Connecting to the Earth - A Rock Mosaic

   In August the Sun begins to wane, the quality of light becomes softer, almost gentler, slowing us down after the mad pace of the world and the events of the Summer, where we try to relive our childhood Summer days at the beach or mountains, fields, meadows or lakes. Taking stock of things, becoming more grounded it seems, as we pass through late Summer and into the beginnings of Fall. The ever changing seasons, bringing a new perspective as we pass through each one.

   As part of living a natural life - and certainly not preplanned - was the spontaneous creative urgency to create a natural border along side a path I  built to access the back yard. Simple squares from the nursery, one foot by one foot, created a meandering path in and amongst the dark compost and pine needles. The stones I chose were earthy toned, a bit of reddish brown, to compliment the dark soil and greenery. Grounding, solid and exact in their geometry and dimensions.
   Parts of the earth surrounding the new stones were sloping and so to keep the earth intact I took several random stones and pressed them into the soft ground as a border, to enhance the area and keep the dirt in place and not wash away.
   An amazing thing happened, because it all began to fall into place, naturally it seemed. My fingers eagerly pressing the various shaped rocks into the ground. Nothing symmetrical - it was more wavy in nature - hence a water influence perhaps which created a unique pattern that seemed to flow. A great deal of blood, sweat and mud went into this - especially proud when as the days went by the rocks actually began to look like they belonged there and had always been there.
   Most of the rocks were mainly found through out the property - all shapes and sizes and patterns - making it appear natural and organic as though something had poured the rocks from above and they settled in a random but fitting pattern. I tried taking rocks from another pathway but no, it didn't feel right to remove them. The rocks from the other pathway were there for several years, already blended and at home. Secure in their pattern.
   In doing this it felt like I made something more beautiful. As I worked in the heat of Late Summer I began to sweat and feel uncomfortable, but in doing so - it not only connected me to the earth but also to myself. I began to shed all the worries and fears of daily life, felt the stress melting away. The more I worked and the more I sweated my muscles and limbs became looser. My fingers were sore yet somehow more nimble, like they did when playing the piano, a long lost memory. 
   I began to look forward to working on the border every morning, early, before the Sun came blazing over the house and into the yard. After awhile I was compelled to do it, by something taking me over, something connecting me to the earth and nature, to the very rocks themselves. It made me whole again.
   Every rock was a different shape, color, grain and texture which was part of the beauty of it all. If a rock or series of rocks did not belong - you could automatically feel it and they would have to be moved or replaced. Sizes need to vary to create what the land needed, and the spacing between the rocks also had to be balanced and then there was the nearness to the patio stones. All flowing naturally, weaving, blending. A certain amount of rocks had to be large, which were smooth and rounded, as though anchors for the design. Smaller stones in and out amongst the larger anchors fell like raindrops scattering and becoming solid when they hit the earth, some magic transformation. In color it seemed to call for the darker stones, other whiter pebbles seemed at times a harsh contrast.
   One side did not seem to flow. It called for smaller and more random stones, like a sprinkle of bread crumbs from Hansel and Gretel. I redid that section five or six times, plucking stones, changing sizes until at last it felt like it flowed.

   By the time it was done the rocks appeared to be growing out of the earth, as much a part of the landscape as the rhododendrons and Virginia Creeper, and the delicate ground cover I added of Creeping Veronica, as well as some clover present, for the rabbits of course, for originally this was their place to take naps and listen to me talk on the phone in the late afternoons as evening would approach. The pattern now seemed complete and it gives me joy every day when I walk along the stones.
   Humans crave symmetry, because we are made that way, and nature can provide the natural patterns.

Living with nature,
Maery