Water Water Everywhere – WPC Elemental

“Earth, water, fire, and wind. Where there is energy there is life.”

Suzy Kassem

PATH LESS TRAVELED

Our earth is filled with wondrous places vibrant with color and teeming with life. Some of the swamps of South Carolina offer a view into what our world may have looked like centuries before landfill became an option and development became the order of the day.

WATER ABSTRACT

“Nature that framed us of four elements…..doth teach us all to have aspiring minds.”

Christopher Marlowe*

Here we observe life at it’s most fundamental. Creatures not often seen in other environments are plentiful here – one need only pause to hear their calls. Perhaps they are warning others of our approach, or more likely they are simply communicating in ways we cannot begin to understand.

EARTH AND SKY

“Awareness is a mirror reflecting the four elements.”

Nhat Hanh

In these primitive environments we see our earth at its most basic. Deep dark waters house fallen leaves while reflecting the colors of the sky and the sturdy trees that surround them. The heat of the day begins to fade as the cool waters envelop us and we pass more deeply into the realm of the arboreal canopy.

MIRRORED BRANCH

“Warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of a child.”

Carl Jung

A moment’s pause in the heart of this environment brings a very particular peace if we are open to it. The sun’s rays are filtered and softened and the air is a tangible thing – somehow heavier and lighter at the same time. The whisper of the breeze can be heard above the peculiar noises of the swamp’s creatures, and at the center of it all, the swamp’s waters nourish both the life of its inhabitants and the soul of its visitors.  As John Muir said “In every walk with nature, one receives much more than he seeks.”  How very true.

 

*This quote has also been attributed to Niccolo Machiavelli

 

WPC Elemental

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Tags: Caw Caw, elemental, swamp, weekly photo challenge

• August 11, 2017
• Nature, Photo Essay, Photography
• 104 Comments