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.