SPIRITUALITY
I have always
enjoyed being alone when I am outdoors. As a teenager I
spent hours by myself in the woods. During the winter
on Diamond I had often gone out by myself exploring. It
was on these excursions that I discovered how to let go and melt into one
with the physical aspect of wilderness. In doing so, I
discovered a spiritual aspect as well.
I followed the trail back to the outhouse, and then went farther passing the spring and taking the winding trail up from the river. I was again awestruck by the size of the trees – the pines, hemlocks, and birches.
I don’t
think I could ever just take such giants for granted. You
have to bow to them, revere them. Some of them have
stood for so long it’s hard to even imagine all the history recorded in
each growth ring.
I continued on my way veering off the path. I did not have a purpose or a goal, I simply let the landscape draw me along. I had no worries where I ended up. In winter you can always find your way back; your trail is there to guide you home. I wandered along, not in thought but being tuned into the surroundings.
One can spend much time outdoors and not see anything – not see the snowshoe hare that hops out of the way, not see the red squirrel sitting on a branch just above your head looking at you, not see the moose that gets up from its bedding site and moves away like a ghost.
When our consciousness is turned inward we do not see. We humans spend a lot of time turned inward speaking to ourselves within the deep recesses of our minds. This internal monologue interferes with our ability to sense the world around us. Walking deep in thought, the grouse that explodes out of the snow right at your feet startles you and you almost do not know what happened.
But turn your
consciousness outward and stop the internal monologue, and you will
experience a fascinating world. With complete external
awareness the grouse that explodes out of the snow is almost expected.
You anticipate the snow bulging up, the grouse taking shape, the
wing beats and snow falling to the ground as the grouse disappears in slow
motion.
External awareness is more than being the watchful prey expecting a predator to swoop down at any moment, or the predator itself, intensely focused and rushing in at just the right moment for the kill. The prey is acting out of fear and only sees danger. The predator only sees the potential prey and focuses exclusively on making the kill.
The experience of external awareness is being completely open to all inputs without any filters in place. This is a state that needs to be experienced. It is in this state that one can truly see that all life shares a common source.
We humans are
not just visitors external to nature, but truly an integral and equal part
of the connectedness of all life.