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   Nature Quiz

   Signs, Omens and Metaphors in Nature

   The Spirit of nature is always talking to us, always trying to get our attention. Not with words but in the far older language of signs, omens and metaphors and through our feeling sense. When we are paying attention and being receptive to nature, we are more able to detect and understand there meaning. You may have had the experience of being in a room full of people and had someone speak and you just knew they were speaking to you even though they may not have spoken your name. We pick up various subliminal cues and just know in our bodies it was meant for us. In the same way we can feel when nature is communicating with us. We feel a jolt of recognition that something unusual is happening.  Receiving communications from nature is energizing and uplifting. These communications let us now that there is more going on than our ordinary everyday lives.

   Life always responds to our consciousness and our cries for help and guidance. We just need to pay closer attention to unusual events and meaningful coincidences. The more we open ourselves to the wild, untamed quality of nature the more nature will respond to us.

   A sign is an event in nature following a request for help. It shows us how to proceed with a difficult situation. For instance one day I was sitting in my garden and writing about finding my soul purpose. I closed my eyes for a moment and then when I opened them again I found a tiny iridescent hummingbird feather on my notepaper. I felt awed that the universe had given me such a magical gift.  What did this mean? For me is meant focusing more on the magical qualities of the world, that this was what I needed to feel and communicate to the world. 

   An omen is a strange, unusual, bizarre or mysterious occurrence that shows us something ominous or prophetic is occurring or is about to occur. On one of my first vision quest when I first came to this country, I came over a hill in Point Reyes, California and saw a Mountain Lion and Coyote sitting about 3-4 feet facing each other. This was not only an unusual sighting but also a bizarre and strange occurrence. That day I got to face head on just how whining and spoilt I was. Confronting this aspect of myself was important for me in order to move forward in my growth.

   A metaphor is tuning into the essence of a natural object or animal, to sense what qualities they carry and how these can provide us with valuable lesson in our life. On my morning walk I was pondering how best to communicate how special and nurturing nature can be. As I was asking my deeper self this question I noticed swirling mist rising from a nearby stream as the winter sun warmed its surface. I realized this was how my affinity would be communicated. I didn’t need to worry about how to do this; the warmth of my love would allow the poetry and inspiration of nature to naturally flow into the words that I write and speak.                       

Another example would be how I have always been attracted to pine trees. This attraction tells me there is some something there for me. On a walk one day I was drawn to a very large and old pine tree. The branches bowed down under their weight to form a natural shelter around the base of the tree. As I stood at the base and looked up into the towering height I felt my whole body opening in awe of the magnificence and strong presence of this tree. The essence of something can usually be felt on first contact with something if we are paying attention to our feeling response. The initial impression you get from land, a tree, a person or animal can tell  us a lot and can be the bases for developing an ongoing and deepening relationship with that person, rock, tree or whatever it happens to be.

 I returned to this tree a number of times and sat in its presence and wondered what it had to teach me. One day I put my hands on the trunk and placed my forehead against the bark of the tree, opening myself to feel her. When I noticed some fresh sap on the palm of my hand I knew in my body this was a gift given to me by the tree. I tasted its sweetness and as I breathed in the fresh, clean fragrance of pine I felt my mind clear. Then I realized the qualities of this tree were important lessons for me. The importance of standing tall and bold, how its fragrance gives clarity of mind and its sap gives sweetness. I asked the tree what made it so strong and bold, so I could embody these same qualities. The image answer I got was how its roots went deep into the earth and this connection with the earth was what gave it  its strength.  

   As you can see, following what you are naturally attracted to can bring deep lessons. We don't have to wait for the difficulties in life to teach what we need to learn. We can allow the force of attraction to move us forward in life instead of following the difficult route of life hitting us on the head to try and wake us up to those areas that are not open to the power and beauty of life.