Yosemite. Overview Effect On Earth.

I told my wife I fell in love with another. Her name is Yosemite. It went well.

Camping by a mountain lake in Yosemite National Park located in California’s Sierra Mountains. There to mountaineer for 7 days with expert mountaineering  cousin to climb its peaks and revel in its unfathomable beauty.

The experience altered my reality like never before and led to an everlasting shift in my awareness.

I have always been one to love nature for its intrinsic beauty and healing powers; always believed that nature had an intrinsic worth;  born with it, much like every other life forms.

Unbeknown to me, there is a term for this: Deep Ecology. It is the belief that nature’s “value” is not assigned by us humans. It is already there, inherent in its being, in its aliveness.  According to Britannica:

“ Deep ecology, an environmental philosophy and social movement based in the belief that humans must radically change their relationship to nature from one that values nature solely for its usefulness to human beings to one that recognizes that nature has an inherent value.”

Stating the obvious, nature is suffering and will continue to do so until we shift our perception and realize that without a healthy and thriving ecosystem our souls, our spirits, our biological lives are compromised.

We have to save nature.  For our own good. A selfish posture, right? Yes, but what else can be said at this point?

If we had all been deep ecologists, if we had all believed that nature had intrinsic value and that is equal to other life forms, would it be in that state that it is? Most likely not. At this point, paradoxically,  we have to continue to be selfish but this time with a firm purpose and act to save it so we can save ourselves.

I left Yosemite with a sense of renewal but also with a broken heart. Two simultaneous truths fighting for authority in my mind.

I will continue my work of bringing a sense of awe and reverence to what sustains us. Hope to do so by describing those moments of awe when I bathe in nature’s healing.

It is my small attempt at shifting more humans to join the cause; to fight for our communal souls and to give nature the space it needs to recover and do what it does best: Nourish humanity.

My work is difficult to categorize, they are not poems or full essays. More like deep explorations of the emotions felt during moments of awe.

I write for myself but at times share so others can perhaps say “I want some of that” and act. With that purpose in mind, please find my latest. 

Yosemite – Overview Effect on Earth.

A mountain lake

early dawn, coffee on hand

The day, rising, ready to reveal its blissful calm

Mind, ready to receive, there, hyper-present with all senses

An unfolding setting begins to sparkle before me

The feeding of the soul begins.

Snowcapped mountain, majestic they stand guarding

Clouds, slicing snowed peaks, breaking, then reuniting to continue their journey
Small rivulets, their sound soothing and enigmatic, move towards me,

cool mountain winds, their maker.

Crisp blue skies, the mother of all canvas’s, holding all elements together, encouraging a celestial, unified harmony. A canvas of incomprehensible beauty piercing all human senses.

There, in a trance, I sit, feeling these words

My post is a flat rock accepting of the touch of the lake waters, the final element.

A celestial gift is being proclaimed. A profusion of  stunning elements dispensed. An exquisite landscape perfectly balanced, harmoniously  delivering its medicine.

I feel its power. I am Invited in. I release. I am one with it all.

Tears flow.

The rivulets are communicating. Their music, soothing, carrying the weight of the world and all that came before it, delivering its message to the shores of the human experience.

The rising sun awakening its holistic liveliness fills my sight.

The cold breeze, caressing the lake’s surface flows deeply into my lungs.

The low early morning light warms my face as I close my eyes to feel its embrace. My soul, waking, takes it.

Fresh meaning cleanses the darkness within me.

Gift delivered. Gift received. Gratitude stirring

An epic shift occurring. A deep understanding cemented.

Nourishing medicine healing this soul. Truth, once again, revealed.

There it is, the greatest gift of all, nature

In all its opulence, present

Ready for us to accept with caring, open hearts

Present and at the ready for us to feel its power

To understand; to completely understand

To shift us into acceptance. To conclusively learn that we are one

One connected soul.

How to protect it?

How to deliver a gift in return?

How to open my heart even more?

How can I have others feel the same.

One With A Cove - Las Catalinas - Costa Rica

One With The Cove

The west coast of Costa Rica and I am waste deep in a warm, green body of seawater. I am enveloped by a spectacular mid-sized horseshoe cove that you see in those stunning pictures of impossibly beautiful destinations. The cove is punctuated by two high and rocky mountainous peninsulas framing each of its sides. Their terrain carpeted in shades of fading greens, emerging creams, browns and rocky greys.

It’s the beginning of the dry season and the vegetation is changing fast with the incoming dryness and heat.

Low tide and a serene onshore breeze is driving the green deep ocean waters forward. The cove feels alive as the nourishing waves make their way inward in their journey to high tide and the inevitable transformation of the beach.

The green water canvas appears to be breathing as the water gently rises and wanes with the attending winds and the soothing light from a fading horizon. The winds hug the surface of the sea leaving behind ripples birthing a calming shimmering sea for the senses to behold.

Multiple islands stand between the shore and the horizon adding a symphony of elements creating a loosely bounded aesthetic romance. Nearly the entire cove is vacant. Far in the distance, to my right, I see small bobbing heads from other souls perhaps in the same trance that I am about to enter. For the most part, the cove is all mine.

Except for the pelicans.

Three of them have taken ownership of the area around me and I am now a fascinated spectator to their activities. They repeatedly perform flyby’s barely millimeters from the water’s surface and but a couple of feet from where I am standing. Precise flying is an un understatement as the tip of their wings skim the surface with every pass. They go about diving all around me in pursuit of their evening meals. As they continue their frolicking, they become part of the evolving canvas of which I am now a part. They have become the leading protagonists, rejoicing in the bounty of this cove nourished by the Pacific Ocean. I feel like an intruder in the midst of their feeding fury. They don’t seem to mind my presence and cast not a glance my way. As they continue their dance, I let myself be lulled by the waves and slowly ride them up and down with each crest and trough.

Approximately 30 minutes to sunset and the timeless shades of yellows and oranges are crafting their final presence. Another day submitting to the rigors of the universe and coming to a close. I close my eyes and let myself be immersed with all my senses. I extend my arms sideways and carefully place my open palms on the surface of the water. I follow the rhythm of the ocean and raise my arms up and down in full synchronicity. I can feel its body. Its fullness. I am one with all that surrounds me. The setting lights. The warmth of the sun relaxing my face. The green ocean. The pelicans. The seductive breeze. The solitude. All united to form a perfect utopia for the senses and the mind.

I am one with the pelicans and all.