We live in an enchanted world.
All of creation sings together harmoniously in a beautiful endless symphony.
I knew this when I was a little girl and I spent my days playing in the garden; lying on the ground watching the clouds go by and clinging to the giant trees in the front yard (which are, sadly, no longer there.)
I knew this then when I spent time in the country at my grandma’s farm, and at other relatives’ homes, and I recognized the wind was a living, breathing organism, with a personality, and voice, all its own – sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce.
I knew this as I watched and listened to the crops sizzle and grow on hot August evenings, or as I crossed back and forth in ours and our neighbors’ yards capturing fireflies with a plastic bag wrapped around the lid of a milk jug for cancer research.
I’ve known this as I’ve spent a great deal of time in the presence of our animal and plant brothers and sisters, and allowed them the opportunity to share their unique visions of our shared home with me.
I’ve known this when I’ve taken road trips to the American Southwest and West Coast, and witnessed the variety of landscapes between here and there. It is no mistake New Mexico is called “The Land of Enchantment.” My soul has a special affinity for New Mexico, and feels an endless longing to return to that magical world.
That all of creation is alive and connected has not changed, nor will it ever change.
What has changed is our ability as humans to see beyond the surface of our surroundings, to use our five God-given senses, and a bit of our intuition as well, to recognize the vitality that is densely packed in the space in which we live and move and have our being.
What has changed is our ability and willingness to look and listen.
What has changed is our ability and willingness to Be Still and Know God (Psalm 46:10)
The wiser among us have learned through trial and error that it is in our best interest to turn off all the electronic noise and distractions and spend regular time being schooled by the natural world around us.
This world and its inhabitants – human and otherwise – have many lessons to teach us, if we are humble enough to place ourselves at their proverbial feet, and listen with a contemplative heart – as Mary did with Jesus, while her sister Martha busied herself with household duties.
My early experiences listening and communicating with the world around me have never fully left me. But, as I grew into adulthood, they did get pushed down – sometimes deeply – as I attended to the responsibilities of life and work. And as they got pushed down, I felt a real absence in my soul, a longing for something I just couldn’t put my finger on.
In the past five years or so, I have made it a point to reacquaint myself with this world and all the magical beings that live there. I try to spend some time outside on the deck every morning and evening if possible, stilling myself and breathing in the landscape that has been part of my father’s side of the family for more than 100 years.
When I am able to be particularly still, I can sense the spirits of all those who have lived or played here, circling and leaping in communion with the spirits of nature that remain here, but evolve in their own way, as well.
The truth is, all of the world is interconnected in a great Web of Being.
But in the logical, practical time in which we live, this reality is seen as suspect at the least, and perhaps delusional at worst.
Throughout my life, I have been changed by this great interplay between humanity and the natural world. It has molded me into the woman I am – the one who is always on the lookout for Beauty – knowing that it is available for me to find in abundance, if I just look with the right set of eyes.
Most importantly, this awareness of the interconnection of all being, has reinforced for me the great responsibility we have to respect and protect what has been entrusted to us, just as our plant and animal brothers and sisters – and all our other natural resources – have respected and protected us.
SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column that examines. Contact Jerrilyn Zavada at jzblue33@yahoo.com to share how you engage your spirit in your life and in your community.