My meditations in nature have mostly consisted of breathing in the space, giving more attention to the sounds and sensations around me, less to my thoughts, and blending my interior experience with the exterior experience. Resting in being in nature, bathed by the trees, the sounds, the changing light. It is a happy time. I sit near a huge Douglas fir under a canopy of maple leaves. Early in the mornings, it feels like a cathedral, so sacred.
This week I went to audit a morning of the Nia brown belt training in Portland, staying with my friend, Cassy, who is doing the entire training. That morning we were playing in emotional energy. Noticing the base emotions of love or fear, and how other feelings can interact with them. Practicing dancing and moving with emotional energy. It was a lovely experience.
On my way to meditate the following day, I had upsetting thoughts related to a local political issue on which I do not feel heard by my neighbors when I have expressed my thoughts. In order to calm myself to meditate, I chose to stream love to this beautiful space I rest in. Love to the trees, the birds, even the mosquitoes. It was a warm, cozy spaciousness. I noticed that when uncomfortable thoughts came in, I continue to hold the base energy of love, as the thoughts happened. It was such a blessing! I felt deeply touched.
I have done a meta practice (offering lovingkindness to all) on and off over many years. We do a little meta practice at the end of each Nia class I teach because it is so healing, especially in that open, restful, healing space after dancing and stretching. And, this was different. It was simply being love - meta without words.
So, this morning I could not wait to get back to my sacred space. Some time after settling in, a black blob appeared in peripheral vision scurrying quickly towards me up the path. In no time, two large white stripes were visible on it's back! There was no time to react, and nothing to do, but sit there in stillness. BIG BUBBLE of FEAR present! Not the fear of death, or even injury, more the fear of YUCK! It stopped right in front of me, its face and most of its body obscured by my knees. I could sense it smelling my leg and pressing against the fabric of my pant leg. I tried to calm myself with talk, such as, "they only spray when threatened. I'm not a threat. It's OK." It finally moved slowly less than two feet away, with it's tail pointing straight up, it's rear in my direction. It paused for what felt like a few seconds (I repeated the mantra: "I'm not a threat, I'm not a threat, I'm not a threat"), then it continued quickly up the path. HUGE RELIEF, and GRATITUDE! Big breath! I wanted to laugh, and in this cathedral like space, at this time, it felt inappropriate. So, laughter inside.
In three years of nature meditations, I have very occasionally been visited by other wildlife, but never by a skunk. I have never been that close to a live skunk. So, BIG THANK YOU to skunk for being an angel and not spraying me. Next time, I hope to hold the energy of love if you approach.
Addendum: For the next couple of days after my skunk encounter, I heard animals scurrying at the base of the bank I sit upon. They were heading south, down the bank. I suspected they were skunks, politely avoiding the path while I was sitting on it. On about the fourth day, as I was approaching the sitting place, I chanced upon two skunks cavorting on the path in front of the Douglas fir. They noticed me, as well. They were really cute, however, I thought of how quickly the first skunk approached me that day, and decided to run. At my normal meditation time, it is getting to be dark down in the magic spot, and it seems to be the time that skunks (who are near-sighted) are out and about on the path, increasing the likelihood of more encounters. So I have given up meditating outside in the early morning hours, for now. No other place on the property holds quite the magic of that space.
