Contemplative Inquiry

A wetland not as wet as it was last year, and a fall not as far advanced: this was Alney Island, Gloucester, on 12 November this year. At 10am it was also both colder (4C/39F) and a little brighter than I would traditionally expect.

I entered the woods with a strange though welcome sense of release. The world I found was such a contrast to recent experiences of damp and fog, greyness and confinement. These were replaced by movement, light, and the energy of the woods. I didn’t mind the cold.

I was touched by the vivid and vital colours of the foliage this year, tied in, I think, with its less advanced fall.  It’s as if the plant kingdom is proclaiming a defiant commitment to organic life. As I walked and stood among the late autumn colours and the strong greens with them, I had a sense of being charged and energised. I felt lifted and exuberant. It was a wonderful feeling, which lasted beyond the walk. An unexpected blessing from the woods. I hope the pictures below give at least some indication of this vitality.