Universal Love Photograph by Mary Lou Chmura

Universal Love

by Mary Lou Chmura

Canvas Print

$78

Framed Print

$87

Art Print

$33

Poster

$33

Metal Print

$84

Acrylic Print

$92

Wood Print

$64

Duvet Cover

$103

Shower Curtain

$78

Greeting Card

$19

iPhone Case

$32

Title

Universal Love

Artist

Mary Lou Chmura

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

It has been almost six months since I had taken any photographs. Today was supposed to be a somewhat sunny day, so I packed up my camera bag and tripod. I was planning on heading over to Fannie Stebbins Wildlife Preserver in Longmeadow, MA.

Just before I left the house, I drew an oracle card from my deck. It was titled Earth, Nurture/Nature, and talked about embracing nature, etc. I knew in that moment; I was going to encounter something very special today. Oh, how lucky I felt.

Like the ebb and flow of life, the synchronicities of my day were unfolding.

I was in awe from the moment I arrived at the wildlife preserve, right up to the moment I left.

Aside from just being; being with nature is my favorite place to be. As far back as I can remember, nature has always felt and been a sacred place which I refer to as my home. And as the saying goes, “there’s no place like home.”

At the Preserve...

I had parked my car in a small clearing and went up through my moon roof to get above the treetops.

The two swans that I had been tracking for the entire morning had abruptly taken flight down the river. I got a few shots and decided that they were probably gone for the day and with that thought I decided to call it a day. I no sooner took off my lens to pack up my camera and spotted them returning in flight.

Listening to the guidance from my inner voice, I decided to put my lens back on and go back up through my moon roof.

The swans circled around my car far above and continued back down the river. They did this two more times, each time encircling directly above my car before heading back down the river.

After the third time, they ended up landing right next to my car near the shores’ edge. It was as if I had sent them a personal invitation or better yet; they had read my thoughts. I was ecstatic!

From that moment on, they began their courtship behavior and mating rituals. From gracefully fanning out and preening the underside of their feathers, to puffing out their majestic chests, while sinking down into their bodies with their black paddled feet sticking out as they glided down the river right next to each other.

Unprepared for the breathtaking moment that I witnessed for the first time in my life. They faced each other and made a heart with their long necks while touching each other’s beak.

Oneness In The Moment

The oneness that I so often experience in the magical throes of nature can be overwhelmingly beautiful in moments like this. In the rawness of this powerful moving experience, my heart has a tendency to feel as though it is being ripped wide open.

This overwhelming expansiveness where energies merge into spacious presence is hard to put into words. The illusion of separateness falls wayside and dissolves, melding into the natural oneness of consciousness.

Sharing the sacredness and beauty of this magnificent formless essence of the universe, in its purest form; where love is love and has on bounds.

One of the most profound gifts that nature has to offer is the realization that we are all part of something larger than ourselves.

This truly was a day like no other, abundantly filled with magical wonders, universal love and oneness with all!

No one can embrace and mesmerize us quite like Mother Nature.