White-throated Sparrow

White-throated sparrow: 

the white-throated sparrow has made itself known to me - of course it's a familiar bird, probably always present and simply overlooked. I'm sure I've seen them dozens of times on my every walk. But for some reason, now, they seem to have a message for me, something personal they wish to share. So I'm open to their presence, attentive, and find myself smiling, truly joyful every time they appear to me in their unique and magical ways.

and I think perhaps that's their message, that it's time for me to find joy in the familiar, the local, and not to search outside my true home for anything that promises a better means of awakening then what is present right now. These little birds are so colorful, clever, and have been able to insert themselves through my own dense fog of perceptions. I over-looked them because I had eyes not for the magical, but only for the promise of something extraordinary to arrive and awaken me.

yet the beautiful white-throated sparrow, in gentle call -

reminding me to be present,

to see this magic,

familiar,

being found nowhere else 

but here, 

now.

and so I listen, alert, watchful...

awakening to joy.

~

Peace, Eric 

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Promise of a Fox

Promise of a fox:

I love those synchronistic moment, being a collision of events that might seem random without any meaning assigned, and yet so perfect in how they all coincide, as if designed with true purpose. Yesterday morning brought me the thought of foxes, a memory at first, thinking of when my partner and I saw a fox in the exact spot I where I was then walking. Both times it was mid-morning, sun-lit, and not the usual opportunity to catch a glimpse of a fox. However, the memory brought a watchfulness to me, thinking that there's always, at the very least, the promise of foxes, and that I should be mindful of their presence here, never knowing when one might appear. 

at that very moment,

with the promise of foxes in mind. 

a glimpse caught from the corner of my eye,flashing auburn, and that unmistakable grace of their glide through woods - my fox appeared and offered me a moment's stare of curiosity, as watchful of me as I was of her. Such a meaningful instant, a peek of mystery, and just a heart-break moment where the world shatters from its illusion of separation and everything feels spacious and whole. 

synchronistic.

perhaps for the fox as well.

and so we shared a look between us, eyes locked, meaningful, at least for me - before the fox broke glance and slide graceful through the woods. My first instinct was to dissect the moment for it's value, a lesson maybe imparted from a deep connection with nature. 

but no, I let that thought pass, 

as it seems to me that the only meaning really needed

 is the synchronistic moment itself...

and the ever present promise of a fox.

Love, Eric 

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Krishna's Counsel

Krishna's counsel:

taking Krishna's wise counsel to heart right now, as best as I'm able, as he told Arjuna that he only has the right to his actions but never to the outcome, results always being in the hands of God. For me, it's the joy of being in nature, camera in hand, and capturing whatever it is that life offers me to film. I rely solely on what's presented, no editing or added music, only what's given.

and then I share. 

there's so little in my control here that it would be ridiculous to truly care about the results that follow. Yet, of course, I sometimes do, often to be quite honest. With the intent of earning a modest income through my own creative effort, and often being reminded of the difficulties of this endeavor - I find myself thinking of certain results, of views and likes, more than I care to admit too. 

it's a numbers game after all. 

so I'm reminded of  Krishna's counsel, the Bhagavad Gita is wisdom that never lets me down - and I allow myself to surrender. None of this is in my hands, I don't control what nature offers, nor the circumstances that bring me any object or event to film. I depend upon the whims of grace and nature, they direct me towards the exact place where I'm meant to be. 

why not trust life even further? 

allowing just the right people to find my work, trusting that the fruits of my effort belong to others now, my own work being released and done.

surrendered.

to greater hands than my own. 

~

Peace, Eric 

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Continuously Forgiving

Continuously forgiving; 

it's the underlying theme of nature, forgiveness, a continuous motion of letting go of past events and always moving towards a greater healing of the whole. When I'm aligned with this, truly so, then I easily flow with life, holding no grudges, forgiving by my very nature, each moment gently released unto the next through no effort of my own - 

of course this is nothing that I actually do.

as this forgiveness happens completely on its own.

my only role is to be aware that this is so.

just carrying on with my life.

continuously forgiving.

~

Peace, Eric

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: A Message From the Tao

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A Little Extra Magic

A little extra magic: 

about a year ago I wrote a little on foxes and owls, of how they were the sacred sights I always wished to see on my early morning walks. It's not that I don't truly love my every encounter with all of nature, but that these two seemed most elusive to me , sensing their presence yet seldom gifted with a sighting. It's been through patience and the consistency of walking, plus no small amount of the grace of good fortune, that I've occasionally been able to sight these magical creatures, even discovering where an owl been nesting and getting some clear filming in through the day. Mostly though it's just a rare glimpse of one or the other, a quick flash of red darting into the bushes, or owls hooting from a dark tree above me. And that's always enough for me, to know they're nearby, watching me as I search the edges of landscape and sky for them. 

it's enough to know they're here.

and sometimes...

a little extra magic happens.

like yesterday, a June morning with that hint of extra sunlight, my steps guided by some intuitive sense of locating something truly special - and a family of three foxes appear on a nearby hillside, close enough to amaze me even without my camera zooming in, playful, and lingering to watch me as I studied them. A true gift indeed, and they literally seemed to grant my wish of a moments filming. Definitely a little extra magic here. 

it's hard to walk away from such a rare encounter, but as the Tao Te Ching offers - retire when the work is done, knowing that this is the way to heaven. So not even reluctantly, yet fully content with the gift received, I turn my steps towards my home, my heart completely happy. Then, maybe half a mile from this magical encounter, an owl swoops by, only inches from my head, pursued by a much smaller bird who was obviously protecting her nesting young, and it landed on a nearby branch, clearly perplexed by these events yet willing to sit with me awhile, giving me the same advantage as the foxes. 

a little extra magic.

once again I filmed to just the point where it felt enough, no more, patient, and trusting in this magic. I don't need to press for extra time, having been given plenty already and knowing that mystery loves contentment, that it's the true value of its gift having been received. With this, and nothing more to do, my walk continued towards home, mostly uneventful - except for a flash of red amidst the bushes not from my front door. A cardinal, brilliantly framed by deep summer green and willing to sit for a moment, posing for my camera. 

a little extra magic. 

Peace, Eric 

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Just Missed

Just Missed  

yesterday seemed like a day of just missing, at least filming wise and as far as nature was concerned. From being unable to track the exact location of the woodpecker offering a quick glimpse before quickly darting out of view, to the red fox that leapt from the bushes in its final stalk of either bird or squirrel - I was unable to capture any of it with my camera, arriving home with nothing more to share than what I'm writing this morning. 

and of course that's entirely the point of it all. 

just missing.

but it's the experiences itself that matters.

a camera is a wonderful tool, and I've fallen in love capturing unique aspects of my time in nature and sharing them with others. My attention has sharpen considerably with camera in hand, an open awareness that takes in the landscape of my surroundings and then instantly honing into a single prospect of a wonderful shot, as if nature grabs me by the mind and focuses all of my senses to the task of filming what is offered in the moment.

my camera is a mindfulness tool.

a zen lesson.

and so every miss is simply an observation meant for myself alone, of being deeply engrossed in the experience of seeing, sensing, quietly moving closer to what I seek to capture with my camera. There really are no missed opportunities - the experience itself was complete, whole, an organic gesture that fits complete to the moment. Not everything is meant to be captured with my camera. 

and the lesson here is that's enough to simply be here, 

present, 

aware. 

appreciating the experience, 

just missing and all. 

~

Peace, Eric 

To read more from Headless Now, please visit: My Only Prayer

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Visual Haiku

Visual haiku:

I've been increasingly drawn to short form video, using the YouTube platform to share what I now think of as a visual haiku. It's just a short clip of what nature reveals on my daily walks and runs, seldom edited, so at once showing my lack of camera skills as well as the beauty of the day. Perhaps as my interest grows I'll take the time to further my skills behind the scene, but it's doubtful, as I think than that I would become too involved in the process, wishing to perfect each clip instead of simply leaving the moment itself to show through - that my true and only involvement was in the instant that's being shown.

mistakes and all. 

so for me, the visual haiku is the entire moment, including the scan through surrounding brush and branches to finally pinpoint the object of my search, a shakiness revealing my barely contained excitement, the abrupt and reluctant departure as I tear my lens away. They're not really mistakes, really, they're simply part of the entirety of nature, a moment captured that include my enthusiasm as well as lack of skill. I'm absolutely fine with that, I have zero interest in highlighting my ability with a camera, the haiku is the moment itself and my awkwardness belongs fully to the scene.

and I feel fortunate to share it. 

mistakes and all. 

of course this is only my perspective, and that's what I most truly love about this newly discovered art-form, that in the entirety of the universe there is only the uniqueness of this instant and I am blessed to be included here. There will be better, higher skilled clips of nature nature shown, and I will love being able to watch them, knowing that whoever filmed them was caught up within their own unique and universal perspective. 

it's an awesome privilege. 

and I am blessed to have my own. 

~

Peace, Eric 

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