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.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Meditation keeps us rooted in the Ground of Being, enabling us then to sit back and "watch the show" of our shifting thoughts and emotions.


I love how landscapes change moods so quickly, especially here in Colorado. These photos were taken two days apart - the first, during a snowstorm, and the second, just after the storm moved east. I find it fascinating to contemplate the fact that the location remains the same, even though the weather - and ultimately, even the individual elements of the landscape - are subject to continual change. Similarly, it is helpful to contemplate the fact that each of us has an underlying nature - a divine Core - that remains rooted in the Ground of Being, even though our emotions, moods, thoughts and relationships may change from day to day, or even from hour to hour. I find that meditation practice helps keep me grounded in this Deeper Self, which then enables me to remain more detached from - yet enjoy immensely - the emotional "weather changes" that occur up on the surface of the personality. When we identify with this deeper Reality, we can then sit back and truly "enjoy the show" provided by our ever-shifting emotions and thoughts!



Photos: Red cliffs, Ponderosa Pine and Mountain-mahogany bushes, near Bellvue, CO, December 26 and 28, 2014

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