Season of Discovery -- Sunday Features - 26/06/2011

Today’s woman is many things. She’s on a quest for dimensional discovery. She’s climbing out of the boxes and from behind the bars of confinement that could never completely contain her. She’s reaching beyond the dark places where the stars dwell in order to find the scattered fragments of existence. And she’s restless in her pursuits of overcoming the obstacles in this world that keep her from reaching her all.
This week’s features embrace the many dimensions of woman’s pursuit of self discovery and growth. Through every season there is a beauty that reveals one more intricate layer of woman’s strength and perseverance. And this is the season to celebrate such beauty, in all of it’s complexity, simplicity, and/or uniqueness.

With a whole world within reach, it’s time to break free from the chains of captivity in order to reach those new heights.

So Close © by Sandra Bauser Digital Art


It’s a time to accept those lifelong dreams as ones capable of reality. A time to discover all the facets of existence.

I am © by Vesna VD
I am
a droplet
I am
a moment
I am
not here
I am
everywhere
And what else really matters
except that clouds float through the sky?
Up, above, in the blue,
my dreams are.
(In serbian)
Ja sam
Kap sam
i trenutak samo
Nema me nigde
A svuda sam
I šta je uopste više važno
Sem da oblak nebom plovi?
Gore, u nebesko plavoj boji,
tamo su moji snovi.

It’s not a time to be fit into a cage, or accept that a woman’s spirit could ever be reduced to indefinite captivity.
Captive © by Naomi Downie


“Tis the season for breaking down such walls of bondage, even if the world seems more out of reach to her than ever before, even if the only hand within reach is her own.

Hidden Pain © by Dawn M. B.
She built a wall that is concrete thick
No one can reach her
No one can touch her
No one can hear her
She cries out in silence
She no longer can feel
She trusts no one
Invisible to the world
She hides her heart
She wears a mask
She laughs to hide her pain
When she looks in the mirror,
the person she sees is ME!

There’s a hidden strength woman possesses that defies the logic of existence. She must never lose sight of that.

Stronger than Life © by salena


Whatever it takes, that warrior spirit must traverse the darkness in order to step into the light of being.

Mapping a Life © by Sybille Sterk
yearning for the light
as darkness descends
grabbing the edge of nothing
with a long drop dawning
clawing old wounds
feel
deep vein blood flowing
listening to voices
banshees
of ghosts long gone
stoically holding on
for fear of letting go
considering the chasm
between alone and lonely
slowly sinking deeper
into invisibility
tatters
fluttering
in the wind
wolves
howling
in the night
willow-the-wisps
glowing treacherously
beckoning ever
deeperone more inch
and then
another
tillone more
breath
is just one
too much

There’s a time for mourning and a time to dance, a time for remembrance and a time to take a chance.

Drum Me a New Song © by Geraldine (Gezza) Maddrell


Inspiration came in the form of a photo illustrating war children in Kabul, Afghanistan. The reminder came in one word: support. For what tastes sweeter than the sentiments hidden within the heart of another?

Support © by Unique-Mystique
Taste the sweetness
Inhale the dew
See you.
Don’t heckle the single thought
Just keep giving your support.

Authentic beauty makes its dwelling place within the heart.

A woman’s beauty lives in the heart © by Renate Dartois


The flutter of self revelation tickles the heart first in order to test the atmosphere for flight. Today just might be the day to unfold those wings.

time is on your side © by BabyM2
aspirations driving you on
even when behind fear follows..
walking the paths
that are never straight
to reach the house
where silence is found..
even though tired
opening the book
till morning
appears in the sky..
adapting yourself
like
all the beautiful
creatures around..
streams near by
was the only running
that could be heard..
keeping you warm inside
the thought of turning
pages of faith
where you felt secure..
watching
less intently at the window
the bumble bees
hum persuasive words
the ones
that brought you here..
preferring
the gentle words
that rise from the holy book
there seemed
more beauty in them..
and the sound of the sea
with its breeze
cooling the heat
in timeless days..
the fluttering was
still inside
yet eyes were fed
happiness daily
from the One
loved the most…

In every season there is a new discovery of self just waiting to emerge from the miry clay.

Emerging ©by Berns


Will she remember to take time for herself and walk the endless colours of the rainbow? Hopefully she doesn’t miss the view from such refreshed heights.

Did I float before I fell © by SimplyRed
the fluffy cloud hides
and obscures me from view
I peer curiously over
marshmallow edge….
peering with longing
I see me down there
a technicolour reality
in the hustle and bustle
rubbing bloodshot eyes
of disbelief
but the sting I feel
hurts…
I hear words of colour
words of
hairs standing on edge
words of can you help me….
words words words
a rainbow of requests
spilt in disarray
a hard arc to walk
in it’s splendour
can you do this
can you do that
if you have time
if you wouldn’t mind
…..can you??
my cloud wont drift
refuses to budge
no breeze in Autumn days
stubborn… fluffy whiteness
damn you….
IS THAT REALLY ME
I ask outerspace
and beyond
of course it is…
screaming to STOP
YELLING……
no one hears
in their own tranquility
I see me
no one sees me
drifting closer
to the burning sun
waxed wings
melting….
can you hear me
see me
help me
NO??
I shall not come down from the clouds today
for the view is mine alone
and one day soon
I shall walk the rainbow
alone and serene
til then a silent tear
falls softly from the cloud
and it looks like rain
tomorrow