“If there is light in the soul,
there will be beauty in the person.

If there is beauty in the person,
there will be harmony in the home.

If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.

If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”

~ Chinese Proverb

The cold air has come to visit the South this month, and we are very glad for our sunny days as the temperatures dip. One of the blessings of living in the Carolinas in the winter months is the abundance of sunshine.

Another wonder of Nature that blesses us is the magnificent display of cloud formations. In the cities and in the countryside, there is a work of art in every bit of sky.

Which reminds me of a remarkable book called Of Earth and Sky, Spiritual Lessons from Nature, compiled by Thomas Becknell. In Michael Tlanusta Garrett’s contribution,”Owning the Sky”, Cherokee children are taught to “lie down on Mother Earth and look up at the sky” to help resolve conflicts about ownership of objects. It is the Cherokee’s belief that the cloud people can speak to us, children and adults, in a variety of pictures and shapes.

As the Chinese proverb above suggests, living in harmony with each other is a process involving every part of the Universe. And as Dr. Garrett says, “True wisdom comes to us when we let go of the attachments that bind us and draw upon the sacred Medicine of all our relations.”

May the beauty of the clouds and their messages bring you a peaceful and light filled focus in this New Year.