Tim Rains is a Ranger in Glacier National Park. He is also a talented writer and photographer who posts regularly on Glacier’s Facebook page. I love sharing his prose and the way he absorbs his personal experience of being in the wild places. You feel the love he shares with this wondrous environment… *if you’re not connected to the Glacier National Park page do it now, I know you’ll enjoy it!
Spiritus – “breath, courage, the soul” in Latin. Inspiration in English.
“Personal creativity is not about intelligence or information. It’s about inspiration, from the Latin spiritus, meaning “breath, courage, the soul.” Creativity is about being fully alive, living courageously, or as the painter Joan Miro´ says, “Expressing with precision all the gold sparks the soul gives off.” When is the last time you felt fully alive? What is it that calls forth your courage and trumps your fear of sharing your soul? Knowing this is the key to discovering the creativity that is waiting to be expressed through you.”
-Jan Phillips
Feel your creativity and all it means to be You! Your breath, your soul and your courage are uniquely your own…
“Animals are not just living things; they are beings with lives. Next time you are outside, notice the first bird you see. You are beholding a unique individual with personality traits, an emotional profile and a library of knowledge built on experience. What you are witnessing is not just biology… but a biography.”
(Jonathan Balcombe)
Charles Littleleaf Native Flutes
“I care not what people say of me so long as I do right. I shall never be any man’s slave.”
-Pitamakan (Running Eagle)
Running Eagle was a Piegan Blackfoot woman warrior. The waterfall on this post was named in her honor as she holds a prestigious place in Blackfoot lore. Brave, smart, beautiful, kind, master horsewoman and bow and arrow shot, she was a leader, ahead of her time as a renaissance woman.
Given the name Brown Weasel Woman, by the time she was fifteen she was hunting buffalo with the men. While hunting, her Blackfeet were attached by the Flathead, and when her father went down, she went back for him, defended her position, took out a few of the attackers, and got her father home. She had become Running Eagle and a Warrior.
Not wanting to effect her warrior status she never married instead taking a widow into her home to take care of household duties. This freed her to continue the life she had chosen. According to the Blackfoot stories she led dozens of raids against rival tribes including the Crow and Flathead.
As her status as Warrior and leader expanded she was allowed to do a vision quest (only men did vision quests at this time).
The falls were named after her as she did her vision quest at the top of them. Energy around the falls is quite strong and magical.
“It’s a moment that I’m after, a fleeting moment, but not a frozen moment.”
-Andrew Wyeth
This life is so precious and the wonders are astounding. That is what compels me about photography. You must be fully present to acknowledge these wonders, then make a choice as to what to frame, what moment to capture. We’re doing that continually of course – making choices of what to focus on, what to acknowledge, what to see and remember.
I’m choosing to remember and focus on love, truth, energy, small and large nature wonders, life’s grace…
“When you really pay attention, everything is your teacher.”
I love these words from other languages that can’t be translated in a single word to English. They each evoke a deep feeling and connection – not a mental abstract. They speak of our intimate and interrelated chemistry with Nature… our partnership, rapport and love.
I found these words on a blog called “Mother Tongues” and the Tenalach Irish word mentioned on a Facebook page called “Discover the Forest”.
Tenalach (Irish): used to describe a relationship one has with the land, air and water, a deep connection that allows one to literally hear the Earth sing.
Komorebi (Japanese): The scattered, dappled light effect when sunlight shines through tree leaves.
Gökotta (Swedish): To wake up early in the morning with the purpose of going outside to hear the first birds of spring sing.
Aloha aina (Hawaiian): This phrase means “love of the land.” Hawaiians are the land, in the sense that the land provides food, water, clothing, and shelter. Showing care for the land, while visiting, is a wonderful way to show care and respect to the people of Hawaii.
Dadirri(Aboriginal Australian): An ancient word that combines contemplation, deep inner listening, and quiet still awareness of creation and the Creator, Dadirri is like a crystal clear water hole that calls us to be replenished and revitalized. To embody Dadirri, is to be at peace with yourself, with others, in nature, and with the Creator. Be patient with yourself, with your neighbor, and wait upon the seasons. Become aware of the sacredness that surrounds you. Hear creation breathe and follow her rhythm.
water is life, water is life, water is life,
this is a place for the wild,
looking up, and out, and down,
You are beholding a unique individual with personality traits, an emotional profile and a library of knowledge built on experience. What you are witnessing is not just biology… but a biography.”
