Seeing shapes in clouds

Gazing up at the sky, one of life's simplest and most delightful joys unfolds - finding shapes in the clouds. If Hamlet ribs Polonius by asking him if he can see a cloud 'that's almost in shape like a camel', then a weasel, then a whale, for the rest of us, spotting creatures in the sky is a magical skill we come equipped with.

A fluffy cumulus can become a rampaging elephant, its trunk breaking up into smaller cottony strands. A dark nimbus may well be the face of a witch, with jutting chin and peaked hat. A graceful stratus can be a sailing ship, or even a mischievous grin - or both, depending on how you look at the cloud.

In these fleeting moments, the sky becomes a gallery where imagination paints its artwork. Seeking shapes cultivates a meditative quality, luring the observer into a serene mental space that fosters creativity.


Seeing shapes in clouds makes the 'uplooker' a creator, almost on a par with the entities that made the clouds, the sky, and indeed the cloudwatcher.