Bear Lake Journeys Blog

“In this moment I saw quite clearly, that all life recedes from the tree and its leaves in autumn, the leaves become lifeless, empty husks, fall off and die.  But only empty husks!  The essence of life which has lived in the leaves now rests in the tree and bursts…

“At a certain point you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, the world: Now I am ready.  Now I will stop and be wholly attentive.  You empty yourself and wait, listening.  After a time you hear it: there is nothing there.  There is nothing but those…

“I have observed dreams and visions carefully, and am certain that the imagination has some way of lighting on the truth that reason has not. — W. B. Yeats While I was trying to channel my inner Impressionist, Greg had spent the afternoon giving his sister the “grand tour,” and…

“Our inward thoughts, do they ever show outwardly?  There may be a great fire in our soul, and no one comes to warm himself by it.  The passers-by just see a bit of smoke coming through the chimney and continue on their way.” — Vincent Van Gogh I awoke floating…

“Communing with God is communing with our own hearts, our own best selves.” — John Burroughs It had become a ritual, every time I went with some friends to the Bear Lakes, to at least visit Big Bear Lake briefly and touch its water.  One could not fight gravity and wrestle…

“The only way to know you have been dreaming is to awaken.” — Wayne Dyer Have you ever dreamt you have awakened from a dream?  Or been in that state of consciousness where you aren’t sure if you’re dreaming?  It’s difficult to remember, because it’s beyond memory.  The Native Americans…

“If the presence of humanity poses a question, a tree might be its answer.” — Barbara Kingsolver Primal Perception What do trees think about all day long? I saw an unusual movie in the summer of 1979 that certainly changed my way of thinking: The Secret Life of Plants.  This…

“Quantum theory provides us with a striking illustration of the fact that we can fully understand a connection though we can only speak of it in images and parables.” — Werner Heisenberg The next day, we luxuriously slept in – the better to recharge the batteries that had been gleefully…

“The greatest gift of life on the mountain is time.  Time to think or not think, read or not read, scribble or not scribble – to sleep and cook and walk in the woods, to sit and stare at the shapes of hills.  I produce nothing but words; I consume…

“Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything… it is the presence of time, undisturbed.  It can be felt within our chest.  Silence nurtures our nature, our human nature, and lets us know who we are.  Left with a more receptive mind and more attuned ear,…

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.  Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift.  That’s why it’s called the present.  Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.  You realize…

“Saints are sinners who never gave up.  No matter what your difficulties, if you do not give up, you are making progress in your struggle against the stream.  To struggle is to win the favor of God.” — Paramahansa Yogananda Even though I was happily married and had domestic obligations,…

“Should you perceive a problem, you surround that problem with love. You define it in love. You recognize that it is caused by the lack of love that lies behind all problems. And with love you introduce the understanding that provides the solution.” ― Ken Carey The book is a…

“Place and mind may interpenetrate till the nature of both is altered.” — Nan Shepherd Once more I lay on the shore of Little Bear Lake, saying goodbye.  This time I had a comfortable bed for a few minutes while using my weight to deflate the vinyl boat, which by…

“Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood…

“I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.  Love a friend, a wife, something – whatever you like – you will be on the way to knowing more about Him… But one must love with a lofty and serious intimate sympathy, with strength,…