Elemental, Part 1
ritual rendering what is raw and real
Dear Good Readers,
Welcome to 2025.
It’s elemental, this need…
…to stop and stare at ice crystals on a branch,
or on the ground, in the middle of a field.
It’s elemental, this need to ground myself in a place, to not just witness the shifts in light and form over time but to also let those changes in the land change me.1
I’m not exactly sure what I mean, other than the fact that it’s impossible to not be impacted in some way when in relationship to a place because we, like the land, are in a constant state of flux too. Our bodies absorb and release, not just food and waste, but also the energies that surround us - - vibrations from the earth, waves of light from the sun - - and we respond to those energies, whether we realize it or not.
Generally, I prefer micro-moments - - smallness within larger spaces, but when a winter heat wave caused this warm mist and a few days later, the returning cold and ice created a rush of color and texture that needed to be blurry, I leaned into the possibilities for how these elemental shifts might inspire something new in me as well.
Only time will tell, but it feels delicious.
How magical, for example, that between the time I created these two tree-filled images, I would bear witness to green water rushing furiously with masses of ice on Christmas day…
and just two days later, a different scene, filled with water crystals and mist and a profile of a bird (upside down) encased in ice.
There is that fear that emerges - - so many others before me have documented ice and water flowing in rivers. There’s nothing new here - - Why even share this work, anyway?
And then I remember - - these images take my breath away, and I hope yours too, because…
this particular combination in this particular location has never existed and will never occur again;
there is power in ritual seeing and being and sharing of a place;
when I celebrate these micro-dramas with others, I feel connected to both the natural world and my human companions, and I need both, especially now.2
Welcome to 2025, a year in which I lean into rituals and the rendering of what is raw and real - - with word and image - - and in the process, let myself mend that which needs care.3
Is this image above a fissure or a space in the process of coming together - - ice crystals leaning toward each other, weaving themselves whole?
And how did this ‘ruby ice’ (above) or this ‘mushroom cap’ bauble (below) get there anyway?
The water and ice are elemental, calling me to settle into the consistency of ritual and the real and raw realities of constant change.
As always, thank you for sharing your time and this space with me.
With deep gratitude for your companionship,
Lyn
PS: I’m doing some planning for the rest of 2025 and I’ve got a question:
PPS: Please let me know (in the comments section) if there are particular ideas or themes you’d like me to address if we were to gather. Thank you for being part of 13 Tons of Love!
Oh, and now that the election is over and you are thinking about the coming year, consider becoming a paid subscriber, if you are not already. It’s my 60th birthday on November 1, 2025 and I wonder if I might have 60 paid subscribers by then?? If you have any suggestions of what would motivate you to support my work, please leave them in the comments section - - Thank you!
And if you know someone who might appreciate these weekly meditations, please share this post!
Finally, in case you were worried, I’m still pretty attached to compost. Here are a few of the bucketfuls I’ve brought to our neighborhood’s collection site over the past few weeks. More on these compelling micro-moments next week!
Since reading Katherine May’s Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, I’m grateful to have ‘permission’ to let myself rest in the winter, to honor the cold and dark days as trees (letting all energy focus on their roots) and bears (conserving energy with solid rest) do. I’m all in.
I don’t know your political point of view, but I am concerned about the incoming administration’s assaults on climate, human diversity and the value of a woman’s right to be in control of her body. I know that now is a time to be open and caring, but sometimes it’s hard.
As we honor the life of former President Jimmy Carter, I feel particularly nostalgic for a man who struggled with messaging, but who understood the core challenges our nation faced and still faces, and who valued compassion, compromise and conservation. He was such a ray of hope for this then 11 year old who longed for someone honest after the hardships of Watergate and Vietnam.
So just as compost grounded me and guided me through January 2017 - January 2021, so too does the ritual of showing up with my camera and celebrating the beauty that surrounds us in so many unexpected places…and for now, that place is a very small section of the Ottauquechee River, a 41.4 mile waterway in Eastern Vermont.
Words are interesting. They can create barriers and they offer bridges between. Mending is my word for this year (I’ve never actually chosen a word for a year) because I want to make sure I sustain a spirit of healing throughout the seasons as I recover from the various disruptions and shifts that started during Covid and haven’t really abated. So whatever goes on ‘out there,’ I plan on building strength from within so I can keep showing up.
Strength from within is such a true value. I do things I call feeding my spirit to keep my inner strength available. For me that can be things like remembering a favorite uncle who always liked people and let them know it. Or, it can be remembering how my mother loved children and stayed young at heart in doing so. There are many animals who have charmed me both wild and tamed. A little time with such memories brings smiles and an ever-after happiness. My spirit thrives on such feedings.
These are beautiful Lyn, they capture the complexity of winter wonderfully. They feel both precious and fragile as well as strong and luminous-they feel like winter! I love the moments you’ve chosen to share with us as you explore your relationship to this place.