Seasonal Changes & Natural Meditation! -- Post 3

Sitting inside,

I grow into my chair,

Crossing the threshold,

Outside,

Along my every path,

Wild flowers walk!  *

September opens first with a cold snap followed by a long needed rain over several days; a steady soaking rain, at times so fine appearing as only mist on my glasses, at other times hard enough to encourage staying  under roof.  On Friday the heavens relent allow sunshine with a freshening breeze. Ground and vegetation remains thoroughly wet still I need a walk. Recalling that last year I’d discovered a local patch of nearby prairie I drive body and soul to nearby Anderson Farm County Park. 

Being human is difficult. We have three aspects to our being: 1) body; 2) intellect; 3) spirit or soul. Some say four, but let’s keep it simple for now!  Our challenge to harmonize all three. Meditation can  facilitate that process.  In spiritual practice talking to the higher part of being is considered prayer.  Many terms exist to conceptualize this part. A few examples will suffice: Great Mind, End All Be All, Tao, Brahman or God! Being a poet I've coined my own term "the power that flows through all things."

 Meditation is considered primarily listening. I consider mediation that which helps move me from my default or habitual way of thinking, evaluating, or defining life and who I think I am. Rather than the taught form of meditation; to sit motionless trying to focus on breathing in and out as the monkey mind swings from thought to thought. Mediation can also be seeing and hearing that wakes me. For these activities too can slow or quiet the yammering monkey mind open me to an expanded view of being to that mostly silent part considered spiritual. For me slow walking in nature exists as a powerful form of meditation.

                                         

Leaving the truck at the edge of the gravel parking lot I’m immediately drawn to a large bright red clump of berries. Fruit of the Jack In The Pulpit an amazing transformation from spring’s hooded forest dweller a unique plant with giant spadix. The spadix called Jack hides under curled over leaf develops tiny male and female flowers near the base. The pollinated flowers develop into the bright red berries seen in the fall. Pulling my faithful cell phone camera from pocket I begin taking pictures of a wonderful array of wild flowers, grasses and other plants. I lose myself in the panorama of color as I move from flower to flower trying different angles different distances, different perspectives all in an attempt to get a good picture. Many of the flowers I can name, many I can’t. I spot a monarch butterfly on a flower try to move close enough to snap a picture. An hour and a half passes in simple minded bliss as the present moment dominates my being and movements. The incredible simple pleasure of being taken by amazement of the rich variety of color, subtle myriad shades of green and seed heads of those done blooming. Elements of my being join in the process, the body acts as vehicle and container, the soul joyful as if being fed ambrosia, intellect engaged in viewing structure, arrangement, changes of rooted plant life from flower to seed. Seed to plant to converting sunshine energy to raise leaf and stalk to flower and produce more seed. The variation in stem, stalk,  leaves all growing together up and around each other.  

         

 

        

The closing line, "Wild flowers walk," comes from observing as a breeze stirs to rise and ebb making the flowers dance and sway as if a choreographed ballet.

Writing too can be a form of meditation. Utilizing all three aspects of being. Although intellect appears to dominate writing must be informed, helped by what lies mostly silent inside spirit/soul. Work on a poem or essay exists as a process of searching: What am I after, really trying to express here? Then how best to communicate that which wants to be expressed and shared. The root of communicate is to commune. There's that plant metaphor used to indicate many words stem from, ah the plant metaphor crops again, and again, stems from a common root.

Research has demonstrated that in large urban areas parks improve the quality of peoples' lives that lead to improved communities. No amount of butt on mat time will replace green space.  I return to truck with a feeling of gratitude for the people who planned the park, planted the prairie with the long view of health and diversity for our community. The animal, intellect and soul rejoice find peace in nature.

Thanks for joining me! No blog next week! May you find peace and serenity

* From The Journey In The Human Dilemma, Living A Koan, Collected Poetry & Prose by Anthony Hendricks.