Angeline Johnson | 
07 17th, 2009| 
Whenever life starts to get hectic I have always chosen to retreat to nature to relax and rejuvenate my spirit. Growing up in Montana nature was very easy to come by. All it took was a five minute drive and I was to the foot of my favorite hike. I remember hiking the steep incline in 100 degree weather and feeling an amazing sense of accomplishment when I reached the top without stopping.
Being in nature is an excellent way to ground yourself and feel the connection to mother earth. While I am hiking I focus on pulling the energy of the elements into my body to replenish my energy system. I love to hike near waterfalls as I find them a magnificent source of energy to pull from.
Fast forward six years later and I am now living in Oregon. It is also a place of extraordinary beauty surrounded by nature. Only now my favorite hike takes about 45 minutes to drive to with no traffic. Due to the time element I don’t make it to my new favorite spot as often as I like but I always look forward to the first sign of dry weather so I can take an afternoon excursion.
On my most recent visit to Multnomah Falls I did something I don’t normally do and brought my iphone. I usually go to nature to be cut off from all technology but this time I decided I needed some extra motivation so I wanted to listen to my favorite motivational song of all time “The Eye of the Tiger”.
After I set out on my journey I realized my iphone had a camera on it and that I should do something I have never done before and take pictures of my beautiful surroundings. I have never been one for anything technical in fact I have never even owned a camera. I know sounds crazy, the iphone was a huge a step for me.
What I realized was the meditative qualities of photographing nature. It was so reflective to see my surroundings being captured on camera. I took several beautiful photos and now every time I need to retreat to nature all I have to do is go back and look at my photos and I am instantly transported to that place and time again.
Here are a few of the photos. The first is taken from the bottom of the waterfall and the second from the top.
I recommend everyone try this out for your self and let me know what your experience is.
Oh and by the way my 30th birthday is on the 27th and I have decided to finally buy myself a camera so I can do this more often!
Angeline Johnson
Creator Violet Flame Clearing
