Hi, I’m Judith
Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic women’s fiction
that honors pagan spiritual practices that nourish the soul. My stories show
you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are
unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where you do overcome obstacles
and find your happily-ever-after.
What touches my heart? Many things.
The beloved faces of friends and family.
The exited greetings from my great grandchildren.
The characters in my books who show up in dreams and
visions until I write their stories down.
The unconditional support I receive within my circle of
writer friends, especially my #FTB, Windtree Press writing buddies and the
Genre-istas.
A smile automatically pops up and my heart lightens when
I see babies, dogs and kittens. There is something about their exuberance,
their joy as they interact with the world that resonates in my heart.
In addition to the above list, the wonders, the glories I
see around me in the natural world gladden my heart, bring a sense of wonder
even after more than seven decades of bearing witness.
As I write this second draft of this blog post which you
will be reading in less than 24 hours, I have a light on as it is still dark
outside. However, as I shuffled into my office, hot cup of tea in hand, I
caught a glimpse of Grandmother Moon…just a sliver. I put my tea down and
turned off the light.
Standing and watching that sliver of light, the world, my
world anyway, righted itself. Tension I was holding in my body eased.
Scrambling thoughts running through my brain stopped. In that quiet time of
only a few minutes, peace settled over me.
Even though I’ll go through my day with only five hours
of sleep, I’ll manage better because of the moments I shared with Grandmother
Moon.
Where in the natural world do you find peace?
© 2019 Judith Ashley
12 comments:
Judith - I love this post. Brough tears to my eyes because it is so eloquent and simple (as in back to nature, down to earth, getting at the root of things). I totally relate to the peace of observing nature I live in a small town where my view is other houses, but the neighborhood has many beautiful tall oaks, maples and firs. The other night I looked out several windows and the sky was purples and hot pinks as far around my house as I could see, so I ran outside (in 15 degree weather) and jus stood there. Amazing what a few minutes of quiet and natural beauty can do to restore the soul. So thanks for the reminder.
If I was there, I'd be out in the 15 degree weather to see the glorious sunset. Yesterday as I drove to meet a friend for lunch, the 3 snow-capped mountains in my area (Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helen and Mt. Rainier) were all very visible. The sky was blue, the sun bright and they each sparkled. Hard to keep my eyes on the road! So uplifting!
A beautiful post, Judith!
I find peace in the views of our quiet little valley from our home in the lower foothills of the Oregon Cascades. Seeing and smelling stands of huge Douglas firs on two sides of the house. The sounds of wild bird calls (as well as my neighbor's noisy chickens) and the babble of water running over stones into our pond. The warmth of sunlight on my face, or a the bite of a bracing cold morning.
I've been to your home, Sarah, and I totally agree that it is a peaceful setting. Hadn't thought of the smell of the Douglas firs but that would be true. I love to hear the wind soughing through their boughs when out on walks. Near where I live, there is a stand on the school grounds. I use them to gauge the weather, especially fog!
I find my peace either at the beach, where I am now, ;) or at home with my hubby and animals. Great post!
Paty, Love the pictures you are posting from your time at the beach. That's certainly at the top of my list for peaceful places. And your view from your home is awesome. My two favorite views are of the ocean waves and the mountains...especially the snow-capped ones.
Lovely and evocative post. I find my peace by the sea. Our little beach is covered in ice at the moment, the cracks and fissures showing the movement of the tide, but gazing at the vast expanse of calm still fills me with joy even while it makes me shiver.
Oh Luanna, I didn't know you lived by the sea! I know I'd be fascinated to watch the movement of the tide under the ice. I envision a stark but beautiful scene. Thank you for sharing your place of peace.
What a beautiful, uplifting, and meditative post! Thank you for making my morning.
I find all kinds of little things in nature to give me a boost. My new home is settled among the trees and the dawn currently travels across my back patio. Because we have a skylight in the kitchen I can see the light in different aspects--peaking through the shaded patio early in the morning and then the windows and finally overhead through the skylight. At sunset, if the fog hasn't rolled in, I can catch glimpses of the light as it disappears from my front patio.
In terms of my favorite places, one is definitely the ocean. The power of the waves and the ability to sometimes see to the horizon during sunset is always magical. Equally magical for me is being on a smooth, tranquil lake where I can have the best of the forest and the water at the same time or a section of river that isn't white water.
Thanks for your kind words, Maggie. If I'm in the woods, by water of most any kind and/or can see the mountains, I'm happy. The ocean is my "go to" water place for peace. But I also find a different kind of peace standing amongst tall trees. I think one of the factors is the vastness of nature is actually calming although I'm not so sure I'd feel that same sense of peace standing in the middle of a desert.
When the moon catches my eye she always makes me want to stop and enjoy the wonder of her beautiful energy. The moon has a calming effect on me too. Like hitting the reset button.
Dora, love the "hitting the reset button" analogy. What I love is that The Moon I see from my house is the same one you see from yours. Keeps us connected even though we live in opposite hemispheres and different time zones.
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