Wednesday 21 November 2012

‘Holding the Circle – The Circle Holding Us’



The large pebble stone found on the sandy Findhorn Beach holds a ring, an ellipse, a circle. It is one of the many beautiful patterns nature gives us. Ancient rock formations of different minerals fusing together. Granite, quartz, Lewisian Gneiss, sand- and limestone… Time leaving its marks of ellipses and lines with which every pebble gives us it own story. 
Our beach is full of stories.
Natural circles have been known since the beginning of time, like in the sun, moon, whirls in water or wind. They have been observed and have inspired our civilisation to develop geometry, astronomy and many inventions.
We say that every circle is a magic circle, a sacred circle. In a circle of people coming together an extra energy of spirit is present.
We draw a circle of protection. I remember drawing a large circle during a quest in the Sahara desert to mark my territory; creating a safe space.  At home in the Findhorn community to attune at the start and end of a gathering or job as well as to bless the food we come together in a circle while holding hands.
And the circle is holding us.

‘Holding the Circle- The Circle Holding Us’ was part of a photoArt exhibition in the Blue Angel CafĂ© in the Universal Hall Findhorn in October - November 2012 with other canvas photowork. 

Hopeman’s Cove



These rocks are part of Hopeman’s Cove Bay at the north east coast of Scotland. Imagine these rocks once being part of a hot desert, where the Sahara is now and whose sand dunes still are preserved in the colourful rocks. Two totally different rock formations or characters or world citizens banged into each other and became a unity forever. Tracing the hot winds in the white sandrock with my lingering fingers while my feet try to keep sturdy, standing on the battered chilly northern coast……Since the Ice Age the whispers of the burning desert have always won from the battle cries of the north and they still fill my heart with longing and belonging…..

A 100.000 litre cow


During the second World War my father bought a cow, a traditional black and white Holland-Frysian Stamboekvee cow, called Hoekstra six, with which he and my mother started a dairy farm at Dorregeest in one of the old Dutch polders. Hoekstra 6 became the matriarch of a long line of dairy cows on the farm. The Hoekstra’s received many awards, their bull calves became famous for their semen and many Hoekstras were sold worldwide. This June my brother and sister in law, who live on the parental farm, had a party for Hoekstra 545, who was one of their 100.000 litre milk cows. On the photo you see the celebrated cow, after a career of 13 years, 11 calves and 100.000 litres of milk.