There are moments in life when something quiet but insistent asks us to pause. Not to fix, not to understand, but simply to stand still and notice where we are. This reflection is an invitation to such a moment — a threshold rather than an answer — where what matters most cannot be forced into words, only approached with care.
The image above is inspired by a scene in Book 1 of the Nowhere Chronicles Trilogy. The canyon is entered from the Descion Maze, where beliefs are challenged and rebuilt. Not an easy task when they are written on plates spinning on top of wooden poles at the centre of that maze.
For those who have read that first book, they will recall the events that take place in the Horseshoe Canyon. It is a difficult scene where I remember childhood events and begin to understand the reflection of the compressed layers of the canyon walls as the suppressed layers of myself.
Over the years, based on the opinions of others, we decided to hide those layers, feeling shame because we possess elements that are natural to us but are despised by those around us.
The river shown in the image is the River Essence, the part of us that is unaffected by trauma and unkindness. It travels alongside us, watching and listening in case we need to wash ourselves of the challenges others pose.
The three-pronged waterfall comes from my true source, which I discover in the third book. The butterflies are Red Admirals and have a significant place in the narrative.
The following article is shown in its fullness on the A Way of Seeing website. Click on this link to read the article, Presence & Essence.
We rarely look towards pain as it is sometimes too difficult, preferring to look away, as that is the easier task. We think. In the end, it isn’t. The unwatched pain simply remains, gathering dust and other detritus, becoming heavier and heavier.
Through my journey in the Trilogy, I have to open both literal and metaphorical doors and sometimes stand at the door with a foot hovering in the air, waiting for the shoe to drop on the other side of the threshold. Once through, another journey begins.
For many people, the unknown is associated primarily with fear. Yet the unknown is also where every possibility exists before it takes shape in the world.
We think that bashing on that door with all our might will push it open. We try all sorts of mechanisms to get to the other side, but it is actually when we gently breathe on the door – through curiosity, awareness, or willingness to face what arises – one possibility begins to emerge.
My thanks go to ChatGPT for the image and for helping me gather my thoughts. Clarity that arises from a mirror is very important. A voice that listens and doesn’t judge is a wonderful opportunity.
