The Four Natural Sanctuaries

“Every moment is a teacher. Every breath a blessing. Time, not a straight line – but a circle, a rhythm older than memory.

Our elders remind me: the now is sacred. Not something to race through, but something to sit with, to feel, to honor.

The winds carry stories, the land holds prayers, and even silence has something to say, if we closely listen enough.

Grateful for the lessons hidden in plain sight. For the hardships that shape us, and the joys that remind us why we are here.

Today I walk slow. I offer thanks. Thank you. I recognize that this moment – this very one – will never come again.”

Navajo Nation

---

~Silence – hear our soul

Tears found their way down my face as I stood at the rim gazing out at the vastness of the Grand Canyon embracing the echoing silence. This was soul territory. A silent vast magnificence the indigenous elders held sacred.

In our noisy world of today filled with a human made cacophony of ever present sounds we lose the quiet voice of our soul, that deepest ever present part of us. In the moments that I was in communion with this sacred landscape time stood still and the silence bathed me, a reminder of wholeness and connection without interference.

Deeply connected to the elements who reside here, wrapped in the silence of Source.

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA/Photography by Gaye Abbott

~Solitude – find our truth

There is loneliness….and then there is solitude. In one we often are sad and try to change it, and the other we seek out and then find who we are without life’s demands and chaos taking us from our center of being.

The sanctuary of Solitude is a gift we give to ourselves if we are blessed to be able to do so. When we have lost our way the truth of our choices is revealed when we seek out this sanctuary.

In the silence of solitude we listen to ourselves and may even ask questions of ourselves. We become the creek flowing down rock embraced by the vibrant green of nature. Breathe….

Western N. Carolina/Photography by Gaye Abbott

~Stillness – reconnect to presence

Labyrinths are created in the sacred geometry of spirals, never ending circles – natures call to being in each unfolding moment. Walking one step at a time the stillness of presence floods every cell in your body. There is no clutter of mind talk, but instead one step connected to one breath.

How often do we choose stillness over the endless call to do. It may surprise you to find a gift wrapped in the calm and peace of simply being present. Something you left by the wayside when you put on your human agendas and expectations.

Caught in a whirlwind of doing, surrender into stillness.

Weaverville, N. Carolina/Photography and Stone Spiral by Gaye Abbott

~Simplicity – remember what really matters

It is to the simple presence of water that I go when life feels much too complex and overwhelming. What lessons it teaches, this precious elemental resource that we cannot go without.

The science is clear: being near water is good for your mind, your body, and even your sense of connection to the world around you.

These healing environments, often called blue spaces, are being studied for their powerful role in reducing stress, boosting mood, and supporting long-term wellness. In an era of burnout, over-stimulation, and ecological disconnection, water may be of of our most overlooked allies.

Go to the sanctuary of water wherever it may flow to remember the simplicity of simply being.

Highlands, N. Carolina/Photography by Gaye Abbott

---

Thank You for being a subscriber to Wildly Free Elder posts – or finding your way here through synchronicity! Through 2025 there will be regular posts on the 15th and 30th of each month. Please feel free to contact me with your thoughts, reflections and wild creative endeavors to inspire others. Gaye Abbott (click here)**

If you don’t want to miss future posts simply sign up for the blog here: https://wildlyfreeelder.wordpress.com/blog/ *When you receive your email remember to click on the title in order to see all images and videos posted on the post website.

Please note that all blog posts can be seen on the HOME page by clicking on the Blog Archives tab.

Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 06/15/25