Today was day two of a 3-day retreat I’m co-leading with
. We are in Santa Fe with a group of women seeking connection with themselves, others, creativity, and the mystery of it all.Georgia O’Keefe’s life, work, and home is a major focus of our time together and today we visited the Ghost Ranch. Our walking tour guide, Caroline, was phenomenal. Her knowledge and storytelling had us immersed in the landscape and world of Georgia.
One of O’Keefe’s famous quotes is: “Take time to look.”
We shared this quote with our group and encouraged everyone to notice the synchronicities, patterns, symbols, and feelings that arise throughout our time together. One of the stories that resonated deeply for me was about Gerald’s Tree.
Gerald Heard was a friend of Georgia’s and he spent time at Ghost Ranch. He was a poet, historian, science writer, and much more. He liked to take walks throughout the property and loved to dance and chant around one of the trees in particular. After his visit, Georgia was out walking and found his shoe prints circling this tree. She also found a poem he had written in the dirt. It read:
Do not act as though you were in the presence
be
Know that you are in the presence and you will
My understanding is that it was written on the ground with the first line on the left, the word “be” in the middle, and the third line on the right.
Gerald was noticing. Georgia was noticing. And they were both creating and connecting through this process.
It is life-affirming to connect with ourselves and other humans by noticing, creating, and sharing. Thank you, Georgia and Gerald, for making that so clear today.