Changing of the Guard

"... there is an influence which is getting stronger and stronger day by day, which shows itself more and more in all departments of human activity, an influence most fruitful and beneficial -- the influence of the artist." Nikola Tesla, 1897

The past four months have been a whirlwind of change for me. So many wonderful opportunities have presented themselves and the planets have aligned to bring closure and new beginnings all at the same time.

Wings of the Dove Cloud by Teri Leigh Teed

A change of venue has brought more creative inspiration from a new landscape. More stories and photographs are being compiled and the Nature Spirits fill my heart and soul with their songs and dances.

Everything is in Divine Order.

It's good to be writing again on my blog. Stay tuned, more to come!

Mystic Lake by Teri Leigh Teed

Awakening Spring

"In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love." ~ Marc Chagall

From the depths of Mother Earth, Spring is awakening in the Carolinas. The bulbs are pushing their way up into the light of day, and the trees are showing buds on the ends of their branches.

Each sunrise brings another day of promise of the heralding of the change of seasons. As the sunlight spreads warmth and joy across the South, it sends a spark of happiness through the land and her human, animal, plant and mineral kingdoms.

Whenever I travel the landscape is always something I notice. And I've noted that the changes in landscape during the seasons reflects the time my body changes its own internal rhythm.

As we embrace the changes in life, we become complete. Just as Mother Earth does.

"What is the South?"                

I have seen the future, and it has wings.                                 

Look South, and behold the glory.

What is the South?
A legacy of hope and endurance,
gleaned from centuries of struggle, and courage.

A healing place,
A place of beauty and grace, and a nurturing
gentleness to the land,
which is most often reflected
in the hearts of her people.

A place
where dreams are born,
and shared,
and live on in her legacy.

A place
where the ghosts of the past
meet the souls of the present
and the future,
and converge in a timeless,
elegant dance.

A place
where respect for the land,
family and traditions,
flows like her rivers
from the mountains to the seas.

Go within, go South
and there you will find her,
Ever present, ever green,
Evermore.

by Teri Leigh Teed

Our World of Light

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we would find it not."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the course of my life, I've been blessed to travel and spend time in some beautiful places. The special places are always the ones that leave an indelible mark on us.

Perhaps it was a special sunset or sunrise, or maybe it was a delicious meal enjoyed at a one-of-a-kind cafe.

When one is far away from home, the most beautiful things are not always the scenery; sometimes its the hospitality of a new found friend.

Travel has a way of broadening one's horizons and opening the soul to a myriad of experiences that otherwise would have been missed in life. And I believe it is an education worth pursuing.

So much so, that eleven years ago I left a job in the corporate world and moved to London on my own to study for a masters degree.

My Mom once told me that once you move away from home, then the next moves are much easier. She's right.

Seeing sunsets and sunrises is a good thing to observe, especially in our daily routines. It brings a balance to our spirits, and a grounding to our souls.

And sometimes when we return home, we find a special place, a special moment when we least expect it. With new eyes, we see our familiar world in a different light.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." ~ Marcel Proust

Love Everlasting

In the past few days two dear friends of mine have passed on.

Both of these kind souls lived life to the fullest, and leave a lasting legacy of love and hope. And keeping the faith.

In their honor, I dedicate these verses to them.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

And now abide faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

~ 1 Corinthians 13

May the loving energy of this special day, St. Valentine's, surround you and fill your hearts with peace and joy.

"Death is a challenge
It tells us not to waste time
It tells us to tell each other
Right now, that we love each other."

~ Leo Buscaglia, American writer and teacher (1924-1998)

Chiaroscuro in the South

"Darkness can not overwhelm the world so long as Light continues to radiate by reflection from the hearts and minds of all who dedicate themselves to this high purpose."

~ Major Wellesley Tudor Pole - mystic, author and founder of the Chalice Well Gardens at Glastonbury

In the art world, chiaroscuro means the contrast between light and dark. Carravaggio was a master of this genre of painting, as was Rembrandt.

With dark backgrounds surrounding the illuminated faces of their portraits, perhaps the artists were representing all of humanity's issues dealing with our Higher and Shadow Selves.

Chiaroscuro always seems to come to mind for me this time of the year. Sunsets can seem hauntingly surreal in the winter months. And as the myths and legends of many cultures attest, the darkness seems to surround us and yet the light still draws near as if to say, "come and see, there is light everywhere, even in the darkest hour!"

As we embrace our fears and accept and love ourselves just the way we are, we allow the changes, the light to shine through us. And as Nietsche said, we must have chaos to give birth to a shining star.

And as we continue to evolve, we become as Adrian Cooper says, "Homo Sapiens" to "Homo Spiritus" t0 "Homo Luminous".

From the Sunny South, with light to you and yours. You are a shining star!

The Magic of Clouds

"All that surrounds us is maintained by nature spirits. Though invisible to humans, they are the true cause of all that is beautiful in nature." ~ Rudolph Steiner

Wonder is all around us. Just gazing upwards during our comings and goings of the day can bring us inspiration.

All afternoon yesterday, the clouds were busy overhead creating their millions of masterpieces. With the help of the Wind and the Sun, the magical orchestration continued into the twilight.

A kaleidoscope of colors ranging from soft watercolors to dramatic darker hues creates the tapestry of cloud portraits. Snapshots that change second to second, ever illuminating our minds and souls.

Bridging the thoughts between Earth and Sky, the clouds remind us of the infinite possibilities of our creative abilities.


Even in the darkness of a rainy day, the clouds remain, to connect us with Spirit and enfold us with love.If we ever need to connect with our Higher Self, we need only to take a moment to look to the skies. And behold the magic of the clouds.

To Haiti, With Love

"The night is the mother of the day,
The winter of the spring;
And ever upon old decay
The greenest mosses cling.

Behind the cloud the starlight lurks,
Through showers the sunbeams fall,
For God, who loveth all his works,
Has left his hope with all."

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Last weekend my mother brought me a gift -- a small wooden plaque displaying a poem given to her by her great grandmother. The poem is entitled "The Silver Lining".

In 1909, James Mudge compiled a beautiful book called Poems with Power to Strengthen the Soul, and "The Silver Lining" is within its pages. Probably penned before the end of the 19th century, the author is unknown, which only adds to its mysterious appeal.

In the preface for his book, Mr. Mudge says:

"Poetry is of the very highest value for the inspiration and guidance of life, for calling out the emotions and opening up spiritual visions. It carries truths not only into the understanding, but into the heart, where they are likely to have the most direct effect on conduct."

Mudge listed "The Silver Lining" under the section HOPE - Progress, Optimism, Enthusiasm. Stating his collection of verses was those "which would have intrinsic spiritual value and elevating power; those whose immediate tendency would be to make people better.... words that would send the spirit heavenward, or even earthward with any added love for humanity..."


In honor of all the brave Haitian souls -- those who have passed on and those who survived the earthquake -- I offer this poem along with a few others for you. Someone once told me "your thoughts are prayers, and they are heard and responded to". So my thoughts of love, peace and healing are with you, dear brothers and sisters of Haiti. No man is an island. We are all One.

"THE SILVER LINING" (author unknown)

There's never a day so sunny
But a little cloud appears;
There's never a life so happy
But has its time of tears.
Yet the sun shines out the brighter
Whenever the tempest clears.

There's never a garden growing,
With roses in every plot;
There's never a heart so hardened
But it has one tender spot.
We have only to prune the border
To find the forget-me-knot.

There's never a sun that rises
But we know 'twill set at night;
The tints that gleam in the morning
At evening are just as bright.
And that hour that is the sweetest
Is between the dark and light.

There's never a dream so happy
But the wakening makes us sad;
There's never a dream of sorrow
But the wakening makes us glad.
We shall look some day with wonder
At the trouble we have had.

*** *** ***

"Let us believe,
That there is hope for all the hearts that grieve;
That somewhere night
Drifts to a morning beautiful with light..."
~ Frank L. Stanton