Posts Tagged "beauty"

Being Inspired

Finding Inspiration –
Ideas for Lightening Life 

Some sources and moments of inspiration are evergreen, timeless, universal.

They appeal to a deep, shared human experience, the spirit of which which has filled us with awe and wonder for eons. 

Magical Moons

Spending time outdoors in deep, dark velvety nights, here in South West France where we have zero light pollution, means that our stargazing, planet spotting, seeing and sensing of the delicious sparkling over-mantle of the Milky Way above, are a regular source of inspiring moments for spirit and soul.

The full moon can be astonishing in its size and brightness, and I love to see it peeping from behind the trees. The photograph has a mistily masked effect,  and  nicely captures the mood and magic of our mellow moon.

This poem below, though, was inspired by an amazing full moon which shone so splendidly on the sea, as I was returning home during a time I spent in Lyme Regis*, writing at a friend’s  house .

For tips and Ideas on Being Inspired, sign up for our newsletter and ask for our *free gift guide to writing love letters, poetry and poetic prose, in the sidebar alongside this post. 

* Lyme is a favourite seaside resort in Dorset, UK, which is famous for its Heritage Coast rich in fossils dating back to the Jurassic period. It’s a quaintly attractive town with many artists and writers, wonderful walks and scenery and the world famous Cobb harbour is a major draw – “not just for its visual splendour and its magnificent naval architecture, but also for its connections with great literature. Indeed people come from all over the world to see the steps where Louisa Musgrove fell in Jane Austen’s Persuasion; or to see where Meryl Streep stood, looking forlornly out to sea, in the film adaptation of John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman.” 

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London Snow

Inspired by the blanket of snow covering London today (and most of the UK and Europe), the silence was what impressed on me most as I opened the door to my garden early this morning, and enjoyed the cold, crisp air and the whiteness.  It is magical, transformed into a slightly eerie, subdued space. This poem  is what emerged.

London Snow

Silence is not glistening gold,
Nor even densely black.
Silence is white powder
A softly muffled lack.
No cars, no trucks, no buses,
Disturb the cold quiet air.
The cold crisp crust unpierced,
No telltale track is there.
No birds, nor other creatures
Emerge to feed or play.
Leaves and branches bow down low,
Enrobed in flakes of pristine snow,
In homage to the crystal cloak
Of this whitely blanketed day.

©Christine Miller

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Vines

Vines

I wrote this piece in South Western France, in the Aquitaine region near Bordeaux, in the heart of wine country, where we had a holiday home which was a wonderful converted mill, surrounded by vines and open farmland, and where the panoramic views over the countryside were spectacular.

La Belle France is always a source of great inspiration for me, and I love spending time there.

From: Secret Garden of the Soul 2006 

vinesVines

Row upon row
Of vines.
Perfectly planted
Meticulously tended
Vines.

Which
At first glance
Appear
As if marching
In unison
Across the landscape.

A procession
Of unerring precision
Determined
To carry their crop,
Opaque green jewels,
To ripe readiness
For their succulent,
Plump
Purple picking:
Then
Total transformation
Into rich
Ruby red wine
For
Our lips,
Dipping
And
Sipping.

Christine Miller 

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