So these should be photos of Halloween costumes, right? Or the last photos of political ads that we hope to never see again (all of them!). I spent much of today with a group of prayer sisters listening to a talk that centered on death--since yesterday was the Day of the Dead, today All Saints Day, and tomorrow All Souls Day.
I also spent the weekend in Estes Park with forays into Rocky Mountain National Park, a place that feels like my spiritual home. The photos were taken there on successive days when I spent time alone walking and hanging out in "my park." The bleached tree limbs have a sculptural beauty--and they are long "dead." The two trees symbolize, to me, death and life--a rather stark death and life towering next to and around death.
From a spiritual journey way of looking at these pictures, the bleached limbs could represent our lives stripped of our masks, our false selves, with only our essence, our true selves remaining. There is a beauty there, a grace.
The other photo speaks to me of the little deaths that must occur along the path if we are to grow into the persons we were created to be. Sometimes we struggle to say goodbye to that old self, the one who had put so much stock in material things. We may look longingly as we grow deep roots in new soil. Storm clouds may blow around our new growth and make us wonder if we should have stayed where we were. It takes courage to move to the next place, and it may not look so inviting. It requires faith in the process of becoming, faith that who we are meant to be will provide satisfaction and joy (notice I did not suggest happiness!).
As the seasons move on, so do we--or we stagnate and die a different kind of death. We are becoming bare, our selves shining in our simplicity. The journey is not for the faint of heart.
The path may be rocky and steep. We let go of the old and move on, though we know not what lies ahead.
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