Mountain Morning Beauty - Smoke, Clouds, Rays of the Sun
When doctrine ceases to be regarded as something external to one’s inner experience, it becomes at once the living principle of conduct. Kenryo Kanamatsu (quoted in Terry Tempest Williams’ The Glorians)
What might it mean to conduct ourselves in accordance with life, rather than in opposition to life in all its manifestations? It is this kind of natural conduct that I wish to embody in a soul-life supported by faith in the sensorial authority of Earth: what we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. I trust the process of life. Some may call this God, some may bow to Allah, others may speak the name of Amida Buddha or Elohim. We can name this force field for ourselves as we celebrate each moment when our interior and exterior landscapes fully meet and merge in a story of humble accomplishment. Terry Tempest Williams, The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary
I’ve been deeply moved this week by the spectrum of Life that I’ve encountered. Like Williams, I aspire to embody a life of choices aligned with Life as a co-creator.
This week I’ve experienced Life through the senses as I’ve walked each morning. Smoke gathering in the mountains as the Sun rose over the peaks. A bunny literally hopping on the path. A small copper colored dragonfly. Lively birdsong one morning; eerie quiet the next. The smell of smoke from fires scorching parts of the west. The taste of fresh local organic produce. Grandmother Moon in Her fullness hanging in the western sky before dawn. Stuffy nostrils in the extremely low humidity, smoke, and high grass and tree pollen. A fallen nest on the front porch, eggs shattered.
Our senses bear witness to all of Life. As I become more alert and aware as a witness, the question deepens in me, I feel nudges, mostly gentle, to more fully align my daily life and choices with Life. I behold the sacred question: How?
In the midst of a drought that is now categorized as ‘extreme’ and nearby areas categorized as ‘exceptional’, I capture gray water in all my sinks and carry it to a nearby pinon. The same with water in the tub after each very quick shower. If I find myself grumbling about the time and energy expended or thinking ‘well maybe today I won’t …’ I think of those whose access to clean water requires hauling it miles on foot each day. I use minimal water for the basil and a few decorative plants, and I’ve turned over an area seeded with native wildflowers this spring to the bunny who munches there at dawn and dusk.
The car will remain dusty and dirty and a maintenance project that would require a lot of water use is on hold. I’m moving forward with planning to slow down and even retain some water flow when the rains finally come as surely they will.
I share this not to brag, but to sound the call that I believe we can no longer do life in the unconscious ways that most of us have done in the past. My actions don’t seem like much, so I lean into trust that this is enough for now, and that new possibilities will emerge in their time. Something greater than this, than I, is unfolding.
I witness what others are doing to align with Life here in my community and actively look for inspirations in what others are doing in the world. A couple weeks back I noticed a long snakeskin that had been shed near the Stupa down the road, and I saw the hole where the snake enters and exits its den under the Stupa. A few days later, workers installing edging around the perimeter had marked the snake’s home and drilled a hole in the concrete edging so the snake can come and go from its home. For me, that’s the type of awareness and intention that exemplifies aligning with Life.
What is deep in your inner world that may be calling for greater alignment in your daily walk through life?
Thoughtful Alignment in Support of Life