It is related that one day they came upon Majnun sifting the dust, and his tears flowing down. They said, "What doest thou?" He said, "I seek for Layli." They cried, "Alas for thee! Layli is of pure spirit, and thou seekest her in the dust!" He said, "I seek her everywhere; haply somewhere I shall find her."
(Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 6)
Who is Layli and why do we seek her?
What is a Seeking Layli Event?
Thursday, 21 August 2008
Barren trees fit for the fire?????
(Baha'u'llah)
Well some people might call the Pencil Pine a barren tree. It's fruit is not edible, it never grows very tall, doesn't offer much shade and to conventional eyes may be rather drab.
But it's a tough little character, growing in high mountain boggy areas where it is often the only thing taller than a sedge and thus plays an important role in the local environment. And to some of us it is perfectly beautiful in its natural montane setting surrounded by the browns and greys of the high plateau. Slow growing and long lived, if you plant one now you may have to wait a thousand years to see it fully mature.
It's actually not a pine. Try http://www.conifers.org/cu/at/cupressoides.htm or http://www.anbg.gov.au/anbg/conifers/athrotaxis-cupress.html for a proper description.
or have a look at the photo at http://www.touringtasmania.info/pine_lake.htm
Better yet, why not join us on Sunday 31st August at 12 noon for our next Seeking Layli devotional picnic? We're heading for Pine Lake (as shown in the above photo) to see if any trace of the Beauty can be found amongst the Pencil Pines. Meet at the car-park as usual.
Pine Lake lies just beside the A5 Lakes Highway on the right hand side as you head from Deloraine to Miena. Google show it here
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=Launceston&daddr=Pine+Lake&sll=6.122918,-148.750798&sspn=140.427919,239.414062&doflg=ptk&ie=UTF8&ll=-41.741923,146.706362&spn=0.009142,0.014613&t=h&z=16
and gives these directions from Launceston
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=9384546545989558103,-41.741262,146.706294&saddr=Launceston&daddr=Lake+Hwy+%40-41.741262,+146.706294&sll=-41.742515,146.70471&sspn=0.009142,0.014613&dirflg=h&doflg=ptk&ie=UTF8&z=10
though some people might find it easier to just go through Deloraine on Highways all the way.
The walk at Pine Lake is billed as one of the sixty great short walks of Tasmania. See http://www1.parks.tas.gov.au/recreation/shortwalks/pine_lake.html
It is an environmentally sensitive area and one is asked not to leave the track so we may have to find another spot for our picnic. We will decide on the day.
And please believe this. It will be chilly, probably cold, and possibly very, very cold indeed. If you don't believe me have a look at the frozen lake"
http://www.john-daly.com/pics/pine_lake.jpg
Hope to see you there. Lifts can be arranged if necessary.
The cold of winter ..... the new life of spring.
(Baha'u'llah (the embedded quotation is from the Qu'ran) )
Our picnic site was rather more civilised than is our custom complete with barbecues and toilets. It felt rather strange really.
But a short walk reaffirmed that even in the heart of a city (well a decent sized town at least) God's handiwork is still more wonderful than anything we humans have produced. Though, as Baha'u'llah pointed out even our works are really His works. "Through the mere revelation of the word 'Fashioner,' issuing forth from His lips and proclaiming His attribute to mankind, such power is released as can generate, through successive ages, all the manifold arts which the hands of man can produce." (Baha'u'llah)
(Baha'u'llah)