Interlude.Here, deep in the South African veldt, the silence is full of birds' calls, and the chattering and bickering bick·er intr.v. bick·ered, bick·er·ing, bick·ers 1. To engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel; squabble. See Synonyms at argue. 2. of monkeys and baboons. No manmade sound interupts the stillness of the morning. As I sit outside, watching the sun hitting the rocky mountain tops above me, I read, `Oh Lord, my stronghold, my crag and my haven.' A solitary tree stands on the saddle between the summits. When on another day I climb up to it, two hot air balloons This article is about hot air balloons themselves. For the associated activity, see Hot air ballooning. The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology, dating back to its invention by the Montgolfier brothers in Annonay, float up over the valley behind me. I cross the saddle to look out at another panorama stretching to what seems like an infinite horizon. This Garden of Eden Garden of Eden n. See Eden. Noun 1. Garden of Eden - a beautiful garden where Adam and Eve were placed at the Creation; when they disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil they were is the site for an international consultation. There are 37 of us here from 22 countries, with important business to discuss. The setting in which we meet, the wildlife, the scenery, the weather, the air that flows through the open doors of our conference room somehow makes it easier to listen to each other and to absorb. I came here with fears of not being able to cope with the pressures, emotions, conflicting viewpoints--out of a dark wet British winter, and a more stressful than usual period at work. Instead, in the African space and sunlight, something is being renewed. Each morning before breakfast we meet in an open-sided thatched thatch n. 1. Plant stalks or foliage, such as reeds or palm fronds, used for roofing. 2. Something, such as a thick growth of hair on the head, that resembles thatch. 3. Dead turf, as on a lawn. tr.v. building for a short meditation, given by different participants. A Muslim quotes from a book by a Christian, Melody Beattie Melody Beattie is the author of Codependent No More, which when published in 1987 by the publishing division of the Hazelden Foundation became a phenomenon of the self-help movement. *: `We do not have to control God's will Noun 1. God's Will - the omnipotence of a divine being omnipotence - the state of being omnipotent; having unlimited power for us. We are being taken care of.... If today is a quiet day, trust the stillness. If it is a day of action, trust the activity. If it is time to wait, trust the pause. If it is time to receive that which we have been waiting for, trust that it will happen clearly and with power, and receive the gift in joy.' There is, it appears, no need to strive. She also reads from a Sufi poet, Jelaluddin Rumi: Yesterday evening I heard your deep sighs, Your anguish is seeking a way to attain me. And I am able to show you a way of passage, to deliver you from the whirlpool of time, that you might set your foot upon the treasure of unity with me. At night there are few lights to compete with the splendour of the stars. We lie on our backs On Our Backs (ISSN 0890-2224) was the first women-run erotica magazine and the first magazine to feature lesbian erotica for a lesbian audience in the United States. to identify the Southern Cross and are transfixed by the intricate detail of the Milky Way Milky Way, the galaxy of which the sun and solar system are a part, seen as a broad band of light arching across the night sky from horizon to horizon; if not blocked by the horizon, it would be seen as a circle around the entire sky. , sprinkled across the firmament. `The heavens are telling the glory of God, the wonder of his work ...' `Fix your eye on the stars and seek the way,' wrote Jelaluddin Rumi. `Speech confuses the sight: be silent.' |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion