This is a very large leafed hosta about to open its buds. The green leaves are enormous and very light in color, while the flowers will be blue. I found it in the atrium of a local college. I also noticed they had both purple and white cone flowers. I marveled again at the pattern of the center and was struck by the beauty and symmetry.

Mathematics in Nature is fascinating to me because it shows how purposeful and how organized the Universe is. It tells me that as a part of the natural world I too must have a place and a purpose. It helps me understand myself, others, and how we are a part of the universe with acuity and grace. I find comfort as I try and make my way in a world where man seems to have separated himself from the very world he lives. When I lived in South Louisiana and drove to work each day I would pass a small grove of live oak trees. They were magnificent as their heavy limbs gracefully swept down and touched the ground. One day I saw a friend standing by while a tree service cut the trees down. I stopped and asked what in the world he was doing. He explained he had purchased the land and planned a Dairy Queen there. When I exclaimed that the trees were on the Historical Registry and dated back to the first white man to set foot there he told me he knew that and was willing to pay the $2,000 fine for cutting them down, and that “they were old”. I realized he did not understand and it saddened me. Then when I saw a man mowing down beautiful wild passion vines and he told me they were ”just weeds” I knew he didn’t “get it” either.

The numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence are: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, etc. (where each number is obtained from the sum of the two preceding). These numbers show up in Nature everywhere. It all has to do with efficiency of growth.

The number of petals in a flower is often one of the following numbers: 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 or 55. For example, the lily has three petals, buttercups have five of them, the chicory has 21 of them, the daisy has often 34 or 55 petals, etc. Furthermore, when you look at the heads of sunflowers, you will notice two series of curves, one winding in one sense and one in another; the number of spirals not being the same in each sense. The number of spirals in general is either 21 and 34, either 34 and 55, either 55 and 89, or 89 and 144? The same for pinecones : They have either 8 spirals from one side and 13 from the other, or either 5 spirals from one side and 8 from the other? Finally, the number of diagonals of a pineapple is 8 in one direction and 13 in the other.

Mankind is a very greedy species and spends much of his days here on earth gathering material possessions, often at the expense of other human beings.

I was listening to a Dr John tune yesterday where he remarks you can’t take it with you. He said he had never seen an armored car following in a funeral procession.

What I believe you can take with you are the lessons you have learned about love and about understanding. I believe you can enrich your soul and infuse it with beauty that will be everlasting if you follow the teachings of Nature.