Spring Light

The amorous frogs in the neighborhood ponds insist that spring is here.  Even though this is the land and season of capricious weather, I’m inclined to agree with them this year.  The crocuses and daffodils have poked their green buds out of the ground, the frogs sing their mating songs, there are toads hopping purposefully around the garden, and when the wind blows, it feels warm.  We could still have one of our March blizzards, but I hope for the frogs’ and flowers’ sake that we don’t.

I was late taking my daily walk this evening because of a rain shower.  When I reached the top of the hill, I realized the sun had broken through the clouds, and I closed my umbrella and entered another realm.  Because of the slant of the setting sun amidst the rain clouds, the twilight had a yellowish cast.  Everything, still wet from the rain, looked as if it were coated in thick amber varnish.  I had sauntered into the middle of a 17th century oil painting.  As I walked, the light slowly turned from yellow to orange to rosy to blue, the bare trees making black lace against the backdrop of a colorful sky.  The mundane objects I pass everyday without a second glance–an old truck, a battered metal trash can, a leaning, rusty mailbox–suddenly looked magical and mysterious.  Even the water puddles, turned liquid gold in the dying daylight, appeared to be portals to Underhill. 

My walk tonight reminded me that light has transformative power.  I often write about light when I’m in Safire’s POV–as an artist, she shares my obsession with it, and as a witch, she’s aware of it in ways (auras, etc.) that most of us aren’t.  Light fascinates me.  I read a book recently called God at the Speed of Light:  The Melding of Science and Spirituality in which the author T. Lee Baumann, MD, claims God is light.  Baumann cites Einstein’s theory of relativity, fascinating (though sometimes confusing to this reader) physics experiments with light beams, the prevalance of light in the Bible and people’s accounts of near death experiences, and scientists’ and mathematicians’ ideas about the origins of the universe in his book.  After walking through the magical yellow twilight this evening, I have no trouble believing Baumann’s theory.  I also have no trouble agreeing with the frogs today that spring has sprung!

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2 Comments

  1. Lynn Merritt

    April 5th, 2011 at 7:49 pm

    That image is truly lovely. Within the past couple of years, I have developed an appreciation for the yellows and oranges and golds of the color spectrum. First I incorporated them into my wedding last year, and they have found their way onto the walls of my first home. They are cheerful, yet thoughtful shades (the folks at Valspar insinuated that “Gentle Doe” would provoke conversation in a living room setting, so I said, “sure, why not?!”)

    The bushes and trees here are also coming to life (we live in SC) … the bulbs are sprouting with colors I have never seen before, and the critters have definitely awakened. I like Baumann’s theory too. I like to believe that God has something to do with the hum and the glow of springtime. It’s so easy to get caught up in mundaneness of our lives and to overlook the gloriousness all around.

  2. Karen

    April 6th, 2011 at 9:57 am

    Lynn,

    Congratulations on your recent nuptials! That sounds like a lovely color choice for a wedding–golds and yellows and oranges always make me feel more hopeful and cheerful. That warm end of the spectrum is why I love autumn so much. My mom and I decorated my home office together a long time ago, and it’s full of warm yellow and golden hues. After reading your comment, I looked around and realized for the first time how much all the warm colors have energized me over the years. Color has a big impact on my mood.

    I live in western NC, and spring has been coming in spurts here–lots of up and down weather and temperatures. I hope this is our last cold spell for awhile–the trees are in bloom, and I would hate for the spring ladies to lose all their finery in an unseasonable frost. The Carolinas are a wonderful place to be in the spring!



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