These lines are drawn from an entry in Earth Vision, a travelogue of spiritual ecology, a work begun in 1987 and completed in 2007. Currently in e-book form, The EV travelogue visits 70 sites across North America with artistic photographs and poetic prose.



The Earth Vision project went on to produce five books with a theme of spiritual ecology, as well as ongoing treatments of current environmental issues, in the form of articles. In 2008, Insight21 was launched, a sister project to Earth Vision. Insight21 presents answers for the 21st Century.

Of note, Earth Vision was conceived around the same time that its author discovered the inspiring music of Daniel Kobialka, which lent an underlying thematic feeling upon which to compose the writing. Readers can experience a musical quality living within the pages of the Earth Vision material. In fact, the overall composition of the first book, the travelogue, begins with a prelude and ends with a coda. The prelude is offered here as an introduction.

Prelude: Soundscape of Light

In the night, as his dreaming forms a weaving of sound and image, he opens to a stream condensing from an ethereal height. Grounded in spirit, anchored in light, the chorale flows earthbound to merge with redwood violin streams, wandering coyote piano keys, shimmering swan trumpetings, and myriad other voicings that form a symphonic pool.

Within the pool, trout and salmon harmonies wheel in a broad eddy, interplaying a lucency that wakens an angel who dwells upon a ridge of joy. And the river of light-sound spills down through a forest of dancing nature spirits and out across a broad plateau, over which lofts the angel prisming with light and color.

Steadfast the radiance glides on until, by the rim of the plateau, whitewatering through a canyon of deepening hope, the stream of rarefied consciousness rounds a final bend, then tumbles as a waterfall, a heartsong that cascades down into the Void. . .

There is no sound now. No movement. Only silence and stillness. And a soft imperceptible glow.

The mystery has begun.

For the full version of Earth Vision, a travelogue of spiritual ecology, by nature writer Josef Graf, explore the EV site.