One has seen better days
Yet still smiling ‘cuz
Many more are to come
In hours of fallow haze,
Releasing what one was
As the work has just begun
Mingling among inner ways
As a loner often does
Seeking what he will become
Snapshots caught within a daze
Simply flicker, as it was,
For the days are not done
Hearts now lit ablaze
As is what Spirit does
For the All is in One
One will see better days
And continue smiling ‘cuz
All return to which he’s from
Almost a year ago I wrote an essay for an inspiration contest. This article provides you with a bit more information of who I am and what I do. Here https://www.rosiecentral.com/post/inspiration-contest-winner-susan-payne-for-her-the-edge-of-wild-story is my published essay on Rosie Central. Please pay Rosie Central a visit. This is an informative and inspiring site that empowers women through writing memoir and providing inofrmative and impirational posts.
A water nymph or a wood nymph? A title is not her being, nor is her being a title. She seems to be bound to two worlds. On bended knees her moss laden legs stretch and dig into the river, her roots grounding her beneath the riverbed. Yet, she bears the mark of the forest upon the etched bark of her back. Whether or not she is claimed by both water and earth, she dances with the wind. Her arms reach skyward to the sun which shines upon her. She knows she can never be contained, for it is her freedom to be a part of it all…and she rises.
As humans it is within our nature to define or confine ourselves or others to titles or labels by occupations, talents, traits, or relationships. With the ending or changing of careers or relationships these titles modify. One may experience a sense of loss or perhaps of freedom, thus an alteration of power.
One experiences many changes in a lifetime. As one reflects on the past, she may find she has faced change kicking and screaming and other times jumping in with both feet. Other changes may have been gradual and graceful. Has there been a time of upheaval in your life that in retrospect proved to be beneficial? Have the use of lables and titles in your life been both negative and positive? What strength do you find within yourself to guide you along the journey of change? From your lifetime of experience is there a piece of advice you wish you could have imparted to your younger self?
From the sacred space of the mountain top one becomes a scout. He can see enemy territory and detect if perceived threats are illusions created by the fog surrounding his own heart or if the dangers is real. He can see clearly over mountain and valley. He knows where the streams run, forest thrives, and glades of potential rest exist. He sees rocky paths, mountain passes, and clear trails. He determines the best routes to supply his needs. He knows his inner terrain as no other. These are the sacred grounds of his soul. He knows the destination and the route he need to take. He need not depend upon an outside scout to lead him. His heart is connected to the earth; to the trees, the ground, the rocks, the streams. The sun guides by day and the moon by night. He and Earth are one, and they walk together. He has complete faith in this process. From where he stands he sees where he is, the way he is to travel, and his destination point. He trusts Spirit to provide his needs along his journey. His body tells him when to walk and when to rest. He obeys the needs of his physical self and those of his spiritual self. They, too, walk in unison.
There are many ways in which one can be or is a beacon. Often it is simply the light they exude/the energy they carry which lights the way for others. Circumstances and events build to a crisis where needs are overshadowed or overlooked, resulting in an imbalance of systems. It leaves some with a sense of hopelessness in correcting a vast shift of energies. Their pleas reverberate through the universe. Many hear. Some react. Others ignore. Many feel they don’t have a voice, their needs remain unheard. Do you know what it feels like to be ignored, to lose your voice yet the desire for harmony continues to stir within? Harmony is a united front as one energetic system feeds into another. While the left hand may not know what the right hand is doing, there is a center point which does. This is the heart, the still point. It is love which creates change, builds better worlds. This is not only the call of who are referred to as the indigenous people but of the mother herself. We are Earth and she is us in her myriad of physical forms. Many activists pick subjects or elements of this unbalance-a focus on the people of various cultures, the needs and care of animals, water or air pollution, trees, rainforests, what some refer to as global warming etc. They pick a topic without addressing the issue which is imbalance. While yes, there exists an imbalance in each of these areas. What is the root of each? One could say man. So, if it started with man, how can man restore nature? Of course, one wants to save rainforests, create nature reserves etc. All this is well and good in its own way however it isn’t a long term solution of restoring balance. The restoration of balance begins in the heart of each human. Until each human lets go of ego and learns to live through his heart center, imbalance will remain. Within and without, one must create harmony within his own being to co-create a better world. The answer to the problems of nature rests within the nature of each man. Who is willing to clear his inner landscape and plant seeds to feed the future?
We – you – are people of Earth. We feel her pain. We feel her joy. We are her heartbeat. We are the wind, her breath. She lives through each of us, and each of us through her. We are the flow of the river, above and beneath the ground; the eternal spring of living water. We are the roots of the trees which ground us in place and wings of the birds which grant us freedom. We are the beauty of every bloom. See, we are the blood, the breath, and the beauty. We are the physical forces of nature in its rawest power. We are her. She is us. We are one. Remember this. Feel her heart beat in your chest. Feel her blood flow through your veins. Feel her roots pull you. Feel her wings give you flight. Feel her. Remember her. Remember who you are. You contain the force of a storm and the gentleness of a pond. You know how and when to use each one. The choice is yours. While there is a time for all things, all these things must spring from love. For love is the beginning, the now, and the future. For the mother (Earth) is love. She nurtures from such as well as disciplines. She is love in its original state. She is the basis of this world. Humans distorted her purpose. Remember her love. Remember her purpose. For her love and her purpose is yours. For you are her, and you are us…we are one. We are love.
Stay true to your path; acknowledge the needs of your soul. Spirit will lead you where you need to be. Jump in the river, so to speak – you have the strength to swim the current. No need to fight against it. It will guide you to the exact place you need to be. The river is within you. It is not an outside force. It is a single stream which runs through your soul. This is your true knowing within. This river is home; all your spirit needs is sourced from this bed of living water. Drink. Bathe. Know you are one with it. Trust, this is your true essence. No outside influence can equip you to better know yourself. No matter what they think they know, they know not YOUR bigger picture. This image is a tiny seed within. You are unfurling one petal at a time, and will fully bloom in your own timing. This way is specifically designed for you, not dictated by others. There is no need to explain your path to anyone. Keep swimming; it’s more difficult to tread water than swim with the current. You are not only the swimmer; you are the river. The current is your power. Both the water lily and the lotus move with the water. The lily leaves lie flat with the surface while the lotus rises above the level. Both bloom. Their leaves and flowers distinctly differ, yet they symbolize all that is true. They are nurtured by the water and nurture the water in return. Know you are worthy. Know you are loved beyond measure. Stay true to your essence.
Earth supports man. Man must reciprocate this energy. It is this energy exchange that heals and balances both. If one, instead of exhausting all efforts before turning to love, approaches all through love, he will often see his answer before the question arises. This is the process of ancient forests. Each tree does this in cooperation with the whole. They understand the cycle of life and integration of all systems within the forest. They act accordingly, each supporting one another. They communicate on a level most humans do not comprehend. When one makes a decision based on the highest good of all, he invites others to join him. They co-create an environment of healing which harmonizes all. This change builds better worlds. While man lives in a busy world and may think he has little time to make a positive impact, this one simple act of love benefits not only humankind but all he touches. Will you be one to reach out and touch the world with love?
There was once a day when man roamed the earth with his senses intact. When he felt the wind, he heard the words of its tongue. When he heard the crackle of fire, heat rose within his body. When he drank of the stream, he felt its life force. When he walked upon the sacred ground, her heart beat through his. He was one with Earth, for he was all of the elements. He understood love in both her caresses and her discipline. He was one with nature. People have turned their love and respect away from Earth and into themselves. Not in an inner journey but in an outer, physical egotistical direction, away from all that is sacred and sustaining. Man must find his way back to what is important, to the love that is life giving and sustaining, to the principles of our true nature. There has remained a small stream, and a trickle is returning to the flow to reestablish the great river of life; a connection of love and harmony. This includes self and others, a nurturing balance of systems within humans and nature. The time is upon us – the sun has begun to set and will rise again. With each new day, restoration continues. One must breathe this in to his lungs’ full capacity and release all that no longer serves him. The new man is being created to not to live “on” Earth but to live “with” Earth. For their hearts will begin to beat as one. We walk with you. You step in our footsteps, and we step in yours. We see you. We feel you. We are you, and you are us. Together we transform the world … one step at a time. Balance is being restored. Harmony will exist. Love will prevail. Rebirth is upon the horizon.
Edge of Wild 