Beautiful. Although I have not known the word komorebi, I've immersed myself in it for as long as I can remember being in the good company of trees, even a lonely city or suburban tree. In the woods, I prefer my (our) komorebi while reclined, so that earth is against my back and the light pours into me. And now that our hardwoods are naked here in Vermont, at least I'll have your photos, David, for my contemplations of the pastel light yet ahead. Thanks!
Well, uh, would those honorifics apply nonetheless to someone who does indeed have an abiding affinity for nature, but also partakes in armpit farts and watches an occasional Simpsons episode now and then? 😀
Every Jedi will have mastered the armpit fart as a part of her/his training, so it is told. One simply cannot properly wield a lightsaber without having first wielded a cupped hand. And, well, Maggie Simpson without question resembles Din Grogu (/ˈɡroʊɡu/), colloquially referred to as Baby Yoda.
What is given so freely should be passed along, freely. Until a few weeks ago, I did not know this form of wonder's name either. I am so pleased to meet you here. Your generous comment is a gift.
I must say that Abies squamata ,Flakey bark fir, wins the number 2 spot for best bark award. And before you beg to differ, coming in almost a tie is Carya ovata the Shagbark hickory.
Ah , but Betula the magestic Birch tree will always hold a place in my heart. Each layer an artistic work of pattern, color and texture.
While you are listening to the pitter patter of rain on your roof, I will be playing in the season I love the most.
Totally immersed in the white world of winter in all its splendor.
Climbing up mountains on skis . Civilization left behind. Descending a blank canvas of white in rhythmic dance . Trees as my partner.
In the cold peaceful solitude of forest mornings ,breath comes as smoke . The sun is obscured by the mountains, and the light through the trees , is a cold deep blue.
At the end of the day when the Winter solstice arrives and the daylight is short, the orange and reds of the Alpenglow sparkle through the trees.
The most remarkable ,
on a rare day the sky is painted in deep Cerulean blue with the sun showing through so many wind swept layers of white, tree branches look like ocean coral.
Giving me joy for 30 years, now I can give it a name.
Of course I'd fixate not on the maples but the Flakey Bark Fir, I love a plant with a story - does the bark somehow capture or trap moisture, I wonder? And is there a word in the same family not about looking up at the sun peeking through the leaves, but the traceries and shapes of the shadows they cast on the ground? As a Pink Person blinking in the sun, I often find myself looking down, overly concerned with that perfect patch of shade to stand or sit in. ;) Lovely pictures, David.
I started out trying to pick my “favorite” picture. Then I got nowhere. Then I asked myself which was the best picture for me today, and it’s the last one.
The one with feet. Of course, I didn't note that, but it's been a centered week. My wife and I were walking yesterday, and Brooklyn was crisp, but beautifully sunny, and there was a tree (I'm the wrong one to ask for names) that was illuminated beautifully, the light streaming through the gold plating of yellow leaves.. In your honor, I took a picture. I'd share it here in the comments, but anywhere else would look like I thought it was a special picture. (I imagined myself in your photography class wandering around the Arboretum, birds and students trailing after you.)
I recently played a little 'Tag, you're it...' game with Bryan Pfeiffer, https://substack.com/@bryanpfeiffer, posting up a pic tagging him, but as a 'note' on my own stack.
Like you I didn't want to just drop it into his feed without invitation or to act like it was more than a playful gesture. I'd be honored to see your picture, Adam, if the moment hasn't passed. And as for needing to downplay its specialness, here is where I live and breathe on that particular topic. Any moment, any scene that calls out to you enough to get you to stop for a moment and choose ...to give it the honor of your nod, your attention, is special. For me it is meditation. If my daily koan is 'What beautiful thing will give me pause today?' then every moment and encounter that asks my permission and captures my attention is special. It got me to set down whatever thing I might have been worrying about for a moment, which alters the course, however incrementally of the entire day that follows.
The more times you do that, allow yourself to do that, the better you'll get at it... Your heartfelt storytelling convinces me that you are actually quite a master of these pauses to notice already.
The ever moving spotlight of our focus, our attention- at first it may be the scarlet leaves, then a glint of light through them dazzles us, then we zoom out and look at the tree/light as a wall, then a complex depth of color and radience.. at this point we are approaching our limits, so we zoom out again and see the wide garden, the brilliant sky above, the fragrances, the wind on our faces..hear faintly the conversation around us. Our spouse's voice half-heard before, becomes clear, "Isn't it a beautiful day?". "Yes!," we reply.
Feasting is a deliberate act of selecting from the myriad of delectables upon the table just what one chooses to place upon one's plate. I love your description of taking in the offerings of such a feast, the momentary attentions to single dishes and then the change of focus to the larger spread. The sauces of sound and smell, the tactile encounter of an invisible breeze... You seem a creature, adept at such art. Thank you for adding to this table.
Why thank you! I m no J.A. Baker, but I do my best. It has taken many lifetimes to even get to this modest level. 🙂
"Creature" -you are indeed perceptive.. normally I'm not too interested in human affairs but I've been among you so long, I'd be accused by my sisters of going native! 😉
Now what do those daft assertions bring to the table amidst the radiance of late autumn? What light is it shining through the leaves?
My eccentric little newsletter is an off mix of fable, speculative future histories, hard science and logic humor attempts and just a whole lot of questioning with not much in the way of answers! A certainty free zone. The nonhuman line of stories is drawn from the Bön and Buddhist histories of the intro of the North Indian tantric line if Buddhism to Tibet, its conflict with the dominant north Asian shamanic tradition of Bön, and its eventual triumph after gaining royal patronage. In the process of conquest of the indigenous nature spirits of the land, Padmasambhava, the lotus borne one, carried out, through his demi-divine magical powers, the subjugation of the various classes of nature spirits, securing their life forces and exacting binding pledges of service to the Dharma. In the stories, the eponymous "old woman" would be such a spirit so indentured.
After taming all opposition, Padmasambhava departed to the south (perhaps present day Sri Lanka) to tame tempestuous nature spirits there.
Perhaps the nature spirits of Sri Lanka put up a hard fight and even defeated the Lotus Born One. Certainly he leaves the historical records at that point!
Of course the victors get to write the histories and the Bön writers have a very different account of matters. One of them even has Padmasambhava as a Bön hero!
But all accounts end with the nature spirits being subjugated. There's a lesson there for us in the Anthropocene: nature bowing to mankind. I like to root for nature.
My goodness the madness is catching! They might indeed. For an exploration of this idea see my Grand Central Station post over at LUD. Also the I went up to the Mountain post on Lux Imago Dei...
I agree, this is special in every way. You presented just about every profound experience of magic that can be found in the garden, from the rare and special plants, to the overwhelming beauty of nature, to the unexpected meeting of gardeners' minds and souls. I'm just grinning here! Thank you!
This is truly special in every way---in its timing, too. Bare branches and gray-light mostly, here---any glow of yellow is fleeting, found mostly on the ground, soon to brown.
I love this word, Komorebi, and what it means! What a beautiful way to introduce us to it, in details that surprise, and remind; in pictures that wow, and create longing.
All your photos, but especially, "Inside a maple looking out", make me feel like a kid wide-open with wonder...
Love the Flaky Bark Fir and its details, and how you met Talon & Haruko.
People who make deliberate provisions for wonder, so that they may safely lose themselves in it for a bit are my absolute favorite sort. It says so very much about you, David. I am smiling.
Wonderful walk through the light of trees & also a new word to add to the vocabulary ! thank you
Beautiful. Although I have not known the word komorebi, I've immersed myself in it for as long as I can remember being in the good company of trees, even a lonely city or suburban tree. In the woods, I prefer my (our) komorebi while reclined, so that earth is against my back and the light pours into me. And now that our hardwoods are naked here in Vermont, at least I'll have your photos, David, for my contemplations of the pastel light yet ahead. Thanks!
"I prefer my (our) komorebi while reclined, so that earth is against my back and the light pours into me."
This is how you know you are in the presence of a Jedi master...or a sage.
Well, uh, would those honorifics apply nonetheless to someone who does indeed have an abiding affinity for nature, but also partakes in armpit farts and watches an occasional Simpsons episode now and then? 😀
Most certainly they would. They do.
Every Jedi will have mastered the armpit fart as a part of her/his training, so it is told. One simply cannot properly wield a lightsaber without having first wielded a cupped hand. And, well, Maggie Simpson without question resembles Din Grogu (/ˈɡroʊɡu/), colloquially referred to as Baby Yoda.
Absolutely exquisite & as someone who is an obsessive photo light chaser, this is my new favorite word for such a sacred practice. 🙏🏻🍁
Namasté, Sheila. Love this...
Beautiful. My favorite tree is the paperbark maple.
I had no idea my most common autumn subject has such a wonderful name! Thank you for introducing komorebi to fellow magic seekers.
What is given so freely should be passed along, freely. Until a few weeks ago, I did not know this form of wonder's name either. I am so pleased to meet you here. Your generous comment is a gift.
I must say that Abies squamata ,Flakey bark fir, wins the number 2 spot for best bark award. And before you beg to differ, coming in almost a tie is Carya ovata the Shagbark hickory.
Ah , but Betula the magestic Birch tree will always hold a place in my heart. Each layer an artistic work of pattern, color and texture.
While you are listening to the pitter patter of rain on your roof, I will be playing in the season I love the most.
Totally immersed in the white world of winter in all its splendor.
Climbing up mountains on skis . Civilization left behind. Descending a blank canvas of white in rhythmic dance . Trees as my partner.
In the cold peaceful solitude of forest mornings ,breath comes as smoke . The sun is obscured by the mountains, and the light through the trees , is a cold deep blue.
At the end of the day when the Winter solstice arrives and the daylight is short, the orange and reds of the Alpenglow sparkle through the trees.
The most remarkable ,
on a rare day the sky is painted in deep Cerulean blue with the sun showing through so many wind swept layers of white, tree branches look like ocean coral.
Giving me joy for 30 years, now I can give it a name.
Komorebi.
Thank you David.
Apologies, Lor,
Somehow missed seeing your kind words here until just now.
Shagbark hickory, eh? I know a couple of others you may want to acquaint yourself with before you go handing out the blue ribbon...
Are you politely throwing down the gauntlet ?
Of course I'd fixate not on the maples but the Flakey Bark Fir, I love a plant with a story - does the bark somehow capture or trap moisture, I wonder? And is there a word in the same family not about looking up at the sun peeking through the leaves, but the traceries and shapes of the shadows they cast on the ground? As a Pink Person blinking in the sun, I often find myself looking down, overly concerned with that perfect patch of shade to stand or sit in. ;) Lovely pictures, David.
Your excellent questions deserve answers. I'm gonna ask a few of my 'conehead' friends for a bit more background on this.
This is fabulous! I love komorebi! I’m looking out at it right now. Maples seem particularly good at it.
"Maples seem particularly good at it." Money quote.
So glad this finds an answering chord in you, Julie. Thank you for adding to the potluck.
I started out trying to pick my “favorite” picture. Then I got nowhere. Then I asked myself which was the best picture for me today, and it’s the last one.
Ahhhh, the one with feet. None of the others are grounded.
This one includes the feel of damp knees and the heady smells of earth.
The one with feet. Of course, I didn't note that, but it's been a centered week. My wife and I were walking yesterday, and Brooklyn was crisp, but beautifully sunny, and there was a tree (I'm the wrong one to ask for names) that was illuminated beautifully, the light streaming through the gold plating of yellow leaves.. In your honor, I took a picture. I'd share it here in the comments, but anywhere else would look like I thought it was a special picture. (I imagined myself in your photography class wandering around the Arboretum, birds and students trailing after you.)
I recently played a little 'Tag, you're it...' game with Bryan Pfeiffer, https://substack.com/@bryanpfeiffer, posting up a pic tagging him, but as a 'note' on my own stack.
https://substack.com/@davideperry/note/c-43628249
Like you I didn't want to just drop it into his feed without invitation or to act like it was more than a playful gesture. I'd be honored to see your picture, Adam, if the moment hasn't passed. And as for needing to downplay its specialness, here is where I live and breathe on that particular topic. Any moment, any scene that calls out to you enough to get you to stop for a moment and choose ...to give it the honor of your nod, your attention, is special. For me it is meditation. If my daily koan is 'What beautiful thing will give me pause today?' then every moment and encounter that asks my permission and captures my attention is special. It got me to set down whatever thing I might have been worrying about for a moment, which alters the course, however incrementally of the entire day that follows.
The more times you do that, allow yourself to do that, the better you'll get at it... Your heartfelt storytelling convinces me that you are actually quite a master of these pauses to notice already.
The ever moving spotlight of our focus, our attention- at first it may be the scarlet leaves, then a glint of light through them dazzles us, then we zoom out and look at the tree/light as a wall, then a complex depth of color and radience.. at this point we are approaching our limits, so we zoom out again and see the wide garden, the brilliant sky above, the fragrances, the wind on our faces..hear faintly the conversation around us. Our spouse's voice half-heard before, becomes clear, "Isn't it a beautiful day?". "Yes!," we reply.
Feasting is a deliberate act of selecting from the myriad of delectables upon the table just what one chooses to place upon one's plate. I love your description of taking in the offerings of such a feast, the momentary attentions to single dishes and then the change of focus to the larger spread. The sauces of sound and smell, the tactile encounter of an invisible breeze... You seem a creature, adept at such art. Thank you for adding to this table.
Why thank you! I m no J.A. Baker, but I do my best. It has taken many lifetimes to even get to this modest level. 🙂
"Creature" -you are indeed perceptive.. normally I'm not too interested in human affairs but I've been among you so long, I'd be accused by my sisters of going native! 😉
Now what do those daft assertions bring to the table amidst the radiance of late autumn? What light is it shining through the leaves?
My eccentric little newsletter is an off mix of fable, speculative future histories, hard science and logic humor attempts and just a whole lot of questioning with not much in the way of answers! A certainty free zone. The nonhuman line of stories is drawn from the Bön and Buddhist histories of the intro of the North Indian tantric line if Buddhism to Tibet, its conflict with the dominant north Asian shamanic tradition of Bön, and its eventual triumph after gaining royal patronage. In the process of conquest of the indigenous nature spirits of the land, Padmasambhava, the lotus borne one, carried out, through his demi-divine magical powers, the subjugation of the various classes of nature spirits, securing their life forces and exacting binding pledges of service to the Dharma. In the stories, the eponymous "old woman" would be such a spirit so indentured.
After taming all opposition, Padmasambhava departed to the south (perhaps present day Sri Lanka) to tame tempestuous nature spirits there.
Perhaps the nature spirits of Sri Lanka put up a hard fight and even defeated the Lotus Born One. Certainly he leaves the historical records at that point!
Of course the victors get to write the histories and the Bön writers have a very different account of matters. One of them even has Padmasambhava as a Bön hero!
But all accounts end with the nature spirits being subjugated. There's a lesson there for us in the Anthropocene: nature bowing to mankind. I like to root for nature.
"normally I'm not too interested in human affairs but I've been among you so long, I'd be accused by my sisters of going native! "
I wonder if your sisters know my sisters.
My goodness the madness is catching! They might indeed. For an exploration of this idea see my Grand Central Station post over at LUD. Also the I went up to the Mountain post on Lux Imago Dei...
I agree, this is special in every way. You presented just about every profound experience of magic that can be found in the garden, from the rare and special plants, to the overwhelming beauty of nature, to the unexpected meeting of gardeners' minds and souls. I'm just grinning here! Thank you!
Once again you've left me smiling, Maria. Thank you for such a thoughtful comment.
This is truly special in every way---in its timing, too. Bare branches and gray-light mostly, here---any glow of yellow is fleeting, found mostly on the ground, soon to brown.
I love this word, Komorebi, and what it means! What a beautiful way to introduce us to it, in details that surprise, and remind; in pictures that wow, and create longing.
All your photos, but especially, "Inside a maple looking out", make me feel like a kid wide-open with wonder...
Love the Flaky Bark Fir and its details, and how you met Talon & Haruko.
Beautiful, in every way.
Komorebi... (I whisper its sound)
Thanks for the magic, my friend.
You're most welcome, Toni.
"Komorebi... (I whisper its sound)." This is such a magical expression. Thank you for imagining it. And then sharing it.
People who make deliberate provisions for wonder, so that they may safely lose themselves in it for a bit are my absolute favorite sort. It says so very much about you, David. I am smiling.