The Solace Of Nature

“Silence creates an opening, an absence of self, which allows the larger world to enter into our awareness. It brings us into contact with what is beyond us, its beauty and mystery. Silence is not the absence of sounds, but a way of living in the world – an intentional awareness, and expression of gratitude, to make of one’s own ears, one’s own body, a sounding board that resonates in its hollow places with the vibration of the world. “

~Kathleeen Dean Moore, from the Orion article “Silence Like Scouring Sound”

Dwelling in the ‘silence’ of natural sounds, smells, textures, landscape – sensing with our elementally intertwined bodies. The interconnected life force of nature – wholeness – can bring us out of chaos and separation, and into reverence for the natural order, mystery and intimate beauty of all life. Back into a sense of balance and wonder.

Falling into the portal of nature we are strengthened and reminded of what is important….and what is not.

It was in the silence of a pristine snow covered landscape on a morning in Vermont, my boot covered foot breaking through snow the only human sound, as I started out on my morning walk.

The night before I had been awakened by a housemate knocking softly at my door urging me to get up and follow her outdoors into the frigid night air. The pure delight I saw on her face was enough for me to follow her into the darkness wrapped in only a robe and walk a short distance around a corner of the house.

As I rounded the corner with her I followed her lead and looked up into the star studded sky and almost fell to the snow covered ground as I gazed at a waterfall of light pulsing and flowing down toward the earth. In those moments of this dazzling Northern Light display that charged no admission fee, and asked nothing of me than to be still in the silent night, a childlike wonder wrapped itself around me.

Still enraptured with that experience only the night before, and acute awareness of being part of the larger world, I dropped into the pristine silent snow covered landscape as I begin my morning walk. Bare trees immersed in the low light of a Winter morning were suddenly broken by a flash of color.

A brilliant red Cardinal sitting regally on a branch, gazing in my direction.

The waterfall of Light the night before, brilliant red of the Cardinal on a morning walk – all wrapped in the silence of the natural world – released me into the sacredness, comfort and nourishment of simply being part of it all.

Expressing appreciation for the miracle of embodied life and all that interweaves with it in this shared sacred tapestry.

This continual unfolding creation of nature brings us back home again to the roots of our being where we can take a full breath in reverence….inspired and renewed.