Dear Spirit to Spirit friend,
Here in New York, we have just come through a very intense heat wave followed by a deluge of fierce rain storms. A third of our country experienced this, the most intense and widespread heat wave we've had- perhaps ever.
What I began to notice in conversations with others is how single focused, how overly focused we became with this one event. We seemed to need to speak about every detail of what was happening, day after day, to the exclusion of much else. This one event seemed to overtake our attention and deeper connection and conversation seemed to be left behind.
I began wondering about the animals. Not those like my Jaya and Taj who were living comfortably in air conditioned coolness. But those who lived outside and those who ventured outside frequently, like our canine friends. How were these beings managing with this extraordinary heat? Were they as all consumed with it as it seemed that we humans were?
As I softly observed the wild ones- deer, birds, chipmunks- in my yard, it was obvious that the heat was impacting them greatly. They were choosing to be noticeably quiet and still.
The deer were hunkering down in wooded areas. The birds were subdued, their songs less frequent, seeming to express only what was essential. The chipmunks were seeking out shaded rest places under my patio furniture. As they focused intensely on taking care of themselves and finding the best places and ways to keep cool, were they experiencing anything more, anything deeper?
What became imminently clear in connecting with these beings was how animals can pay absolute attention to what is needed in their lives for their physical well being and yet not abandon their awareness of, connection to, and expression of what is deeper in them- their True Nature, their Divine Nature. They so easily and beautifully reveal who they truly are even while navigating powerful life challenges.
Animals don't "try" to live this way. It is inherently who they are and naturally how they are. And...this is also true for us, human beings. It is also in us to be in vital connection with the deepest aspect of who we are while simultaneously meeting life challenges, whether they be outer like a Nature event or something that arises from within us.
We have the same innate capacity to be and express the Light of our True Nature while living ordinary life. We need to recognize, to remember that this is who we are, naturally, just as it is who animals are. And, if or when we forget and become single focused and feel disconnected from Essence, we can remember to look to the animals for inspiration and guidance.
It is a precious thing. How much we can learn about ourselves and our own True Nature from observing animals and sensing the Light that always is shining from within them. A magnificent gift they offer us...all the time. We just need to notice.
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