The End …
“… Is nigh! Repent your sins! Or else!” Read the sea of gently waving placards.
Or is it already too late and we are doomed to repeat what can’t be repeated, the unrepeatable?
* All Snapshots of this vicious beastie by our own fearless reporter, Mark Berkery, at great risk to life and limb. (Archives)
“Giant Snail sighted tearing up the New York Business district, and more are expected in the very near future. Scientists are saying this is a last ditch attempt by the Snail elite to reclaim territory lost in the last great Snail wars.” Intoned the newsreader in his ‘business as usual’ manner.
A spokesnail said in interview; “All we want is a little more lettuce and a bit less salt, is that too much to ask?”
“Bugger off, back to where you came from!” Retorted the spokesperson for the first global civilisation with a snigger, hand over mouth, and due lack of consideration for what s/he actually meant – or so it appeared.
And so negotiations broke down and hostilities broke out.
* Yum!
Anyway, I was going to write something on the end of our civilisation but I don’t think it necessary with all the well placed ‘doom and gloom’ being reported today, with some very astute – even esoteric – perceptions being articulated by a few. Most notably BL, who is also dead – to the hostilities.
And so I write about my world, which has little to no hostilities in it save that which arises of familiarity – the unwillingness, or reduced speed of consciousness unable to be present, be now – and misunderstanding or presumption, hearing what is not said – that beset the human psyche, which is only momentary to practiced negation.
Some insist that is another way of saying ‘stupid’, but that is a judgment and symptomatic of that reduced speed itself – not the truth, but it can’t be told.
Or, all is well as can be. And who could ask for more? Snails it seems, whingers and whiners all.
No, not true at all, mostly. It’s just my disposition to be contrary but I finally have to come out on the side of sanity. Sanity? What’s that?
Snails are gentle creatures, so slow and gracefully they move, never a harm for anything – even the lettuce loves Snails and Snail loves Death, fulfilling their lifelong purpose – to be returned to the Earth in ethereal form, to repeat or evolve according to the Will.
And so it is for every living thing, fundamentally – meaning some don’t realise it. But that’s ok, the sun shines, the rain falls, and all things turn in time – and return to the timeless that makes it all possible.
I have often seen it asked; “Would you change anything if you could go back?” And the usual answer is in the negative. And it is so. But I would also change everything, or more precisely; Negate the lot – with a capital N.
Do it all again? What for? No, do ‘it all’ anew. That’s the challenge.
Mark Berkery ……. Click any picture to enlarge in a new tab
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Nature's Place 
Love the one with the snail and the lichen. I also like to live in the same microcosm that you describe in your posts. Fascinating world, and a welcome break from the backwards reality that is human society.
Sure, human society has little attraction …
love this: the sun shines, the rain falls, and all things turn in time – and return to the timeless that makes it all possible.
amazing collection of images, my eyes and heart got lost in the details and light shimmering on flesh and shells. love that tongue over eye, amazing capture!
hello to you~
Hello Tammie. Ha! The Gecko loves a good snail. :)
I just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award.
If you’d like to accept this award then please take it to your blog and pass it on – if this is not your thing then please accept this as a compliment on your blog. Thank you. :)
Thanks Amber. Not my thing so … :)
wowwwww..like it … Congrats Mark
Cheers Michael.
vavavoummm
:)
ohhhh superb images !!
A near silent world compared to ours. Thank you!
Silent of the noise of the human mind, for sure. You’re welcome.
As usual, your photos are an inspiration. I am so excited this morning because I got a new Nikon D5100! It’s going to take me at least a week to wade through all the manuals, schematic drawings, etc. This morning I was so excited I couldn’t even get the strap hooked up right and that was my first step…to wear the strap in case I get fumble-fingered while I’m learning. What a disappointment, however, that the grain elevator that I really wanted to catch in early morning light is all closed up again today—yesterday the top double door was open for the first time in memory and I really wanted to catch it. Oh well…there are an abundance of subjects for me to practice with and I can’t wait to get started!
Thanks Sara. I enjoy the feel and look and functioning of the new high tech cam, more or less in equilibrium. Good idea to keep it tethered to neck or wrist.
Why not ask the silo? manager to open it for you some appropriate time? Offer a copy of your best edited file for the service, with your name in the corner of course.
Thank you for the suggestion….they are working on it today, but doors are still closed. It did have a rather neat effect when they were washing it from the inside and water was dripping down the outside of the doors….too bad it all happened before my camera was delivered! I’m in no hurry though….need to get to know all about it before I want to risk taking it out anywhere. (my “baby” you know!)
Well seen and said, Mark. “a snail’s pace”—what if we all slowed down—then what? Ha!
Terror Lorri. Most would think they were going mad, from the unresolved emotion being busy distracts from, until it resolved and the moment is caught up with. It’s why isolation is considered torture.
But many might actually enjoy the silence, sitting on the edge of time, nothing (to name) moving on the face of the deep. A sense of eternity without the interpretation, maybe …
Hi Mark. I agree. I am prone to do silent meditation retreats and they are “productive”. We are so prone to business in this culture. Most of my friends say–“how can you go somewhere and not talk AT ALL for 5 days? I could NOT do that.” Well, yes, one can. We are “all of it”–so I just hang on for the ride around and through my humanity and beyond :-)
Love the “spokesnail” :)
Gotta roll with the times … :)
These snails look so very glistening juicy, almost transparent! Beautiful creatures! I like the gecko as well.
These are from the garden, a good while back now. Very small for snails, about 1cm to 3cm shells, but probably right …
Brilliant post! I can’t find the “like” button, but I like it a lot! Snails are really beautiful that close up.
Thanks Stephanie. Snails are as appreciable as any when time is taken to do so.
nice collection ;-)
Recovered from archives by special request … :)
nice to have these kind of archives ;-)
A long and intricate response occurred to me last night as I was falling asleep and now it’s gone.
It takes a while to accumulate enough and for enough time to pass to call it an archive. But then memory gets shorter and shorter … and before you know it everything is in the archive. :)
interesting approach – I think, You hit the right spot ;-)
A metaphor for the effect of ‘right’ meditation – slows the mind enough the imagery of it is no longer dominant, subjecting the intelligence to the emotional past. What is left is the attention that focuses now, on the simple sensation – then being, and whatever is necessary. A life’s work encapsulated.
Very cool macros!! Btw, how do you put your name on the pics? Do you edit the pics in Gimp?
Thanks,
Richa
Thanks Richa, everything but denoise and sharpen is done in Picasa – a great organiser too, with the occasional hiccup.
Thanks Mark. I too use Picasa mostly. So what does one use for sharpening and de-noising the pics?
-RIcha
No problem Richa. Email sent re your Q.
I’m crazy for lizard licks the eyes!!^thank’s for shots
Thanks Francesca, timing is off beat to catch it …
Do it all again? No way! Do it all anew? I hadn’t thought about that. Do I get to mix and match? Love the snail photos!
Thanks Laura. You get to do it all ‘anew’. So there’s no ‘you’ and nothing to mix ‘n’ match.
Are this edible snails? Any way similar to snail eat by Japanese imperial army during ww2.
Thanks NM. Edible? Why not, anything’s edible if the hunger is great enough. Gecko thinks so … :)
Mark as good as it gets Giant snail Photography!!! Cheers Nonoy Manga
Thanks NM, appreciated.