All posts filed under: Symbolic Sight

symbols, archetypes; observations, interpretations, insights; context & clarity

Wandering, Sheltering, Connecting: Art and Nature

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Balanced on sandstone high above a powerful current in the forest, the sense of a separate existence dissolves. Bathing in awe, humbled and heartened, oneness emerges. ❂ Once while on a trail in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park, resting on a lookout, we heard and then saw a man climbing onto the path from the rocks below. He had been exploring off-path, was happily spent and yet keen to talk about his experience. Curious. I had never considered leaving the well-marked trail. “Aren’t you worried about getting lost?” I asked. He grinned. “Nah. I’m always right where I’m supposed to be. Can’t be lost, then — can I?”  From this encounter and wilderness navigation books, I later gleaned that those who are rigidly focused on a destination may be less likely to notice changes in terrain, weather, or even their own physical condition. This makes them more vulnerable to getting lost or getting into trouble. Conversely, those who are wandering or exploring are more likely to be attuned to their surroundings and open …

Beach Holiday in Germany

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Germany’s fantastic beaches are little-known wonders outside of the country. A friend who grew up in a town on the North Sea coast tells me that many Germans used to fly to Mallorca or mainland Spain, southern France, Italy, the Greek islands, or Turkey for their beach holidays, but in recent years northern European beach towns have been receiving more attention from vacationers. With intense heat waves and wildfires in southern Europe, and expanding environmental consciousness overall, more people have been choosing to travel closer to home — to beaches in Germany and Scandinavia. “My hometown is getting more visitors in the summers now. It’s definitely becoming more popular,” she remarks. These coastal towns and beaches are attractive and serene — ideal for relaxing and energizing holidays. It makes you wonder why they haven’t developed the renown of other beaches in modern times, despite all their natural beauty and charm. “Maybe we’re not as good at marketing,” my friend suggests. There is the marketing issue in some places, to be sure. Some beaches and resorts …

Marienbad

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I am in the garden, reading Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine Benyus. Biomimicry is about observing nature’s strategies to come up with advanced solutions for human challenges such as food spoilage and shortages, harmful chemicals, and water scarcity. Landing on the opening quote from Václav Havel, I sense synchronicity, here in the Czech Republic. “We must draw our standards from the natural world. We must honor with the humility of the wise the bounds of that natural world and the mystery which lies beyond them, admitting that there is something in the order of being which evidently exceeds all our competence.“ Václav Havel There is a soft murmuring of water from a fountain behind me and a rippling pool in front, as the swimmers float gently from side to side. I settle deeper into the lounge, adjust the sand-colored shade above the chair and continue reading. A honeybee with the unmistakable aura of purpose arrives. He lands on the top edge of the book, so close that I can observe his stubbly knees. Literally, the …

Three Books and an Emerging, Ancient Field

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“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” Henry David Thoreau, Walden Three Books and an Emerging, Ancient Field In light of recent developments in artificial intelligence — acknowledging that computer programs can now create art, music, and literature — it is comforting and invigorating to center ourselves in the essence of our humanity, which reaches far deeper than the creation of things… Book 1 Biophilia is the work of evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson, published in 1984, in which he posited “that our natural affinity for life—biophilia—is the very essence of our humanity and binds us to all other living species.”(1) Book 2  Building on the biophilia hypothesis, social ecology professor Stephen Kellert wrote Building for Life: Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection among other …

Sustainable. But have you ever been to Baden-Württemberg?

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What makes a building a green building? Green buildings are designed with sustainability goals and fulfill specific criteria in their construction, maintenance, and life cycle — designated by certifications such as LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Building Council or the DGNB System (Deutsches Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen) from the German Sustainable Building Council. For those looking for entry points and a general understanding of how a building is actually a sustainable building though, it helps to consider models and look at details.  “The most sustainable building in the world” Earning a platinum certificate with the highest DGNB certification score achieved thus far, the building known as the Eisbärhaus (Polar Bear House) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany proffers many mindful details. These include: building material choices, such as using recycled concrete in the reinforced concrete-wood hybrid structure; energy efficiency solutions, such as a battery storage system for storing the electricity generated by a photovoltaic system — to use when needed; and a software system, which controls various features in response to current local weather conditions — and …

Timeless in Tuscany

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“Sed fugit interea,fugit inreparabile tempus,singular dum capticircumvectamur amore”  Virgil, Georgics It’s 3 o’clock on a Saturday. Saturn-Day, as in Saturn, the great teacher. We’ve arrived. The grandfather clock behind the reception desk stands still, frozen at some previous, unspecified 4 o’clock. Looking closely, I make out the phrase on its face: tempus fugit. “Fugit inreparabile tempus” (It escapes, irretrievable time), wrote the poet Virgil — later expressed in English as: time flies. While time may fly, it can also stop for a spell. Also not flying on this day: our luggage — left behind by the airline along the way. We check in and then go to the center of this piccolo villaggio, hoping for a shop with swimwear. Aha, a shop: Fata Morgana. This is the Italian name of the Fairy Morgana, the sorceress Morgan le Fay in Arthurian legend. Fata Morgana is also the name of a mirage of sorts, visible above the horizon, once believed to be fairy castles conjured up by witchcraft. Now known as “optical phenomena.” They are sometimes seen in the Strait of …