17. Colors of the Sun
SEASON: Winters End(!) // MOON: Full(Eclipse) // RECIPE: Pear Palate Cleanser
In the quiet of a warm winter’s afternoon in Andalusia—in the courtyard in front of our cortijo—I closed my eyes and let the sun reveal its secrets.
Enjoying the sunlight from behind the pulsing veil of my eyelids, and the warmth on my face, the colors began dancing as the sun painted a thousand hues in the vast canvas of my inner vision. I was enchanted by the riot of colors flooding my mind—with the golden glow leading me into a space of serenity.
The interplay of light and shadow once again became a profound mental dialogue. Their relationship to one another. Their spectrums and the way the two seem to magnify, prove, and enhance one another. The sun growing brighter, with the boundaries and shadows becoming sharper and deeper. The eerie-ness of a shadowless moment, often experienced in moments of eclipse when light is hidden.
With my eyes open, the sun’s brilliance was so electric and vivid it carved deep silhouettes, reminding me of the harmonizing contrast of an orchestra—each note a burst of light, every pause a shadow that gives the melody its depth. With my eyes closed, the unformed texture was hazy, bright, muddled and soft, reminding me of the electric and numb feeling of disassociation.
I drifted back to heartache and happiness for a moment, thinking about the way the two didn’t always seem to me like they belonged to one another or like they should be viewed at the same time by the same set of eyes. Yet, the two behave like they are in relationship, contrast enhancing clarity. Grief, acting as a shadow on a day bathed in radiant joy, making distinct the edges of experience, adding depth and meaning to the brightness of our resilience. The flow of our emotions echoing unique and particular quality. The more I come to appreciate the spectrum, the more I find appreciation and peace in even my worst woes.
Waking from my trance where I was lost in the interplay of these luminous thoughts, I reached for my phone, curious to see if reality mirrored the dreamscape my eyes had painted. Opening Google, I quickly searched, “colors of the sun”. Appearing before me in the resulting page, I was surprised to see images taken by NASA not so dissimilar to what I had been seeing a moment prior while looking toward the light with my eyes closed—all these textures and bright colors conveying strong feelings of emotion.
The images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory reveal hidden wavelengths, unveiling a realm of the sun that remains unseen to the naked eye—a secret world that echoes the beauty of contrast—the known and unknown. It’s pretty wondrous to remember and think about how much is invisible, to both the eye and the brain.
I was so inspired and enchanted by my daydream/meditation and way the images reflected my experience that I decided to base my design plan for the house in Spain on it. And, with us calling this project ”House of the Noonday Sun” (I’ll write more about the story behind this name at a later date…)—what could be more fitting or in alignment?
I want this house to reflect both it’s place in the sun among the olive groves— and the meaning behind the lessons we are circling around in this life. We will lean on contrast while considering balance, and reach to color to speak to emotional harmony. We’ll keep things minimal and the spaces reflective so the home can be a reverent place for alchemy, adding personal touches as a nod to identity. And, we’ll remember fluidity, like the flow of oil from our luck of olive grove land.
Ultimately, it was the interplay of light and shadow—both the radiant and the hidden—that has guided us here. The contrasts that have shaped our days and the mysteries that have lingered in the unseen that have remind us that every nuance contributes to the grand symphony of life. As we continue to seek knowledge and meaning, we remain ever curious, doing our best to embrace both the brilliance of the brightest color and the most subtle obscurities with equal wonder.
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RECIPE: Frozen Pear Palate Cleanser
I got spring cleaning on my mind. And sweetness.
A few nearly overripe pears made their way into the freezer about week or so ago. Then, last weekend we picked up this beautiful aged balsamic (with these delicious notes of dried fruit and molasses and the mildest acidity) which inspired a simple sense of play in the kitchen and resulted in this bright, refreshing treat.
There’s a lot going on in the world. A lot of heavy and hard to process stuff. And, there’s been this reminder in my heart that has been carrying me, the reminder that— in difficult moments and times we need tiny bits of magic, and sweetness, all the more. To keep myself from sinking, I seek to create these moments of buoying beauty/flickering, these brief distractions from the stare. Something of a palate cleanser.
INGREDIENTS:
4-6 Pears, Diced and Frozen
2 T. Olive Oil
2-3 T Lemon Juice
Drizzle of Balsamic
Pinch of Sea Salt
METHOD:
Place the frozen pears, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse patiently until smooth like a sorbet. Scoop into a cute serving dish, top with a drizzle of aged balsamic and sprinkle with a small pinch of flaky sea salt. Enjoy as a light dessert, yogurt topping, or as a palate cleanser— while allowing yourself a moment to detox the palate and the weight of your worries.
Note: I left the skins on my pears for a little added texture to contrast the creaminess of the fruit. You can peel the pears if you want something silkier. I personally really enjoyed the texture.
