Lacuna

Central Australia
In fact, pretty much right in the centre
About as far from the ocean as you can get
Not much water out here

Crisp early morning
It’s cold
Very cold
The morning air is so clear, you can see it
As the day starts to unfold
The colours of the sky are the first thing I see

In the pre-dawn light
Rocks appear
Large rocks
Stacked on one another
Sprawled across the landscape

Walking amongst the rocks
You get the feeling this is a special place

Ancient place
Sacred place

Sitting here for tens of thousands of years or more
If these rocks could talk
Imagine the stories they could tell

Locked away in the fissures and cracks of time
Imagine the wisdom they could impart

It makes my own life seem like a speck of sand in a vast desert
So insignificant
All the worries, concerns and seemingly important aspects of our lives
melt away in the vastness of time.
Let it all go and just take in the simple beauty of this place.

In this simple state of awareness
You can feel a presence

Calling us to rest
Calling us to talk about what’s on our mind
Calling us to let go in the deepest way
Calling us to change
With the faith that it will all be Okay

This place is peaceful
Quiet
Safe
Ancient
Sacred

Now fully present and at peace in this place,
Allow God to hold you in the palm of his hand and bless you.

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Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.

The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come to save you.”

they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.

Isaiah 35

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We head north on our journey
and walk towards a gorge we’ve been told about.

From the dry landscape,
we emerge over a hill and see the water.
A series of pools separated by small waterfalls.

Flowing strong yet almost silent,
it affects everything around.

Green plants emerge
and carry on into the distance
along the meandering river.

As we descend into the gorge,
a welcome coolness greets us.

Water slides over the rocks
revealing colourful reds and ochre’s.
The water is so clear and inviting.

Without hesitation
we dive into the water to escape the heat
and find our own space to experience its soothing balm.

I lay back into the water and float
With my head partly submerged and eyes closed,
a silence surrounds me.

Almost weightless
Suspended as if held
The body relaxes
Again, the sense of letting go
I allow myself to be carried
by the slow, gentle current

Late afternoon emerges as time passes
we drift without any sense of time.

With thoughts of having to leave,
we’re brought in to the present
with a realisation that something has changed.

A burden has been lifted and carried for us

The past matters less
The present is filled with grace and love
The future is filled with hope

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