How often do you take the time to stop and observe what is going on around you in the natural world. To notice the beautiful dance that occurs between the birds, the animals, the plants and the trees. How the birds, carry seeds as they fly and then drop them so that they can grow into plants and trees. How animals carry some of those same seeds on their fur, transporting them to new places.

How the water from the clouds fall and sink into the soil, carving pathways through the rocks only to come back to the surface again as clean spring water. Water that we can drink, water that can heal us.

How often do you notice the plants that grow around us, the plants that so many destroy to make way for manicured lawns. These plants that have healed our ancestors and lie in wait to heal us. That tune into our needs and grow exactly where we need them. How often do you notice, the magic that surrounds you. That happens naturally.

Where once we were a people that had faith in what was around us, now we keep looking for someplace better to be.

We have cleared land to make way for construction, disrupting the web of life that once existed there. We have built up and up, away from the ground, away from the earth that connects us all. Buildings are getting bigger and bigger and now we exist in a time where we are more segregated than ever. Rising ourselves up, up and away. But where exactly are we expecting to go with all this construction, with all this clearing of land.

We have disrupted whole ecosystems, so that we can plant food, food that now needs chemicals to grow. Introducing the idea of monoculture, rejecting the power of diversity.

We build houses, apartments using toxic products, products that pollute the air and the ground. We live in these abodes, within these four walls, contained and disconnected. We do not need to acknowledge what is happening if we lock ourselves away, if we close our eyes and ears to the devastation that is happening around us. If we do not take the time to notice what is happening around us, then how will we know what needs to be done.

What is a home, is it not a place to gather with your loved ones, a space where you can nurture one another, a place where we can connect with one another. Is that not what a home should be? A warm, safe and loving space. Yet how many toxic products do you have in your home? You may be safe from the outside world, but what are you bringing into your home?

When I was a child I could never understand why my family and everyone around, went into a building to worship a "God" that created the world. This cold building, that represented death more than anything, when all I wanted to do was celebrate life. They talked of these miracles that happened, yet everyday I witnessed miracles out in nature. All of those things I wrote about in the beginning of this post, those things I call magic. The natural dance that occurs in nature, the dance that ensures that life continues, that life thrives. This is what I wanted to celebrate. This is what I do celebrate.

Where the trees grow, where water comes to the surface to nourish and heal us, up in the mountains where the air is clear, these are my sacred spaces . Not buildings that are constructed on land that has been cleared of life, for I am here to celebrate life, to protect it.

I take a walk outside and I feel life all around me, I walk barefoot and feel the vibrations in the ground. I feel connected, I feel safe.

Yet, we live in a world where many have become scared of the outdoors, especially when darkness falls on the land. I am not talking about built up areas, but rather the wild places in nature. Where has this fear come from.? How do you feel, about taking a walking the dark? About being out in the forest when the sun has long set and only a small slither of moon shines in the sky, surrounded by the sounds of wildlife, as the animals , birds and insects call to one another. Do you feel at peace? do you feel safe?

Our senses are heightened at night time, we hear more, and our awareness grows. The natural world is transformed in the darkness, it takes on a new and mysterious beauty. Trees take on different shapes, the rustling of grass becomes easier to hear, even the air smells different. The darkness calls me to me, telling me to slow down, to listen. Inviting me to explore the many wonders that abound.

I am happy to get lost in the darkness, to let it wash over me and take me on a merry dance. How about you?

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