"Allow your heart to expand and overflow with adoration for this magnificent creation and for the love, wisdom and power that birthed it all. Rapture is needed now - rapture, reverence and grace. " - Ann Mortifee
photo by Leigh Hilbert
The first flowers are in full bloom. The thrushes greet us with their song. Earthworms tickle the soil awake. Tiny miracles abound. The garden and the budding trees invite us to join this annual ritual of renewal, and dance, sing, giggle, love, and put a little spring in our step.
photo by Leigh Hilbert Today in the northern hemisphere we are halfway to the longest day of the year. Can you feel the energy quickening around you? For many of us, it has been a challenging and heavy winter. By embracing and learning from the natural world we can regain a lightness of being.
photo by Leigh Hilbert
This week, take some time to connect with nature. Get your hands in the dirt and plant something. Lie on the sweet smelling grass and drink in the sun. A couple of hours of this and you will be filled with peace and the vital promise of spring.
photo by Leigh Hilbert Happy Beltane. May well-being and balance abound!
Nayoki & Veronica glowing after they danced around the Maypole today
A rare west
coast snowfall - the kind that blankets the world like a feather quilt and
stops school, schedules, and traffic. I am walking outdoors, reveling in the
swirling flakes when I notice it.
photo by Kmax
“It’s so still”, I whisper, “So
blissfully still. How I’ve missed this deep quiet.”
It wasn’t
just the lack of noise. It was the sense that all was rooted and
resting, in balance with the season, taking pause.
photo by Leigh Hilbert
In my busy
life of doing and our world of constant buzz, I had begun to think the stillness
had vanished. Yet on this snowy morning, my cells remembered how it feels to connect
calmly and fully with the natural world around us: expansive, energized, relaxed, open, and at
ease.
photo by Leigh Hilbert
The
stillness is still here. Somewhat frayed around the edges by the ways our wireless
communications technologies interfere with the earth’s electrical and magnetic fields,
but miraculously – the stillness is still here.
photo by Leigh Hilbert
The next
day, as the snow was melting I reflected on what else in my life generates this
sense of cellular connection: holding
stones, touching trees, swimming in rivers, walking in the forest, putting my
hands in the dirt.
photo by Kmax
It seems I need
nature now to ground my body, reboot my nervous system, and electrically re-balance my brain.
Why? I am susceptible to the electromagnetic
fields created by WiFi, cell phones, dirty electricity, and all the digital
technologies that are the new norm. As I
observe the frequently stressed and frantic world around me, I suspect I am not
alone.
My wish for
all of us this holiday season is that we experience the joyful calm of winter’s
stillness - our own silent night - and that we begin to understand how the
technology we choose to use shapes our lives and affects all beings.
Yes, nature
is resilient. And still, a core part of me longs for the deep peace of the earth’s
frequencies, uninterrupted.
For more on
nature, humans, and technology, take a few moments to watch my seasonal gift to
you, a piece called Cellular Deception which combines Leigh’s wildlife photography with my music.
For those who are curious, here are some specifics on how I choose to navigate the
digital age:
I have a powered off, emergency-only iPhone without a service plan in my car in case I am on the road and have to call 911. All other calls are made with a corded landline.
We use
secure, wired high-speed internet at home. The WiFi is always turned off.
We don’t use cordless DECT phones or any
smart, Bluetooth, or wireless devices.
Our forced-upon-us smart meter is shielded,
with its radio frequency transmitter turned off.
I use a
wired keyboard and mouse with my laptop to minimize my contact with its field.
My device
of choice is an iPod – always in airplane mode, always switched off when not in
use.This gives me the perks of a smart phone without the problems.
At night,
we turn the breakers off in our bedroom to give our bodies a chance to rest, regenerate,
and “Sleep in heavenly peace.”
