View From The High Peak

I’m sitting on the wooden raised back terrace of our old wooden framed Landaise farmhouse in south west France , the morning after yesterday evening’s total eclipse . The house is quiet. A few birds sing a little song before the heat of the day kicks in again. The stream that surrounds the house on two sides burbles along in the background, a continuous source of flowing, sweet water. I feel calm. I feel at peace.  I don’t know about you, but the whole family felt exhausted yesterday and the days and weeks leading up to the eclipse have felt troubled, disturbed. The energies of life have not been aligning recently. There have been crises everywhere I look, including within my own small family. There has been sadness, confusion and heartache. Even arriving here for a longed-for rest from recent turbulent times, the forest fires began in the searing heat and a heaviness loomed over everyone, either fearing for their own homes and environment or worrying for others less fortunate clo...