Bring Your Body Out Into The Landscape

“When you bring your body out into the landscape you’re bringing your body home to where it belongs” - John O’Donohue

Today I went for a walk. I followed a path I’d been on before but the ending was different. Another path appeared - smaller but well cared for that led down to a pool of water. I heard a long rustling sound. Not the kind lizards make when they dart through leaves. The kind a snake makes, it’s long body slowly moving through fallen leaves. The length of its noise equal to the length of its body. My eyes found it and I watched as it moved away, sliding gracefully up the hill. I smiled. It’s not every day I see a snake. I felt respect not fear.

A blue morph butterfly flashed its wings and danced in the air. A hawk screeched way above. So many noises. For a while I was disoriented and wondered how you ever find peace in the jungle, only distraction with so much movement and noise.

I sat on a boulder by the pool of water and looked into the rippling surface where a thin trickle tumbled from above making bubbles where it fell. I watched the reflections in its surface and then let my gaze take in the trees surrounding me. For a while there was too much and again I wondered, where was the peace. I felt fragmented by so much. Too much for my senses to take in and catalogue. And as I struggled with the too much-ness of it I noticed the feeling resembled fear and I thought about how fearful I’d been in a recent ceremony taking ayahuasca, and only after, someone reminding me that on the other side of the fear there is great stuff, you just have to be brave and let yourself go into the fear. As it was only a small fear I waded in. I let myself into the feeling of overwhelm and became a river otter swimming through the many noises and trees and vines and birds and insects and butterflies and all the other things I couldn’t see but could feel. And then I became the wind and the air. I was the great wind stirring the trees and the currents of air that go throughout the forest and I was riding through the sky and flying with wonder and strength. I had found my way beyond fear. I had found my way to being with the jungle in a way that wove it together. And I started to feel peaceful. I started to feel enchanted. I started to feel my nature at peace with the nature of the jungle. I started to wonder at the brilliance of so much life and the adventure of lying back and letting the day go by simply watching everything.

I walked home with a malinche tree seed pod in my hand and shook it like a rattle. The wise woman witch spirit in me shining stronger. My nature better for my connection to the landscape. As I returned I felt the earth around me and reached out to touch trees. I felt the dusty earth under my feet. I felt the simple pleasure of being me, simply me, on a hot summers day.