When people think of the ancient monastic city of
Glendalough they think of the round tower…the finest preserved example in
Ireland. Its purpose is unclear but most
scholars believe it served as a bell tower, a look out, a store house for
church valuables, and a sanctuary in case of invasion. It is an impressive structure but I didn’t
spend much time there.
I wandered through
the graveyard, still used by local residents, and found this lovely view of the
Wicklow Gap. This stunning location
couldn’t be more different from the Burren yet there is still the sense of
hushed antiquity. There is also a
residual energy to this place, perhaps imprinted by the thousands of pilgrims
who have come here over the centuries.
I walked within the walls of the cathedral
and found a little niche to put my token.
My eye was drawn upward to another niche high above my head. A black bird was coming and going, bringing
nest materials to his niche. For a
moment our eyes met and we regarded each other.
I felt he wanted to let me know that though these are ruins now to we
humans, the birds find safe haven within the ancient walls to rear a new
generation. Life is going on all around us
while we contemplate the distant past.
That, perhaps surprisingly, was the message I took away from
my walk in the monastic city that day.
We worship what was while ignoring what is and in so doing miss the very
essence of life. I will still love to
walk through ancient ruins and absorb the history and presence of the place but
I will try to remember to see the power of life renewing itself around me every
moment for in the end, “now” is all we have. The birds know this far better than we do.
2 comments:
A very interesting observation - that we worship what was while ignoring what is. That will stick with me.
It's stuck with me as well. I'm trying to become more now focused. It's drawing my eye to so many different things.
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