The Significance of Natural Beauty and Form

Lily Revealing Natural Fireworks © Lynne Buchanan

 Perfectly Arranged Lily ©Lynne Buchanan

 Pink Lotus ©Lynne Buchanan

Sunflower Jewel ©Lynne Buchanan

 All Rights Reserved for all images, Watermarked by Digimarc

I am continually amazed by the miracles in nature I observe every day, though some days I am blessed to witness more miracles than others.  All of these photographs were taken on a recent trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.  The lilies and lotuses were so beautiful they almost didn't seem real, and the heart of the sunflower looked like a jewel.   The pink lotus looked like the idealized drawings of lotuses we are given to copy in Sumi-e painting.  It was gently opened to reveal an unblemished yellow center and each petal traced a perfect arc.  I could have stayed looking at those flowers all day–examining the relation of their petals, studying the modulation of hues, appreciating the patterns they created on their own or within the framework of the lily pads that surrounded them, sensing what parts of my soul experiencing their beauty touched.  

The depth of my connection with nature coupled with these amazing specimens made me realize why nature is the foundation of mathematics and physics. The sciences arose to measure and comprehend the miracle of existence, and much of western and eastern thought centers on this theme as well.  Though it is easy for some to get lost in pure ideas, it is rewarding to spend time appreciating that which  thought tries to explain and to note that no single discipline can ever capture all facets of these jewels of nature.  No matter how our conscious mind tries to categorize individual elements of nature, life can never be fully explained.  There is always the magic that eludes such reduction and experiencing this magic is what I live for.