indeed be seen to be majestic, marvelous animals, truly beautiful in their own ways. We must, as Steve Irwin so graciously suggested before his untimely passing, be far better caretakers of Mother Earth.]
Crabby and waiting! Crab Spider in Phlox Flowers. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
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You can’t think outside the box. Thinking is the box!
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[This very unique and unusual wild plant is the Seed Box Plant (Ludwigia alternifolia). The square, box-like seed-pods of the Seed Box Plant are – indeed – different than most!]
Little, wrapped presents. (Seed Box Plant) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 