A book caught my eye yesterday morning as I gazed in that in-between space in early dawn. It was a subtle nudge I’ve learned to pay attention to. Otherwise, it could have been another moment in another time. I inherited the book, Talking with Nature by Michael J. Roads, from my mom’s bookshelf ten years ago.
I have learned to pay attention to subtle nudges of ordinary things because always they are signs and clues guiding me in synchronicity. James Redfield calls these glimpses mysterious flows.
“Perceiving this mysterious flow, I knew, remained the central experience of real spirituality, direct evidence that something deeper was operating behind the scenes of the human drama.” - James Redfield, The Secret of Shambhala
What if our personal mission is unknown? What if I don’t know where I’m going? I’ve asked this question so many times, and my truth is I know what I want; I know what I don’t want. I have likes and dislikes. I have desires and wishes. And I want to be happy. That’s what I start with.
Every day I open to a deeper part of my heart because I have set my intentions. I am willing and continue to say yes to life.
Michael J. Roads, an organic farmer in Australia, writes about his experience opening his heart to nature beyond his thinking mind.
“It offers a new way for those who want to heal the wounds of alienation and become reunited in loving awareness with the natural world.” - Michael J. Roads, Talking with Nature
In the silent spaces between my breaths, I have been asking for help. So much has changed in the past few years and I am often feeling blindly guided along a path. I ask for help; I ask for clarity; I ask for gentleness; I ask for understanding.
While Michael Roads sits on the edge of a flowing river, writes the guidance he hears.
“I will support you. Trust me. as you swim from an old consciousness, blind to higher realities beyond your physical world, trust that I will guide you with care and love into a new stream of consciousness. I will open a new world before you. can you trust me enough to let go of the known and swim in an unknown current?” - Michael J. Roads, Talking with Nature
I followed guidance and started this meditation community. I listen to hear subtle messages, subtle images, noticing what gets my attention. These are the gifts of living in the flow. Living in synchronistic flow; living with intention while watching in expectancy; living with awareness.
This world is noisy, bossy demanding actions to get with the flow. There’s always drama. If egos had wings, they would be flying haphazardly banging into other egos. It’s a busy world often screaming for our attention.
It takes courage to step back. It takes intention to create silence, even for 15 minutes a day. It takes courage to listen. It takes patience to continue. It takes trust to follow the tender silent whispers. Silence is waiting.
The mountains tell me, hold your head high. Whatever be the problem, look it in the eye. The rivers tell me, don't look behind. March on ahead, till your goal you find. The sea tells me, have depth of character. The waves call out, don't forget your laughter! The trees tell me, do good to one and all. Let go of the past, like I let my leaves fall. The sun tells me, you must go on shining. In every dark cloud, be the silver lining. Have a look at nature, and you will see, There's so much to learn, just like me!
Participants’ Reflections:
This reading ran deep for me with each and every line. The one about let go of the past as the trees let go of leaves. I have lived in the same geographic area for 50 years. I am finding that people who were key in my life in previous decades I can no longer connect with. I’ve learned to let go with love and appreciation. I see light in that direction. So thank you.
I was struck by the phrase about paying attention to the nudge of everyday things. The serendipity I can find that way, when I’m open, can be very revealing. I have a gardening book that my parents used in the 1940s. It is still recommending things like DDT. It’s telling one what was going on for popular gardening. It also tells me how my parents were rooted into gardening. I’m a gardener so I like that connection. It’s a nice way to stay in touch with them and what they loved.
Thank you. During the meditation, I reflected on my connection to nature and being part of it, and I was struck by my being—I am nature, you are nature, all people are nature. How much I love what I do because I love getting to know new people and hearing their stories and caring for them. It’s a rewarding job. It was delightful to realize that one reason I love helping people is that it’s all nature, like hugging a tree. I saw it in a different light.
Thank you. I enjoyed this reading. I get nudges from the universe all the time. I’ve made a commitment to be open to what comes my way. I can remember big things like meeting my spouse and finding the book by Attar on the birds that speaks to me. Sometimes, I reflect how I saw something which led to something else and on and on. I pay attention to those moments.
It’s how I found the book, Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway. I walked into a bookstore and the book fell off the shelf. It was pretty wild.
Early on, books were a large part of my life. Books were recommended by people I admired. There were books that would speak to me. I would go to a bookstore and hold a book and it would speak to me. If it didn’t, I’d put it back. Later on, when I worked with women and girls, I told them to do that. If a book doesn’t speak to you, you don’t have to read it. If you read half of it and it still doesn’t speak to you, you can stop reading it. You can go with the flow.
I loved the image of the waves in the ocean being laughter. It’s so true that there are many ways that nature speaks to us. I can remember when I first moved to the mountains. I was invited to a dance. I got out of the car and was nervous and froze for a moment. I had this feeling of being embraced by these beautiful mountains around me, and it was like being held. I realized that that’s what brings people to the mountains. There are so many images that speak to us because we are nature, we are the tree. Yesterday, I was the bear. I saw it walking behind our complex. I thought how beautiful it was that I looked out the window at that moment. He or she was just ambling along, and I decided I would try to amble in my future walks.
I feel I amble when I am outside, I go where my body tells me to go. Thank you. I loved that reading. I appreciate being outside. On Thursday, my son looked so happy. On Friday, he said he wasn’t. I had to hold him while he sobbed. How things can look a certain way but we never know what is really happening. With nature, it’s different. It is what it is and I see my authenticity in it. We just had a big storm and I went out to see the sunset. It was the most gorgeous sunset I’ve ever seen. The sky looked like a painting, with the sunset, the reflection of the sunset, and a massive double rainbow. No matter what was going on and how sad I felt, that moment was so amazing. My neighbor makes bluebird houses. And right above the rainbow was a blue patch of sky in the shape of a bluebird.
I started painting outside a while ago. It’s the greatest way of noticing things because I have to study what I’m painting. I started studying the trees on my property. We have a tulip tree blossoming, also the roses and dogwood tree. I tried to imitate a technique of Kehinde Wiley who celebrates African-American lives by taking photos of people in surroundings of ornate backgrounds.
I’m a slow learner when it comes to some things. Nature is a teacher if we take the lesson; it’s letting it be. I have to learn that over and over. Nature lets it be. If a tree needs to swing in the wind and die, it does that. It’s a progression. It is ‘let it be’ magnified. We need to learn that from nature.
Thank you for your heart-felt presence. I feel it without words. I’m going to keep listening for those moments and watching the clues and feeling the flow. They seem to always be there. And when I doubt, it slows me up. So I bring myself back to just being. I hope you all have a gentle day.
Photo credit: Photo by Alfred Schrock on Unsplash
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