A Place of Refuge
"Around me the trees stir in their leaves / And call out, Stay Awhile"
When I am Among the Trees ~ Mary Oliver
Since the early days of my childhood, the nearby woodlands have been a continuous source of peace, refuge and inspiration. The trees are among my dearest friends, always listening quietly to my inner struggles and celebrating my highest accomplishments. Observing how the tree communities adjust to the changing of the seasons teaches me about being. They teach me about surviving in a world that seems overwhelming at times. They give me shelter, companionship and entertainment.
Today, I invite you to take a quiet walk with me through the winter forest. Stay awhile.
When I am Among the Trees
by Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”
Series Panel
Click or Tap Any of the Images on this Page to View Larger
 Guardians
|
Guardians
"I am not often drawn to photograph a stand of trees in the distance, but would rather be within the forest, surrounding myself, and the viewer, with my woodland walls. As I look out the windows of my tree house, I see blue spruce, I see pine trees among the aspens, and I hear the leaves flutter as their trunks move gently and smoothly in the wind. I feel at home here, I feel at peace, I feel as if I have been delivered from those distractions we accept as the real world.”
- John Sexton, Photographer
|
 Respite
|
Respite
“When you hug [a tree], you feel it first in your toes and then up your legs and into your chest and then up into your head. It’s such a feeling of relaxation and then you’re ready for a new day and new challenges.”
― Por Porfinnsson, Forest Ranger
|
 Renewal
|
Renewal
“The one who plants trees, knowing that he or she will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.”
― Rabindranath Tagore
|
 Nurturers
|
Nurturers
“The trees in a forest care for each other, sometimes even going so far as to nourish the stump of a felled tree for centuries after it was cut down by feeding it sugars and other nutrients, and so keeping it alive. Only some stumps are thus nourished. Perhaps they are the parents of the trees that make up the forest of today.”
― Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees
|
 Confidants
|
Confidants
“For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven and Nietzsche.”
― Hermann Hesse
|
 Majestic
|
Majestic
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A Nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
― Joyce Kilmer, Trees
|
 Companions
|
Companions
“We find trees offering us knowledge in many of the ancient stories and legends, perhaps because they alone seem to unite the earth and the sky – the known, invadable world with everything that is beyond our grasp and our power.”
― Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses
|
 Haven
|
Haven
“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.”
― Hermann Hesse
|
Return to the ICMPhotoMag Beginnings Workshop Main Exhibition Page
Inspired by the Beginnings Workshops, Kaisa, Morag, and Stephanie are in the process of building a collaborative, continuous learning membership community, with a planned launch date of June 1st.
This new initiative will bring many of the features of the 5-week intensive workshops to a collaborative, continuous learning community...one which offers an ongoing, rolling, monthly workshop-style environment, with new themes, content, live sessions, guest photographers, and much more each month....all with the goal of helping you grow in your ICM photography and inspiring you to tap more deeply into your own creativity...in a supportive, encouraging, safe atmosphere that will help nurture your artistic vision.
If you are interested in signing up to receive updates about membership community pre-launch activities, as well as to be notified first when the membership community is ready to open its doors and go live, please visit the link below and click the red button to send us an email.
