Nature is the essence of life. It’s the power cord to our souls. Our souls long to just sit in nature and revere it. To be still and connect with the autumn leaves falling from the tree or listen intently to the trickling stream. No thoughts, just awareness, just experiencing, just being.
There’s magic in nature and the more I connect with it, the more I connect with the inner magic within myself. Nature is not something that is separate from me. The more time I spend in it, the more I am reminded how much a part of it I actually am.
If I’m stressed, I go sit on my front porch. No phone, no book, no distractions, just me and nature. I watch and listen to the squirrels crack open the acorns and walnut shells. I feel the gusts of wind on my cheek and my eyes dance watching the leaves fall to the ground like colorful snow on a cool fall day.
When I need to come back to center, I walk with my family on the dirt roads nearby and connect with the local cows, horses, historic houses, farms and the beautiful landscapes. I welcome the cooler, leafless days as then I sit on my back porch and watch the paintbrush of God turn the evening sky into a dynamic swirling watercolor portrait. Every moment the colors change and I gasp like I’m watching a silent fireworks show in the sky.
My vegetable garden is one of my favorite sanctuaries. Words can’t possibly explain what it’s like to see those first leaves sprout through the darkness of the dirt and then to watch it grow and lovingly tend to it. Watching my children harvest the fruits of our labor, often times eating them right there on the spot, lights a spark so bright within me. Watching their souls drink from the cup of our backyard brings upon deep feelings of bliss and contentment. Dinner becomes a magical experience when we are cooking with food that came right out of our own backyard. The experience is like a spice and my soul craves the flavor.
The animals that come through my yard remind me daily that I am no different from them. I look into their eyes and see their souls, their essence, and feel this instant connection to the depths of my ancestry. From the tiniest butterfly, to a camouflaged leaf bug to a mama deer and her fawns, I stop and honor them. I look directly into their eyes. I acknowledge them and send loving energy so they know that I’m not going to hurt them. Rarely do they run away.
I have been known to lay on the front lawn and just watch the wind play with the clouds. It’s like watching school kids on a playground at recess.
Nature is the source of our souls, it is the bread of our very cells and gives everything we need to survive, and yet we spend most of our days completely unaware of it. We are like the prodigal sons of Earth, who have gone away and she is patiently waiting for us to come back.
When you stand in reverence to nature, you receive an unlimited supply of soul energy. She offers abundant supply, but only for those willing to show up to receive it.
Something happens when we grow older. I don’t think we make a conscious decision to stop being reverent, rather the burdens of life keep pushing those moments further and further away. When we aren’t conscious of what fuels our souls, we forget to plug in. The stress of life consumes us until there’s no room left in our incessant thinking to just stop and be.
Many of us spend our days only in our heads. Because of this, we miss all the most amazing experiences that are happening right in front of our eyes, each and every day. We are just so busy, busy, busy that we rarely, if ever, stop and just be. Being is the fuel for our souls.
Children are still fully connected to this secret about nature. I watch my children play unabandoned in our yard, on our walks, in our garden, by the water, anywhere outdoors really. The younger they are, the more in awe they are by it. Have you ever taken a toddler on a walk? You can’t get 5 feet before they stop to gaze at an ant or pick a weed or giggle at the feeling of the breeze on their cheeks. Our children were sent to teach us about life. To remind us of the things that we have forgotten.
While our physical bodies may age, our souls do not. That’s another fact we aren’t taught in schools. Those things that lit up our souls when we were younger, will still do the same for us now. If you can’t remember, just watch a toddler in nature and mimic whatever she does. Is it rainy? Instead of complaining about how dreary it is, go outside and dance in it. Are there lots of bugs on your porch? Instead of calling the exterminator, just sit and watch them at work. It’s fascinating how they know what to do and they all just do it. Are you feeling down about the events in the world? Go listen to the birds singing to each other in the trees. Their song is for you too but it takes consciousness to hear it. Feeling like the world is coming at you? Then go hug a tree, yes, I mean physically put your arms around a tree. Nothing is more grounding.
Our breath is the magic wand that can bring us back to the present moment and can bring us back to nature, which is ultimately back to ourselves. The air outside has a different feeling than the air in our house. Try just sitting in your yard, look up at the sky and connect to your breath. Our breath takes us out of our heads and back into our bodies every time. The air we breathe is a daily gift from nature that starts from the moment we take our first breath to the final second when we take our last.
Soul food is real. As small children, we are taught that we get the energy we need to live from our food, water, sunshine (if we are lucky to get outside) and from our sleep. But we are doing our children (who will someday be adults and forget) and our world a huge disservice when we lack education on how to feed our souls each and every day. I can’t tell you all the things that fuel your soul but I know that we are all part of nature and because of that, connecting to it works for everyone.
This beautiful earth has provided us with everything that we could possibly need. The very cells in our body are a product of the foods that she provided. Do you know every couple of years your cells are completely recycled? So you essentially have a new physical body over and over again? Those cells come from nature and go back to nature. Our bodies and souls flow with the earth at every minute of every day… its our minds that have forgotten.
Living a more fulfilled and spiritual life isn’t hard, it’s quite easy actually. Simplicity and awareness are the keys. Sometimes shifting our awareness over to our breath is all it takes. Or standing in the rain with our heads up to the sky and just letting the cool water awaken the senses in your face. Or walking with the sole intention of crunching as many leaves as possible and letting your ears dance to the music.
The breath we take in is Mother Earth’s gift to us and the breath we let out is our gift back to Mother Earth. Stand out in your yard, a park or simply open your windows and breathe in, breathe out and repeat the process over and over again, with awareness and intention.
We are part of nature, no matter how much we think we have risen above. She is our source and our fuel for every aspect of our being.
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