Nature as Mirror

Photo: (c) Jamie K. Reaser

It was a dream 

in which my greater self

rose up before me

accusing me of my life

with her extra finger

whirling in a gyre of rage

at what my days had come to.

What,

i pleaded with her, could i do,

oh what could i have done?

And she twisted her wild hair

and sparked her wild eyes

and screamed as long as 

i could hear her.

This.  This.  This.

~ Lucille Clifton

PRACTICE

• Dress appropriately for the weather so that you can remain comfortable in the out-of-doors for at least an hour.

• Bring an adequate supply of water, a cushion or chair to sit on and a compass if you so choose, and a pen and journal for recording your observations.
• Go to a safe place out-of-doors.  This place might be very near your home or quite remote.
• Practice “Connecting with Nature” (posted January 8, 2013).
• Sit down facing North, close your eyes, and allow your thoughts to become still (give yourself at least a few minutes to calm your mind).
• Open your eyes and allow them to softly focus on some aspect of the landscape in front of you   perhaps it is a tree, a bird, a stone, or a mountain.
• Ask yourself, “If this aspect of nature was a mirror, what would it be reflecting back to me about myself?”
• Notice what comes into your awareness   perhaps it is aspects of your character that it is time for you to let go of or transform, or aspects of your life that warrant celebration and gratitude, or a deeper awakening to your unique gifts.
• Journal your observation.
• Repeat the question, observations, and journaling while facing East, then South, then West.
• Make an offering of gratitude to the place (perhaps each direction while reciting what you learned).  The offering might be comprised of water, prayer ties, a poem, song, etc.
• Repeat the entire process routinely in the same and different locations.  Notice if any patterns emerge with respect to the aspects of nature that serve as a mirror or in reference to each of the directions.

This practice was first published in "Courting the Wild: Love Affairs with the Land," edited by Jamie K. Reaser and Susan Chernak McElroy and published by Hiraeth Press (2008; www.hiraethpress.com). (c) Jamie K. Reaser. All rights reserved.