The wind chimes reveal themselves slowly. Beacons tucked into corners, on the next little ridge, up the path, hidden right above your head. You must keep your eyes peeled. Ask questions. Watch the flow of others on their
visits and discoveries. The wind chimes and their creators surround you by the very fact of geology in the Vale of Cashmere. The vale is a dip in the earth, a hole created by a glacier melting 17,000 years ago and tearing rock and soil into
an arena of blue and green. You walk in the center, around the pond, ringed by trees, braving short distances of sun. Each branch is a potential host. Some chimes scream for you from across an expanse. Large or loud. Others are experts in
camouflage, as if they were species native to the Vale, perfectly blended. The chimes come in all forms and materials, hard and soft, objects recycled and refabricated to hang and collide with each other at the slightest disturbance. Without
the wind blowing, they invite you to touch. You must graze, lightly prod, slightly destabilize them to release their sounds. Hear their rumbles and whispers, feel their different textures. The trees have alarms. The Vale is an instrument now.
- max neely-cohen
the vale of cashmere became much quieter around 4 o’clock as the festival was winding down and a lot of folks had split with their wind chimes
julia & I had packed up all our wind chimes and gear and came by to say goodbye and say thanks for such a wonderful day that you both put together
As we were walking up the hill
I don’t know exactly what happened next
But
It felt like a dream
Or a flash
All of sudden I noticed the wind had picked up
and I looked up
And
every leaf
on every tree
in the vale of cashmere
Was fluttering
It
Was
The
best
Music
I ever heard
it was bonkers !
The greatest musicians in the world can practice a hundred years and never even come close to the sheer beauty the trees were making
It dawned on me that the wind chime festival was all around us !!
It’s always there !
It always has been there !
All the time !
Its everywhere !
We all are wind chimes!!
All one has to do is pay attention and get the fuck out of the way !!!!
It was incredible
Some kind of satori
I once read that a zen master was asked what’s the difference between “before enlighenment” and “after enlightenment “
He said before enlightenment, mountains are mountains & oceans are oceans
After enlightenment, mountains are mountains & oceans are oceans
(But your feet are a little bit off the ground)
Thats exactly how I feel ever since the wind chime festival !
All I can think about is wind chimes