Do you stop to smell the roses?

If you’re like me, you receive some of the clearest messages from your soul when outdoors. Whether it’s a stroll through the forest, a walk along the beach, or just a visit to a nearby park, by being around nature you begin to attune to its healing vibration. And for me, springtime is the best time for that – a time when everything is being activated and renewed.

Showing reverence for all living things is what I believe is at the foundation of our survival as a species. And if you follow the teachings and example of Indigenous peoples from around the world, you understand the sacredness of this belief. For when you have reverence for all life, you don’t try to destroy it either through deliberate action or by being complicit. You yearn to heal it. That’s the way of joy. And that’s the path to peace.

But it’s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of your life and the chaos of the world. And sometimes you feel like you don’t have time to stop and smell the roses, literally.

But it’s at those exact moments that you need to pause long enough to appreciate the beauty and heartbeat of Mother Earth that is all providing – to breathe in deeply the grace of being alive.

I close this post with a beautiful poem by Chief Dan George who was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band in British Columbia. If his name sounds familiar it’s because he was also a musician, poet, author, and actor, best known for portraying Old Lodge Skins opposite Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man that came out in 1970.  I can still remember the first time I saw that movie.

Please enjoy his love poem to Mother Earth with your full heart soaring!

My Heart Soars
⁓ Chief Dan George

“The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass
speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,
the freshness of the morning,
the dewdrop of the flower,
speaks to me.

The strength of fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
And the life that never goes away,
They speak to me.”

And my heart soars.

Sending you love and reverence from your Joy Mama,

P.S.   Please make time to allow the healing energy of nature soothe your mind as well as you spirit. It’s the best prescription I know for wellbeing.

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We are all connected

 

Image from Pixabay.