At Blackwater Pond the tossed waters have settled

after a night of rain

I dip my cupped hands.  I drink

a long time.  It tastes

like stone, leaves, fire.  It falls cold

into my body, waking the bones.  I hear them

deep inside me, whispering

oh what is that beautiful thing

that just happened?

~Mary Oliver

 

Silent walks in nature can refresh a spirit of wakeful ease. Within the gentle and steady rhythm of walking, the breath in its fullness, and the wordless harmony of life's movement and stillness, a human being may start to feel a sense of belonging without demand.  We absorb beauty within imperfection and freshness despite death.

 

Just another creature transparent to the interconnected world, we walk into a rich receptive state of mind, where our own simple aliveness is no different from the intense but fluid aliveness in nature.  Gautama Buddha taught that simply being in nature was as important as meditation, discussion, study as a support for the Path of Awakening.
 

The busyness and quiet of nature can calm our own overstimulated minds and allow room for an experience of life that includes death, an experience of peace that includes effective action. 

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