A Quiet Wonder

A QUIET WONDER

 1265 words                       Laura Lee Perkins

    Perched on a large granite boulder near the water’s edge, I was near Acadia National Park in the community of Seawall. I’d promised myself that I’d make the 50-mile drive this year on the first day of spring! And here I was.

    The temperature was perfect; the sun glinted off incoming waves as silent sailing ships and lumbering lobster boats bobbed on ocean swells. Sailboat crews tugged on sail riggings and fishermen hauled traps, filled with lobsters, from the ocean floor. Each person and every boat seemed to be dancing on the water in the joy of Light. The magic embraced thousands of pinpoints of light dancing glory hallelujah on the ocean’s surface.

    The light on the water felt like a quiet wonder. Similar to many powerful internal moments, it was bathed in quietude ─ a gift, both intimately personal and totally universal. The fact that time stood still in this moment of relatedness seemed so simple. Two hours seemed long and extended as I sat on the cool rock. I was entranced by the warm sunlight. After a long Maine winter, the warmth permeated every aspect of my being.

    The experience reminded me of the delusion of separateness – the idea that one’s thoughts and feelings are isolated. Nonsense! We are all part of the whole life force. Experiencing oneself as separate creates a solitary confinement ─ an imprisonment. We are never alone. But what or who keeps us company, particularly in moments of profound connectedness?

    That moment of light on the water was an invitation to step into the exploration of mystery. 

Humans often struggle to embrace the mysterious. Invite the mystery to dinner.                                                             Feed it, digest it, talk with it and leave the door ajar so it can come and go.                                                         Summon mystery as a welcome visitor to your consciousness.

  As you delve deeper into communication with the mystery of life, your experiences will expand. Encounters ─quivering with direct contact─ will increase your levels of awareness and comprehension. The magic of spiritual connection arrives as a gift to the soul. When your knowledge begins to enhance your awe, you’re onto something really BIG.

    Every area of life is open to the possibility of illumination through self-scrutiny, which can bring forth positive changes or it can build internal barriers that might seem difficult to overcome. Our internal check-and-balance system comes from a combination of our intellect (mind) and our inner knowing (spirituality). When we achieve some level of balance about our mind and spiritual connections, the bodies’ receptors become tuned, increasingly prepared to receive powerful spiritual encounters.

   Neuro-researchers explain that the mind exists in every cell of the body; each cell has the capacity to process information. No wonder our intuitive functioning can be so accurate when we are carefully attuned! Through understanding more about how we receive and process connections between the mind and the spirit, we can eliminate much internal clutter and confusion. We’re able to live more peacefully within the realm of reality.

    Quakers often recommend following our inner leadings. I love this imagery of our soul being lead forward into the next revelation of knowing. When we become comfortable within, self-defeating rationalizations cease, and we are ready to receive. Our spiritual gates are open.

         Each individual has a personality and a soul. How they communicate with each other is integral to our sense of self and how we portray that self to others. From within that union of personality and soul, we develop wisdom through experience. The melding of the personality and the soul offers expanding opportunities to interpret and respond to little flashes of insight. These inner nudges offer a sensation of being guided by our intuition, which is nourished by the unification of the personality and the soul. Our uniqueness, grounded in spiritual self-awareness, is illuminated as we move forward, delving deeper into our life’s purpose.

      Mother Earth is unfolding as spring begins to open into flowered splendor along the coast of Maine. Damp, cool soil along the 45th parallel of Earth’s northern hemisphere has thawed. A few days brought temperatures into the 60s. The ocean is 44⁰ and warming. Spring as a verb means to jump or leap forward. How appropriate! Earth is leaping into spring.

    The puffins will soon arrive, filling the Matinicus Islands with scientific researchers. Curious tourists, hungry for a glimpse of these rare birds and a lobster feed, will fill the island cruise boats. Porpoises will entertain as eagles and osprey soar overhead. Boat captains’ pockets will bulge with cash. Lobster buoys are showing up, dotting the ocean’s surface. Restaurants sport “opening soon” signs as winter's pot holes get filled on the Route One coastal drive.

    Last night there were frogs singing in the little pond outside my office window. Bull frogs emitted their most impressive bass croaks in repetitive, rhythmical outbursts. I imagine the female frogs smiling as they listen to those low, hoarse sounds before choosing this year’s mate. In a few weeks, tadpoles will sprout legs, lose their tails and begin devouring mosquitoes. Every time I walk by, their voices silence as they plunk, plunk, plunk into the pond.

    Although it’s still too early for me to mow our one-acre lawn, crocus, narcissus and daffodils  are pushing their way through into sunlight. Our friendly little chipmunk has been begging for sunflower seeds. Two days ago, knowing that he would move all seeds offered to several winter burrow locations, we bought a 50-pound bag for him. He looked so tiny sitting next to that huge bag! Chippy loves to visit us in the garage, where he climbs up on the toes of my husband’s size 14 shoes. But Chippy seems lonesome this spring. Last year we had three chipmunks, but we’ve seen just him this year. I wonder if the other two will show up later?

    During spring, Mother Earth rouses slowly, washing her face in the spring rains. Eventually, after the sun’s rays begin to dry her skin, she slowly applies her make-up and new clothes. Spring flowers adorn her and, eventually, she gets all dressed-up in her grass skirt and flowered finery. Father Sky must be very attracted to her beauty. He’s safely enveloped her for eons as she spins through space. Her energy is immeasurable! No wonder Father Sky is her equal partner in Native American legends. They are a symbol of interconnectedness, harmony and balance.

    Months from now, the earth’s northern hemisphere will burst forth into magnificent fall colorations. The grasses will lie down for the winter. Colored leaves will fall, blanketing the earth before it becomes encrusted in winter’s ice. Mother Earth will offer all plants and many animals time to rest. I sit in awe of nature’s perfect balance. Land and sea, surrounded by sky.

    Do you observe the seasons in your life in accordance with Mother Nature? Her wisdom is bold. From her example, we can learn to trust in the unfolding process of our own lives.

     I feel so grateful to be here as an observer of nature. When we grow in knowledge, we have an opportunity to grow in wisdom also. Nature is a patient and powerful teacher if we take the time to observe and connect. She's the mothering energy that can teach us how interdependent we are on each other. Mother Nature demonstrates the beauty of life unfolding in harmony. Each minute part is integral to the whole.

    Spring is an annual reminder of rebirth. It is a promise about the importance of holding the promise of renewal throughout our lifespan. Spring reflects the gift of waiting.