Wading through Uncertainty? Let Nature be your Guide
It is not the light we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. — Frederick Douglass
As the leaves silently release and float on their windswept descent gently landing on the ground beneath my feet, I find myself graced by a cool breeze and a moment of envy. How is it that this season of Fall makes constant change and letting go look so easy? Every day, a kaleidoscope of changing colors, every day a crisp clearing of sorts offering clarity as nature’s willingness to let go inspires us to do the same.
Honestly, change is a challenge for most and yet there is something about fall that draws me in. Nature in and of itself is an exercise in endless evolution and autumn allows us to witness the faithfulness of the process. As the light looms less and the limbs are exposed, I find myself yearning for what lies deep in the wisdom of this season. In fall there is a knowing, an inner awareness, a freedom from fear and an understanding of what must be done. A powerful reminder at such an uncertain time.
Wading through the uncertainty of the world right now, comfort comes in the continuous cycle of seasons offering the gentle reminder that this too shall pass. Yet, I long to share the wisdom of the dying leaf and darkening doe, craving their cellular knowledge and awareness of the transformation necessary to survive. What must they have thought of this past year as we surrendered our skies allowing the air to clear and the quieted winds to blow freely all while we humans wrestled through a virus induced hibernation? Fear did not interrupt their foraging, instinctively nature know how to preserve its priorities in place.
The times may be uncertain, but the moments remain undisturbed. As helicopter propellors pulsed above my home as darkness neared while protests shed light, I wondered if the earth and its creatures could sense the unrest. Did the buck stomp in defense and raise its mighty rack or the mother turkey round up her precocious poults while the hawk hovered above and the coyote lie waiting? Or like the wild geese, despite the risks, unflappable they ready themselves for the journey taking flight with no need to look back; for they know the exact place from which they came. Fear did not interrupt their flight, intuitively they know their way home.
As fires rage, winds blow, waters ravage and the ground trembles, nature reminds us to dig in and deepen our roots. This changing climate is calling us to unite in its cause, our cause. Can we offer a protective wing to gently wrap creation in a collective calm? Are we willing to seek forgiveness and move forward together despite the pain we have inflicted, despite the pain we have experienced? Scorched, nature reminds us to rise from the ashes and begin the process of renewal. Fear did not keep the fire at bay and yet, scarred, nature inspires us to begin again, to rise from the ashes stronger in spite of the pain.
This blight as the trees would call it that we are experiencing as humans is no different than nature’s fiery fury and the birds, the trees, the spiders and mushrooms, the bees, flowers and fox are all asking us to tend to our collaborative community. Uncertainty has led us each to prepare and fill our individual nests for what seems to be a long winter ahead and yet this virus has revealed symptoms we can no longer deny. Unconsciously, like the hasty squirrels we have been furiously placing what feeds us in random holes of hurt, fear, judgment and scarcity while never realizing the field is filled with more acorns than we could ever bury. There is more than enough. You are more than enough.
Fall reminds us of the courage to let go, to release, to expose our knotted burls and twisted bark allowing the dwindling daylight to reach even the deepest of our roots, keeping us grounded and guiding us home. As my hound guides me to place my feet among the fallen leaves, our daily walk offers the opportunity to release the heaviness of the world for just a moment and in that moment nature grants a glorious gift. As the cool crisp air brings my breath into view, the morning sun illuminates the exhalation of the mighty hickory in front of me. Understanding and appreciating that science offers an explanation, the expansive lungs of this century old tree offered an invitation. The cool crisp air catching its breath, the light allowing me a glimpse and the grace to witness Mother Nature opening her arms as if to ask me to accept my place, in the words of Mary Oliver, “in the family of things.”
Uncertainty, if we allow it, only exacerbates fear and yet if we take our cues from nature, we recognize our own “knowing”. Understanding that naturally we will change, we will grow, we will let go, we will come to the moment when we must jump and faithfully flap our wings and fly. The wisdom of our wings calls us to embrace the journey forward knowing we possess all that we need in order to return home. No need to look back, if there is one thing for certain, you already know your way home, so spread your wings and fly.
Wild Geese
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”
― Mary Oliver
