Welcome! I am a contemplative thinker and photographer from Colorado. In this blog, you'll discover photographs that I've taken on my hiking and backpacking trips, mostly in the American West. I've paired these with my favorite inspirational and philosophical quotes - literary passages that emphasize the innate spirituality of the natural world. I hope you enjoy them!

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In the Spirit of Wildness,

Stephen Hatch
Fort Collins, Colorado

P.S. There's a label index at the bottom of the blog.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Fire of Trials Brings Enlightenment.


 Sometimes I feel frustrated with the fact that my rigid religious upbringing was so painful.  It was heavily dualistic and black-and-white, allowing little room to explore and be theologically adventurous.  However, I understand now that from a big-picture perspective, the experience of seeming separation - that is, from the Divine, from the inherent goodness of my own deepest core, from people of other faiths, and from Nature - is the very thing that enables me now to experience the ecstasy of Union.  The Taoists and Sufis are correct! We can't know yin without yang, or union with the Beloved without first feeling a sense of separation. It is the fire of trials that brings enlightenment!

Photo: Scorched Ponderosa Pine, Galena Burn, Lory State Park, CO; December 16, 2013

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