Nature as Teacher

Find Your Strongest Life: Singing Me to Her

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I remember a line from a song in the Dances of Universal Peace, “Mother Earth God, she is calling me . . .” and a line from the movie, Australia, “I will sing you to me.”

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What would it take for me to hear Her song more?

Well, the New Mexico land sings me to Her.  Recently, I’ve heard the song for a while and wasn’t finding time in my schedule to answer her call.  So She spontaneously cleared my schedule for a few days!

I just got back from Taos two nights ago.

What I noticed being there: she sings me to Her because I am a stronger version of me when I’m there.  I am in tune with myself, the natural rhythm of my life and of Life itself.  I am aligned with both my spiritual Self and my human self.  Whole.  Needing nothing.  Being.  Present.  Breathing deeper.  And taking in the incredible nurturance of the Earth herself.

Ah . . . . . . . . . .

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Ah, the melodies of the trees, the clouds, the sky . . .

I lived there for two years in 1999 – 2000.  I get the sense that I will be living there again.  Maybe sooner than I imagine.  Certainly, I will listen for and follow her song more . . .

What about you?  What calls you?  What puts you in tune with yourself, the natural rhythm of your life and of Life itself?  What aligns you with both your spiritual Self and your human self?

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The path home . . .

Post your comments, insights and progress below.

Thank you for playing with me today!

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Spiritual Retreat: Flowing with the Roaring Fork River

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During my personal spiritual retreat last week, I took a day to drive the three hours to Glenwood Springs to meet with my new coach, Jeff Patterson.  We spent most of our time sitting on rocks at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers.  Later that day, I spent several hours upstream on the Roaring Fork, taking in her gifts.

I did not consciously know it before sitting there on that beautiful summer day, but I had been starving for the river.

As a child and teenager, I spent a couple weeks of most of my summers playing on the banks of the Crystal, Roaring Fork and Frying Pan Rivers while my dad fished.  I loved wading in the freezing cold water, building forts out of sticks and smashing rocks to smithereens.

Crystal River
The Crystal River near Redstone, Colorado

These Colorado rivers flow swift and powerful with clear water.  My dad taught me to respect their pull and never under estimate how quickly I could be taken down river without my consent.  When I first visited the east coast as a young adult, I was appalled by how lazy the rivers there seemed to me.

And, then I fell in love with the New Mexico desert and only occasionally noticed the Rio Grande River, even though I have spent hundreds of hours within a mile or two of her.  I’ve devoted all my retreat time to the desert and have only ventured to the mountains to ski – again without paying attention to the rivers.

What nourishment had I craved from the river without even knowing?

As a very grounded Taurus, I love being on the land.  Often slow to change, I can sometimes resist flow, preferring  to plan.  The steady roar of the Roaring Fork called me to embrace flow and change with a bit more trust.  I could feel my body relax into the flow of the river, feeling the constancy of change – even feeling excited by it!

For the past few months, I have been in the  middle of a tremendous personal and professional growth spurt.  The mighty flow of the river offered me courage to more fully allow myself to grow and flourish, even as I often feel like a baby beginner . . .  

Positive mental attitude in spite of myself (day 19)

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Wow, so one of the best things about committing to doing something for 21 days involves having that focus even though “I don’t feel like it.”

I’ve had a challenging day with too many tech issues.  Some haven’t resolve.  Heck, some may never resolve!  And, because I promised myself in front of you all to keep a spiritual focus for 21 days, I press myself to get out the door and over to the park.

And then I start to feel better.  Those tech issues take a lesser role in the great big stage of my life as I walk through open space, lovingly greeted by friendly trees, a cool breeze and warm sun.

Praise God and Gaia . . . 

Spiritual retreat: observations and ponderings (day 11)

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I’ve just returned from four days of personal, spiritual retreat with a meditation focus in the New Mexico desert. I’ve been on many such retreats and every time I’m there, I tell myself I MUST do it more often.

All that quiet, all that open space, all that natural beauty, all that allows me to drop into meditation as I walk, as I eat, as I contemplate . . . simply being there, breathing, walking, soaking it in . . .

When I’m there, I feel most naturally me. I know God in every moment, whereas in the city, I don’t tend to notice God in every moment.

Is it easiest to know God in nature or is it specific to each person? I would love to hear from you. Where and/or when do you feel most naturally you? When do you most notice God?

I also love spiritual retreat because I’ve given myself time to just be and then notice what I’m drawn to – usually in the form of reading, writing or projects. I feel as though I am challenging myself with, “Who am I without computer or television?”

On this particular spiritual retreat I found myself drawn to spending time to really take in responses from my client survey, asking Spirit to help me know what’s most important for me to know. What could I learn about what people most value and appreciate from me? What could that tell me about how I can better serve?

I also found that finishing Seth Godin’s book, Tribes, gave me some wonderful clues about leadership and how I might best lead.

On one of my walks, I spontaneously created the Ann Strong Roadside Beautification Project and collected 96 (But who’s counting?) cans and bottles from a 1/2 mile stretch. Great exercise and a beautiful outcome! And, more road to cover on my next spiritual retreat! Ah, job security . . .

And, I wrote a tribute.

 

The Earth’s Joy

Surrounded by the Earth’s unfettered
majesty and beauty,
I give thanks to the glory of God.

Cradled in Her presence,
Fed by Her bounty,
I give thanks to the abundance of God.

Rejuvenated by Her full acceptance,
Refocused by Her clarity and grounding,
I give thanks to the love of God.

Inspired by Her quiet power,
Awed by Her radiant simplicity,
I give thanks for knowing I am one with God.

Dedicated to Sunshine Valley, NM
Sangre de Cristo Mountains