Finding Spirituality in Simple Things. (english original)
We are living in difficult times. Our calendars are full of to-do´s, taking our teenager to the therapist, caring for an elderly parent, demands from work. There seems to be no space for doing the dishes, going on a date with your partner, self-care, yoga and all the sexy things those spiritual self-help books preach. There seems to be no space for all the could´s, should´s, and would´s. We have our moments of joy and peace, but what about the moments when life feels crappy or lonely and we just want to crash on the sofa with a blanket and watch Netflix at night?
I had one of those mornings when I decided to go for a walk in the forest where I live. Sometimes stress or health complications make life small for too long and we get stuck. I knew the best medicine for smallness was getting BIG, getting out in Nature, and going WITHIN myself to connect with that which is eternal. I was curious what new stories the tracks would tell me. Where are the deer feeding now? Have the Butterburs turned completely yellow yet? What do the spider webs tell me about the weather (past, present, future)? Actually, I just missed being out in the fall weather and shuffling my feet in thick layers of leaves.
I came across a stack of freshly cut spruce trees more than 4 meters high. I could feel the land around me and wanted to offer healing. These forests are powerful, resilient and will be around long after people have left this area. So maybe they didn´t need healing, but I felt a need to DO something. I surrendered deep into the land around me. I surrendered deep into the light within me. Energy surged into and through my heart and my hands burned with an inner fire. All I could do was simply say, “I see you. I love you.” I hoped that my presence and respect was a little offering that would be accepted. A few moments later I was surrounded by 15 birds, mostly Zaunkönige and Kohlmeise. They came within less than one meter away from me, and it felt like my heart stopped for a moment. There I was, standing in the middle of a gang of happy, wild, sentinels. My eyes locked in on the eyes of a small Zaunkönig. His look was piercing, as if with his youthful bravery, said, “We see you. We love you.”
That was when I see that I was being seen, and that was healing.
But not just by a little bird, but by some much more vast and mysterious. Like connecting the dots, all these birds were connected with each other, interacting with each other as one organism. The birds were interacting with the leaves, as one organism. The leaves with the forest, the forest with the weather, the weather with the movement of the sun…and I was a part of it. The eye of that Zaunkönig became a doorway in which to see Spirits of the Land, fields of energy, and life force flowing through everything. All of us were mirrors, reflecting back to each other the courage and determination of the Zaunkönig to grow, heal, celebrate life. That life force seemed to say, wherever you are, however you are, I AM.
The Self-Help Industry in Western dominant culture says we are the sum of our choices, and we should attract all this good stuff into our lives. We live in a cultural framework that prioritizes individual Agency (our ability to act). But the truth is that much of what defines our lives happens TO us. Or better said, FOR us. Does a tree attract drought or flooding into its life? Did I attract a family with 3 generations of trauma or a war in Israel? Through hard times, we learn to create meaning and resiliency. We learn to feel that the Big Love is with us not only on the mountain tops, but in the valleys. We learn that in every moment, in every encounter with a Zaunkönig or a chronic pain, Infinity is peaking through, reminding us of our deep and pure light.
We need a spirituality for the lives we have, not just the lives we wish for. We need a spirituality that is big enough to hold it all. We access the Big Room when we can surrender all the could´s and should´s and accept the moment for what it truly is – a beautiful, messy, miracle.
I wish you a week of small miracles, of remembering just how unique and connected you are. As the days get shorter and colder, I wish you micro-moments of slowing down to see the infinite in the finite.
Heart2heart,
Darrel
Do you love listening to nature?
Here’s an invitation to embark on a beautiful journey and discover a way of listening you never thought possible. Experience Dadirri – the Aboriginal Art of Deep Listening (in English).
Let nature speak to your heart in a whole new way.
>>>Hier kommst du zur deutschen Übersetzung des Blogs. (Here you can read the German Translation of this Blog.)<<<
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