Naturally open
Nature speaks in a wordless language straight into a receptive heart.
Have you ever sighed in relief while resting in nature? Just for a moment you let down your guard, and feel at peace. You may need to lazily wave away a fly, or scratch a little itch from the grass, but in this moment you feel the gift of zero demands.
What is really happening? It is that you are listening, you are in a receptive state. What are you listening to? It is open-ness. Young children and artists have something beautiful in common, it is receptivity, it is a type of listening, an openness to the world. When we let down our guard, and feel safe enough to give the habit of anxiety a little rest, nature can infuse our spirits with a refreshing spaciousness, for nature IS the state of Presence. This simple ‘is-ness’ opens us up to what is also our own true nature. We don’t need nature to experience our openness, but it is one of the best reminders, and in this way, nature becomes our teacher and being open to nature creates an experience of communion. So, why not let nature seep her beauty into your heart, feel the joy of spaciousness and have a rest from problem-solving yourself. In this way nature, herself benefits us as beautifully as meditation, as meditation is the experience of life as it is without resistance. The resistance stems from ourselves, some times we can let it go, and nature will share her gifts in these moments.
Nature does not need to be patient, as nature did not construct the idea of time for itself. A plant will never be late for an appointment. A rock has zero anxiety about fulfilling its goals. A storm is not blowing in order to be impressive, we can recognise that it is us who create the story of being impressed or not. In this way, with nature as our good buddy, we humans can take a break from our uniquely human fixations. That’s definitely something to feel grateful about.
Have you ever sighed in relief while resting in nature? Just for a moment you let down your guard, and feel at peace. You may need to lazily wave away a fly, or scratch a little itch from the grass, but in this moment you feel the gift of zero demands.
What is really happening? It is that you are listening, you are in a receptive state. What are you listening to? It is open-ness. Young children and artists have something beautiful in common, it is receptivity, it is a type of listening, an openness to the world. When we let down our guard, and feel safe enough to give the habit of anxiety a little rest, nature can infuse our spirits with a refreshing spaciousness, for nature IS the state of Presence. This simple ‘is-ness’ opens us up to what is also our own true nature. We don’t need nature to experience our openness, but it is one of the best reminders, and in this way, nature becomes our teacher and being open to nature creates an experience of communion. So, why not let nature seep her beauty into your heart, feel the joy of spaciousness and have a rest from problem-solving yourself. In this way nature, herself benefits us as beautifully as meditation, as meditation is the experience of life as it is without resistance. The resistance stems from ourselves, some times we can let it go, and nature will share her gifts in these moments.
Nature does not need to be patient, as nature did not construct the idea of time for itself. A plant will never be late for an appointment. A rock has zero anxiety about fulfilling its goals. A storm is not blowing in order to be impressive, we can recognise that it is us who create the story of being impressed or not. In this way, with nature as our good buddy, we humans can take a break from our uniquely human fixations. That’s definitely something to feel grateful about.
Jess Berry
