A Light from the Shadows
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
This is all just beautiful… 🙂
Thank you Carol! We are big on Tolkien and C.S. Lewis around here 😀 Sharon
I’m glad to know that Sharon…those are two of my favorites as well. 🙂
Wonderful photography!
Oh thank you Mark! The photos were taken from the woods near my home. Do you enjoy Tolkien too? Wishing you a wonderful day! Sharon
I do enjoy Tolkien. This was an excellent pairing of words and photos! The black and white effectively leads to the final photo where a light springs from the shadows! Blessings, Mark
beautiful pics. love the poem. so inspiring!
Dear Ntebogeng, a very warm welcome and thank you so much for dropping by. It’s been great visiting your space and seeing your creative and beautiful expressions. I wish you well and beauty in your world. Hugs, Sharon
Wonderful pictures & love the Tolkien too.
Hi Viv! Thank you so much. My husband introduced me to Tolkien and it’s been pure joy discovering the brilliance of that man. Wishing you a lovely day full of flowers! Hugs, Sharon
What a wonderful quote and what incredibly beautiful photos!!!
Hello my dear Carolina and lover of woods and trees! These are taken from my woods and my favourite place to go to each day. Thank you for loving them too! Sharon
This morning I was wondering when I’d see your next post. Beautiful as always!
Oh that’s really nice of you Julie! And just when I was thinking when you’ll be posting your next recipe too! 😀 Thank you for thinking of me and for your warm support. It means a lot. Always, Sharon
You are clearly a grounded person (it comes through beautifully in your blog posts) and you make me feel more grounded. Blessings to you as always!-Julie
This is an inspiring poem, accompanied by gorgeous photography!
Hello, hello Robin Jean! Thank you for coming by and leaving this happy note for me this morning! I was lurking about last night (opening fridge doors, staring, walking about in the dim stillness of the house, eating a few bites of leftovers from dinner, jotting some notes)….and thinking of you 😀 I seem to love this long unwinding ritual for the day before I hit the bed. Did you get to bed by 10.30pm last night?!! 😀 Sharon
Good moring, Sharon! I have been thinking about YOU, too, every night around 9:00 or 9:30, when I say to myself, “I’m going to get to bed by 10:30 tonight!” But sadly, 11:30 is as close as I’ve gotten so far. Oh well, I’ll try again tonight and report back to you. 😉
Have a great day!
Stunning photography Sharon! Nature captured at it’s best.
Thank you so much Eleenie! I live next to a forest and nature reserve and I spend a lot of time exploring these woods. It’s my absolute favourite place to be, as you might very well know by now! Have a lovely chocolatety, mulberry day 😀 Sharon
What a beautiful and artistic photographs… Fascinated me. Thank you and also Thank you for visiting my blog too. I am so glad to meet you and also with your blog. With my love, nia
Dear Nia, how very wonderful of you to drop by. I am so glad to meet you to and I look forward to getting to know you and your wonderful country. Thank you for your kind comments. I have enjoyed seeing your world through your lens. Have a really great day! My warmest wishes, Sharon
The first line in the Tolkien is curious. What it says—not what it may intend to say—is that every single thing out there in the world that is gold does not glitter. In the real world, most things made of gold do glitter. An unambiguous replacement for the first line (though it would mess up the rhyme) is: “Not all that glitters is gold.” There are things that glitter and may fool us into thinking they’re gold, even though they aren’t gold.
Hello Steve! How lovely of you to drop by! To be honest, I have actually never thought of the first line that way before. I have taken it to be purely symbolic – the gold referring to all that is precious and valuable does not always seem so apparent or catch our attention at first. What do you think? Thank you so much for your feedback. I have always found your photos to be an inspiration and a place for me to learn from. Sharon
It’s just the eternal math teacher in me coming out, looking for precision in statements. You’re right, of course, that valuable things don’t always appear so.
I’m pleased that you find my photos inspiring. I keep seeing new things in nature and passing them along.
Lovely pictures and lovely quote from one of my best friends! Spring in Finland seen from the point of view of Summer in Rajasthan … water streams … flowers … blades of grass sooting up and dancing in the light … fairy land! The monsoon will be here in one month. THanks for this breath of fresh air!
Hello Frederic in Rajasthan! So glad to meet a friend of Tolkien. Thank you so much for your very sweet comment. I have only been to Delhi, but from my understanding it is pretty dry, arid and hot in Rajasthan especially at this time of the year? The monsoon must be a welcome change. I’m happy if the photos of fresh springs and cool shadows bring a welcome relief. Wishing you a truly great day! Sharon
yes, really dry and no monsoon, no rain. The first rains come late June and it is an extraordinary feats to see nature, dry and ‘dead since December when it goes below 0, come back to life with the first rain. I read the quote from Tolkien to Mona, my partner and our spirits rose. Yes, Tolkien has been a guide for me for years. I didn’t know he was clse from Oxfordshire until we went to the council and saw the white horse of Gondor! Then, few years later, I found myself conducting a workshop in a library where there was an exhibition of his works and found out that it was the village where he had written his works. I don’t know about you Sharon, but for me the Lord of the Ring is not a story at all – it is realist journalism of our time and describes the shift going on worldwide and the battle we need to win.
I totally agree with you there that the Lord of the Rings is not a story – however grand the epic may be but an account of a personal journey, of the inner life and battles. Of the ego and how treacherous it is. The character of Gollum is a very powerful, sad and tragic reminder of how a life consumed by the lower self left unchecked. How utterly brilliant, I think Tolkien was in depicting this on-going battle so well both on the individual level and on a global level. So very glad to hear your thoughts on this. My warmest greetings to Mona and looking forward to getting to know you both special people! Sharon
sorry, meant ‘no monsoon, no life’ …
Beautiful pairing of words and images!
Thank you Pat for your very kind feedback. I always delight in your photos and wish I could take similar ones as well! Have a lovely day. Sharon
LOTR Forever!!!! My favorite books, one of my favorite quotes from said books, and paired with stunningly ethereal photographs by one of my favorite people….. PERFECT! LOVE YOU! D.
I’m re-reading The Hobbit at the moment 😀 You made me happy beyond words with your generous review my dear Donna. Much love to you too! Sharon
Awesome. AND I love the pictures.
It is always a joy for me to share my favourite writings and glad to know the photos did justice to Tolkien’s work 😀 Thanks so much Brenda, you are a joy to me. Sharon
Enjoying your blog – inspiring & reflective
Dear Nancy, it’s been a joy, I mean this, to visit yours. It blesses my heart every time. Sharon
I liked your interpretations of nature in black & white.
Dear Dave, thank you most kindly! You should know I hold your feedback with high regard. I’m still seeing images of your last photos – ever thought of becoming a food photographer?! 😀 Happy holidays! Sharon
Ha! No, I would eat my subjects before I could photograph them. I did try some commercial photography years ago, but it wasn’t for me. I always loved candid photograph and photojournalism. I was a wedding photographer for 18 years. But I love landscape photography, too.
I love that quotation…and great pictures as well! We’ve been re-watching the LOLTR film trilogy for about the 50th time recently!
Hi Lilian!! Haha, this post is flushing out all the die-hard Tolkien fans!!! I bet you guys are waiting for the Hobbit to be out end of this year. I’m re-reading The Hobbit and The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Have a great day! Sharon
The depth within every line of this poem is worth exploring. How amazing, the power of words that flow from a heart that is full of the knowledge of its Creator.
The photographs bring back such nostalgic memories because I was there in the forest near your home. Fantastic photography! Keep it up. Mom.
MOM!!!!! How very, very wonderful of you to come by and leave me a comment!! Did you manage to do this on your own? You don’t know how big a smile you brought to my day!! Thank you for being my number one fan. Ask Dad to read the Memoirs – I know he’ll love those! 😀 So much love and I miss you all very much…
I rarely take black and white pictures of nature myself but yours look really good. My faves are no 3 and 4. Beautiful nature and lovely photos.
Dear Aditix, your feedback means so much to me! This was my first time dabbling with black and white as I thought it made a more powerful statement visually. Thank you so much. Sharon
Hello Sharon, your black and white tree reflections are tremendous! Really nice compositions.
Dear Finn! Thank you so much! It was lovely to stumble upon this part of the woods still submerged in water. Thank you to my all time favourite nature blog! Sharon
Dear Fellow Blogger, I would like to nominate you for the Sunshine Award. Please visit my post for further information:
http://thewondrousdharma.com/2012/05/30/sunshine-award/
Congratulations!
My dear Arjuna, I am very touched by this nomination. Your blog has been a blessing to me in so many ways. Thank you so much. Sharon
Just love the shining sheath of grass after all that magnificent black and white! Great post:)
Oh thank you! It warms my heart to know that you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed putting it together! Many sunny greetings your way! Sharon
A little warm here today – waiting for a cooling storm which looks as if it’s going to wait to night time to give us its balm:)
It is nice, isn’t it, when propel ‘get’ what we do!
Wonderful quotes and your black and white photos are really amazing!
You know sometimes you have a little idea to try something out and it just fell into place to your own surprise?! This was one of those times! 😀 I’m glad you liked the end results as much as I enjoyed dabbling with it. Many hugs your way. Sharon
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for the feedback (likes!) on my blog and pics. I am quite inspired by your blog. Hope to see you more often.
Thanks,
Richa
Dear Richa! I really can’t believe that I somehow missed clicking the Follow button on your blog because I went back today to check it out and your photos just blew me away!!! What amazing shots of your travels around the world! I’m particularly grateful for the section on Photography Tips and that some of your posts include tips on how you achieved that particular shot. Thank you so much for your generosity of spirit and sharing your knowledge in photography with the rest of us. As a beginner, I appreciate and am honoured by your encouragement! Thank you for coming by and I’m so glad to be part of your journey! Sharon
Hey Sharon,
Thanks much for your kind and wonderful words!. But to give the credit where it is due, many of these pics and all the posts on photography tips are from my husband, Tushit (hence the name, “richtush” 🙂 ). He is posting the tips from another login, but this theme doesn’t show his username on the main page.
Hope to see you often on this blog 🙂
Thanks,
Richa (one half of richtush)
What a phenomenal pairing of words and images. Your photography makes me feel lost in a sea of awe…
My dear friend, thank you for your beautiful affirmations which have built me up tremendously in my labour of love here in this space. It always means so very much to me…Always, Shaz
One of my favorite quotes from my favorite author. I never would have thought to take those photos in black and white. What a remarkable change that makes! Beautiful!
Dear Sherrie, I’m so happy to meet yet another great friend of Tolkien! Thank you so much for liking this! Sharon
Lovely photos!
Yes! 😀 Thank you so much O, kind one! Sharon
“All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost…”
Wow,,,the poem and the photos are mind blowing…it’s GREAT!
Vikash
Gayatri Divine Blog
Dear Vikash, thank you so much for coming by and leaving me such an encouraging message! I very much enjoyed reading your post and will be back very soon to catch up with you. Have a lovely day! Sharon
My dear, dear Shaz,
It is my pleasure to nominate you for the Commentator’s Award!! If anyone deserves such an award, my friend, it is you–who post such thoughtful, provocative, generous, and loving conversations all over the blogosphere. How many times have I been delighted to read your conversations with fellow bloggers? And, how many times have I been graced with your beautiful letters in response to my own humble words? Thank you for making the world a substantially better place.
If you wish to accept the award, merely follow the instructions here:
http://erranttranscendentalist.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/gratitude-for-the-commentator-award/
With more love and gratitude than I could ever express,
Angela
Lovely atmospheric b&w photos and I love the Tolkien poem – they go together really well, one enhancing the other. Thank you 🙂
Congratulations on the Commentator award which I’ve not heard of before, well deserved indeed 🙂
This poem truly resonated for me. Tolkien has captured much of what I feel about myself and the natural world. Your photos are stunning as well. Shadows are a big part of my work ~ so this was very special. Best Always, Robyn Lee
This is an awesome post. Thank you for sharing, Sharon! Lovely day to you! 🙂
Subhan Zein
I know you’re on vacation, Sharon, but here’s an Illuminating Blog Award for when you return. 🙂
http://bringingeuropehome.com/2012/07/18/is-there-an-award-for-procrastination/
Hello my lovely Robin Jean! Aww…you’ve just made my vacation that more special just by thinking of me! Thank you so much. I look forward to catching up with you after the summer. Hugs, Sharon
Glad to know it! Hugs right back, Robin
Lovely quote and nice pictures – Quite inspiring. Thanks for sharing and I appreciate you stopping by My Journal of Praise and liking posts.
Lovely and beautiful shots!
Regards,Laura
Congratulations Sharon! Just found this and so happy you came out of the closet…you writing is so seamless, so honest…it’s hard to imagine that it doesn’t just flow onto the page that way…but I too used to agonize over each word…what’s good to know is that it does get easier with time to show up and show others who we really are…so glad you did!!! xoxmeryl
Hi Sharon
What a lovely piece. I am so glad that you found your voice and are sharing it with the rest of us. The world is sadly in need of the kind of generosity of spirit that shines through your work. I know the anguish that you felt prior to hitting the publish button for the first time because I’m sure many of us have felt it too. But isn’t it wonderful that we can reach out to one another without a middle man having the right of veto???
Thank you for your kind words, especially as I want to ask if I can share another of your lovely photographs in a future post at soulsnet. I want to write a piece on friendship and I would like to link to “A Leaf in Springtime”. I will of course link back and credit you etc but more importantly I want to talk about the importance of friends, old and new.
I hope all is well with you and yours.
With love
Corinne
My dear Corrine,
Your voice is a voice of gentle kindness and infused with wisdom. I am made so much richer knowing you. As always, it would be an honour if my photos are used with your writings. I eagerly await your post on friends…how our lives are enriched by their deep kindness. Hugs! Sharon
Thanks so much, Sharon.
I am going to try to post it later today. I hope you enjoy it, as again, you had a hand in its inspiration.
With love
Corinne
beautiful B&W photos Sharon…