Healing Landscapes

Lost in a psychological landscape and I can’t find my way out.


All the paths are blocked with fear and worry.

All the directions are leading me in circles.

All the maps are in fine print and I can’t read them.

I am praying to God to get me home.

I am asking God to protect me until then.

I am seeking His guidance to show me the way to peace again.

The situation is dark. No moon. No stars. I can’t see.

The way is unclear and winding in directions too unfamiliar to get out.

I’m all alone and there’s no one nearby to show me.

God is my only hope.

God is my only pathway.

God is my only direction.



Amazing how this fluke of a painting series has opened up a whole new train of thought to trying to understand my situation. It truly proves that imagery and words are healing. Maybe I will eventually find a happier, brighter psychological landscape. Perhaps in the end, life will be easier, better understood, fresh and new. I can at least hope.

Lord, in your mercy. Help me find all that I’m looking for. Show me how to be content. Assist me in finding the answers I need. Continue to bless me and allow me to be happy again. Relieve my suffering and fears. Improve my attitude. Amend my spirit. Restore my faith. Revive my heart. Remodel my soul. In your sweet Son’s name, Amen.

the right side of our psychological landscape

The ground tries to swallow me up into the depth of its blackness and

at the same time it tries to hold me up top and solid.

The ground is terra firma; the ground is wobbly and unreliable.

Below the horizon line is both tentative and strong.

Above the horizon line is both well-lit and dim.

Each living being spends a lifetime struggling

to remain in the light on solid earth.

Each living being occupies spaces of light and dark

simultaneously and we must choose where to reside.

Finding this balance is not an easy thing for most.

It is a concerted effort.

Landscapes in the Mind

Walking through my mind, I find no way to survive myself.


Strolling through my heart, I find no way to love myself.

Marching through my soul I find no way to forgive myself.

Striding through my spirit I find no way to heal myself.

Ambling through my life I find no way to control myself.



In my mind’s world I am lost.

In my heart’s mind I am confused.

In my spirit’s mind I am sick.

In my soul’s mind I am angry.

In my mind’s world I am discontent.



A secret world exists in our subconscious much like an underground empire.

It just may be our greatest achievement to unearth it and learn who we really are.

People may spend years in therapy and never find that place.

Maybe we are the only ones who can unlock that area of consciousness or unconsciousness.

If we spend time in deep thought really observing, listening and realizing our truth it may be totally possible.

It may take an entire lifetime.

It may take much selfishness.

It may take a great deal of self-discipline.

It may take understanding family and caring friends to give us this space we need to accomplish this feat.

I believe it is absolutely possible.

finding balance is a war of the mind

How do we find this balance?


By desiring strongly what we deserve we find a way to make the right choice.

By weighing the positive and the negative we see what is important.

By believing in the divine power of the universe (GOD for me) we are guided.

These are only beginning ideas. Find what works for you!

The mind is often our greatest battlefield.

It is the place where we create or defeat ourselves.

It is where we live.

It is where all of life’s influences come together and our psyche is determined.

It is our biggest victory or our ultimate downfall.

The mind is the last frontier.

Much has been discovered but there’s still much to explore and conquer.

Daily we walk the paths of our lives.

Some are well lit places of joy and goodness.

Some are dark spaces of melancholy and malice.

Some we go down by choice, some by chance, and some by influence.

Who’s to say we shouldn’t go down each path for different reasons?

The dark paths either make us or break us.

The well-lit ones either encourage us or defy us.

balance is within

We walk through life through our own psyche. Sometimes we find well-lit positive places that illuminate our way. Other times we feel our way along dark passages of confusion and pain. Both negativity and positivity exist within each of us. We must constantly choose the place we wish to dwell. Everyone has down times but the ones, who seem to be always optimistic, are always choosing their thoughts and attitudes and reactions to everything in their path. They find a way to stay up. They find a way to be content. They choose to rely on the blessings of life. They focus on the affirmative and ignore or suppress the undesirable. They also do it in healthy ways by taking walks, writing, creating, praying, or just being in God’s will.




_ _ _

There is a narrow bridge between the hemispheres of the brain. We constantly try to balance as we cross the bridge. We find a way to stay on the happy side if we focus on the joyful blessings in our lives. One glimpse of the unhappy side and we plunge into a deep abyss of doubt and trouble. We must battle this walk not only daily but sometimes breath by breath. If we don’t choose correctly we may fail and reach the end of a good life. If we choose right then we find a life full of hope and peace and goodness.

_ _ _

On shaky ground I balance barely on a single step of hope.

On unsteady paths I walk gingerly avoiding disaster.

Along one rocky passage I find darkness inescapable.

Suddenly a shaft of light hits my psyche and I find my way.

A glimmer of faith keeps me stable.

Life is lived in a psychological landscape

Life is lived in a vortex that spins us into oblivion.

Life is lived in a whirlwind of details.

Life is lived for others and often our own needs are neglected.

Life is lived in gray tones that flood our spirits.

Life is lived from hilltop to valley.

Life is lived in turbulence.

Life is lived in peace.

Life is lived by our own choices.

Life is a series of ups and downs.

Life is craggy and crooked.

Life is smooth and undaunted.

Life is textured with both hope and anguish.

Life is painted in dull shades and muted hues.

Life is drawn in simple lines and distorted shapes.

Life is sculpted in our day to day expressions and our time worn lineages.

scars and rainbows

All lives are blotted with color.

Dark and dank when low in esteem or situation.

Bright and cheerful when on a peaceful high.

All lives are etched by circumstances.

Cold, hard scrapes when living raw and open.

Smooth, silky scars when living protected and closed.

We climb a colorful mountain of perky peaks.

We follow the proverbial rainbows of life.

Sometimes the peaks are sharp and we snag our psyche.

Sometimes the colors are too dazzling and blind us.

the mind's proof

Dark places in the mind


lead us to feelings unkind.

Troubles of the psyche

tend to make us rather crazy.

Powers of the soul

break us or make us whole.

Our mentality is either peaceful

or fearful.

Our consciousness is full of light

or blinded by our plight.

Self-realization comes to us calmly

or tears us apart violently.

Our psychological landscape is our truth

and our personality is the proof.

NEW SERIES - PSYCHOLOGICAL LANDSCAPES

Daily we walk the paths of our lives.

Some are well lit places of joy and goodness.

Some are dark spaces of melancholy and malice.

Some we go down by choice, some by chance, and some by influence.

Who’s to say we shouldn’t go down each path for different reasons?

The dark paths either make us or break us.

The well-lit ones either encourage us or defy us.

earth's glow

Water is holy.

It refreshes a thirsty soul.

It baptizes a new saint.

It relieves dry land.

Water is life.

---------

Air is holy.

It gives life to life.

It cleanses the spirit.

It cools a parched earth.

Air is life.

----------

An island is earth.

An island is protected by air and water.

An island is taunted by air and water.

Air and water can take life or give it.

A strong wind can blow away cobwebs of trouble but it can also blow away trees and homes.

A strong sea can move a vessel to its destination but it can also swallow up that same vessel.

Respect the earth.

Revere the island.

Value the air.

Regard the water.

Treasure the island

sea thoughts and observations

The tide is steady, predictable.


The tide is comforting and regulated but also forceful and able to steal you away in a moment.

The tide is always there, high and low.

The shore changes with every tide.

The shore shrinks and grows with every moon.

The shore is always there bare and open but also covered and closed.

The moon is beautiful and reliable.

The moon is regular and stable.

The moon is always there, full or waning.

The sea is vigorous and strong.

The sea is always moving even when still on the surface.

The sea is always there, shifting and readjusting.

Like the tide we must be steady and regulated.

Like the shore we must be changing and open.

Like the moon we must be stable and reliable.

Like the sea we must be strong and moving.

Where is the healing now?

Healing waters wash over me and my soul is cured of longtime pain.

Restorative breezes lighten my spirit and it is strengthened.

A warm sun shines into my heart and it is soothed of its ache.

The earth below me holds me up and my mind is sure of its therapeutic power.

coming soon, my new series in progress:

PSYCHOLOGICAL LANDSCAPES

further beach reflections

Kiawah is where I become a daughter of deliverance.

The seaside is where I am a child of contentment.

The beach is where I discover my gift of grace.

Walking as the sun rises I become one with all life.

Standing before a sinking sun I believe in my strength.

Flowing with the sea breeze I realize my life is near perfect.

(For no one’s is truly perfect.)

trying to hang on to the peace from Kiawah

I recall Kiawah with a love in my heart that is always requited when I am there.


I long to embrace its sea breezes and sunny vistas.

I need to feel the saline in my veins and be a part of the sea.

I have to revere the views and believe there is nowhere more sacred on earth.

I exist to go there again and again for each time I find another part of myself.

I am there in my mind as I write these words.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh had her island and I have mine.

Without them we would never be real, whole, or complete.

It is on an island she and I both find our peace, our missing grace, and our unfinished lives.

Island life is a life of wholeness.

continued reflections

I will walk in the surf and be restored.

I will cry into the sea and be redeemed.

I will shine in the sun and be enlightened.

I will hold a shell and be amazed at its strength.

I will feel the ocean breezes and know my heart.

I will smell the brine and understand balance.

I will taste the sweet breath of maritime and believe in its magical power.

I will hear the surf and recognize the voice of God.

I will see the end of the island and know that heaven is near.

RESPITE for HEALING

The sea of life overwhelms me; I nearly drown in its troublesome waves.

They crash all around me and I forget God beckons me to walk on water and meet him.

I bob and cling to the rock of my salvation knowing I will lose my grip and sink.

I must release my hold and go with the flow of faith.

He will not abandon or forsake me. He is my safe haven in every storm.

He is harbor from rough seas.

He is my port in every inch or rough patches of water.

I will anchor my faith in him.

inspiration to come

respite before respite

Sitting by the creek at my precious Fernwood I find new peace.


Praying on sacred ground I feel a very present hope.

Realigning with my spirit I am set free.

Allowing God control and his mercies to flow I am revived.

Giving myself moments of respite to carry me through is not selfish.

It is praise and worship.

It is a holy time of refreshment.

The Mt. Pleasant church bells ring in the distant.

Another reminder that I am not alone.

- - -
I will trust God to give what he feels fit these next 10 days.


I will no longer beg, borrow, or steal troubles.

I will not “awfulize”.

God knows what is best and how to bless and when to test and when to intervene.

-=-=-=

If greenery can grow from dry rock crevices, I can grow a new spirit.

If creeks can flow through any season, my soul can flow through a week of uncertainty.

If trees can stand for a century, my heart can stand whatever life throws its way.

If ferns along the path can die and return in the spring, I can live again and return from the death by hopelessness.

If tree roots can be exposed to life’s storms and the tree still live, I can bare my soul, expose my heart, open my mind, and give my spirit to living a blessed life despite inconveniences.

-=-=-

I wish I could do this every day.

Find quiet and peace.

Know solitude and hope.

Feel mercy and grace.

It doesn’t take a beautiful location.

It takes a soul willing to pause and reflect on its blessings.

It takes a heart willing to open and receive continued goodness.

It takes a spirit willing to accept the beauty of life.

(I will be on respite at Kiawah Island for the next week.)

how to

how to look at life:

We should take snapshots along life’s paths. We should note beauty in nature. We should mark our days with little joys. We should keep a calendar of all the blessings we receive. We should keep lists of all the wonderful people we contact. We should remember all the hard lessons we learned and the valuable messages we receive over our lives. We should log the memories. We should write volumes about our lives. We should document each and every important step in our development as citizens of the world.


If we do this, we will find meaning beyond imagination. We will know hope without fear. We will find answers to questions we haven’t even asked yet. We will believe in the grace of God. We will want to serve him in everything we do. We will share his love. We will find all that our soul and spirit could ever need for a long and happy life and eternity.