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!

If you'd like to purchase photo-quote greeting cards, please go to www.NaturePhoto-QuoteCards.com .


In the Spirit of Wildness,

Stephen Hatch
Fort Collins, Colorado

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

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Journaling helps us trap the heat of insight that wells up from our innermost being.



Pasqueflowers have several adaptations which enable them to sprout and bloom before most other wildflowers in the Rocky Mountains.  First, they possess hollow stems that catch and store the metabolic heat they produce, similar to the way the loft in a down sleeping bag is able to store our body heat.  Second, the pasqueflower is covered with thick hairs, which form a protective layer of insulation.

These plants can teach us that it is important for us as well to catch and hold the spiritual warmth which arises from within the center of our being.  One important way to do this is through the practice of journaling, which records the various insights we are given by the Spirit. Our journal becomes a sort of sacred scripture that preserves our own experiences of wisdom rather than those merely given to others.

Photo: Pasqueflower detail, Hewlett Gulch, Roosevelt National Forest, CO; May 4, 2013





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