The impersonal violence of a volcano in eruption
is contrapuntal to its stunning beauty.
We can only assume this enigma exists within each atom of the extant universe.
In 2005 I had a dream in which I traveled through time as if in time lapse; “I” was an ancient bristlecone pine on the side of a dormant volcano and was consumed, feeling my ‘bones’ melt, as the volcano erupted, only to become part of the lava flow that over eons of time flowed up again through the cracks in the earth’s crust. Since that dream I’ve had a strong affinity for the generative force of volcanic cycles. I never want to live anywhere where I can’t feel the earth moving under my feet and connect to the pulse of the red-hot life blood of the planet. In the subduction zone that is the US Northwest, Central Oregon fits the ticket for my enigmatic penchant, as it is the epicenter of currently dormant volcanoes in the Cascade range.
The One Single Impression prompt enigma comes to us from Wild Goose Scoops Moon. Great poetry for this prompt over at the OSI page. . Thanks, Wild Goose!
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About Beth Patterson
The Virtual Tea House website became 'word-ripe' when, over a cup of jasmine green, I realized that the web has an expanding part to play in the communal aspects of spiritual growth.
With a master's degree in religion, my career spans 30 years in end of life care and child abuse intervention and advocacy.
Here in beautiful Central Oregon, my spiritual homes of the high desert and the mountains are both in proximity. And for good measure, four hours away is Grandmother Ocean and the stunning Oregon Coast.
I'm making decent progress on the goal set by my mother early on: she taught us that the goal of humanity should be to become ever-more eccentric, i.e. more fully human.
Entering the 'forest-dweller' phase of life, I am honored to host the Virtual Tea House for all who wish to explore how our lives are enriched and made new a thousand times each day by the spirituality we embody. Exploring this engagement together is the purpose of the Virtual Tea House.
Welcome! Let's have a cup of virtual tea together and share what brings us joy, what we are being taught by life, how we are leaning into the Big Questions posed to us each day in sometimes 'distressing disguises'.
Follow me on Twitter, if you must
http://twitter.com/MyraB