Mindful Spot

Buddhism, philosophy, art.

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Donate

Outside In: An Enchanting Watercolor Meditation on Our Inseparable Link to Nature

May 13, 2021 by Gavril 5 Comments

Book cover“Nature is our mother. Because we live cut off from her, we become sick,” wrote Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh while reminding us that the essential part of mindful living is going outside the city and reconnecting with Mother Earth, the wellspring of vitality and well-being.

It’s unfortunate that we rarely go to the country and almost never for a whole day or to spend the night. When we do, we arrive in good spirits, enjoy the fresh air and wide-open landscapes, eat good lunch, but subconsciously we feel invisibly trapped, homesick, and discontent.

And yet how longingly we envision the peace of the countryside that we would almost flee, if only we could so easily and gracefully! How often in the city, among the tall buildings, busy streets, and crowds of people we suppose that peace, prose, and definitive reality are out there, among the trees, grass, and a gentle breeze that cannot be heard rather than here, where irresistible tablecloth of civilization makes us forget and numbs our feelings.

At what point in our lives has artificial become natural and what’s natural has become almost strange and something alien to us? This befuddling question is what author Deborah Underwood and illustrator Cindy Derby explore with meditative immersion in Outside In, a series of enchanting watercolor paintings that transport us into a different reality, a reality that frees us and makes us more alive and present.

Now
sometimes even when
we’re outside…
we’re inside.

Image

Image

Image

We forget Outside is there.
So Outside reminds us
with flashes at the window
and slow magic tricks.

Image

Image

Image

We feel Outside
in the warm weight of our cats
and the rough fur of our dogs.

Image

Image

Outside shows
there is a time to rest
and a time to start fresh.

Image

Image

I’m here,
Outside says.
I miss you.

Image

Image

And we answer.

Image

Donate & Support

Since I started this website 4 years ago my only aim was and still remains helping all of my readers to discover the path to inner calm through spiritual growth and cultivation of wisdom. I spend all of my free time and resources working on this project and your support plays a vital role in helping me to improve and make this website an invaluable resource for you. If my little virtual home uplifted your spirit or made your day a little bit better, please consider donating to support its further growth.

Your Support Donation

$
Select Payment Method
Your Name and Email

Donation Total: $7.00

Subscribe

Mindful Spot has a free weekly newsletter where I share my findings across Buddhism, philosophy, literature, art, and other sources that allow us to expand our inner world and feel greater connection to each other. Subscribe below:
Subscribe
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Email Share on Pocket
Filed Under: Spirituality

Related Posts

  1. The Art of Mindful Leisure by W. H. Davies – Mindful Spot says:
    July 21, 2022 at 5:38 am

    […] Art from the mindfulness book for childrenĀ Outside In. […]

    Reply
  2. Apple Meditation: Thich Nhat Hanh’s Simple Three-Step Formula for Mindful Eating – Mindful Spot says:
    July 18, 2022 at 8:29 pm

    […] Complement this profound way to Savor the apple with Cindy Derby’s enchanting children’s book about finding our way back to nature. […]

    Reply
  3. And Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Robert Frost Recites Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening – Mindful Spot says:
    June 25, 2022 at 11:26 pm

    […] “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” an integral part of New Hampshire collection of poems, remains a monumental work of poetic genius. Complement with Henry David Thoreau on why he went to live in the woods, Richard Louv on the spiritual necessity of nature for the young, Deborah Underwood and Cindy Derby’s water color meditation on our inseparable link to nature. […]

    Reply
  4. Remember our childhood as minerals, as lava, as rocks? Deep Ecologist John Seed on Going Beyond Anthropocentrism and Thinking Like a Mountain – Mindful Spot says:
    December 10, 2021 at 10:22 pm

    […] Louv on the spiritual necessity of nature for the young, Deborah Underwood and Cindy Derby’s watercolor meditation on our inseparable link to nature, and then revisit transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau on why he went to live in the […]

    Reply
  5. Last Child in the Woods: Richard Louv on the Spiritual Necessity of Nature for the Young – Mindful Spot says:
    June 9, 2021 at 9:57 pm

    […] Illustration by Cindy Derby from Outside In. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Last Child in the Woods: Richard Louv on the Spiritual Necessity of Nature for the Young – Mindful Spot Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Donate & Support

Since I started this website 4 years ago my only aim was and still remains helping all of my readers to discover the path to inner calm through spiritual growth and cultivation of wisdom. I spend all of my free time and resources working on this project and your support plays a vital role in helping me to improve and make this website an invaluable resource for you. If my little virtual home uplifted your spirit or made your day a little bit better, please consider donating to support its further growth.

Your Support Donation

$
Select Payment Method
Your Name and Email

Donation Total: $7.00

Subscribe

Mindful Spot has a free weekly newsletter where I share my findings across Buddhism, philosophy, literature, art, and other sources that allow us to expand our inner world and feel greater connection to each other. Subscribe below:

Subscribe

Recent Posts

  • Chuang Tzu and the Butterfly Dream: A Chinese Parable That Questions Whether We Can Know Anything to Be Real
  • Listen to The Hidden Valley: Relaxing Music for Stress Relief by Peder B. Helland
  • The Art of Mindful Leisure by W. H. Davies
  • Apple Meditation: Thich Nhat Hanh’s Simple Three-Step Formula for Mindful Eating
  • Learn About the Hidden Meanings of Yin and Yang from This TED-Ed Video by John Bellaimey

Search

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy Copyright 2017-2022 Mindful Spot
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. In more simple terms, this means that whenever you buy a book or a product on Amazon from a link on here, I receive a small percentage of its price.