Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds!
~ Cloud Appreciation Society

Cloudspotting need not be just a childhood sport. As adults, we can allow ourselves to enjoy whimsical scenes over our heads and relish the expansive feeling of staring up at the sky. And while we’re at it, we can learn a few cloud names so that we can honor them in their brief but delightful life.

Gavin Pretor-Pinney is an avowed cloud lover who created the Cloud Appreciation Society in order to promote and share the object of his passion. You might explore the Society’s Manifesto and peruse the awe-inspiring photo gallery, or even consider joining the organization to add some photos of your own. 

Invitation for Practice

Go cloudspotting today! You might listen to Pretor-Pinney’s delightful TED talk for inspiration. When you come across a cloud with an interesting, beautiful, or whimsical shape, you might: take a picture (and send it to the Cloud Appreciation Society or to your friends), draw it, paint it, point it out to someone, or get yourself into a comfortable position (on the ground, if possible) and stare at it to your heart’s content until it disappears. If you find yourself without a view of clouds, you could imagine them, perhaps inspired by photos. What feelings/thoughts arise from your consideration of clouds?

“Instructions for living a life,” — said Mary Oliver in an oft quoted poem — “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” What better place to start than with the sky’s shimmering abstractions?

We invite you to share your reflections in the space below the author bio.

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Enjoy the full seven-day Nourishing Our Nature practice.


Fabiana Fondevila is a writer and teacher from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her latest book, “Where Wonder Lives: Practices for Cultivating the Sacred in Your Daily Life” was published in February 2021. Fabiana teaches online workshops and seminars on living a life of awe and radical aliveness. You can learn more about her offerings at FabianaFondevila.com. She is also a founding member of Vivir Agradecidos, our organizational partner in Argentina.

Image by Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash


Practices
Fabiana Fondevila

Fabiana Fondevila

About the author

Fabiana Fondevila is a writer and teacher from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her latest book, “Where Wonder Lives: Practices for Cultivating the Sacred in Your Daily Life” was published in February 2021. Fabiana teaches online workshops and seminars on living a life of awe and radical aliveness. You can learn more about her offerings at FabianaFondevila.com. She is also a founding member of Vivir Agradecidos, our organizational partner in Argentina.