Crossing the River
If you asked me what sacred means I would say, all of nature is alive and listening — the trees, the water, the stones, the air, the animals and plants — not the same way humans do, but in their own way. The simple act of crossing a river, of doing it as a ritual, leaves me feeling I belong to life. The way nature listens and witnesses me, the way it is present with me when I am present — I never get tired of celebrating that. I never get tired of feeling Beloved.
I was hiking uphill and breathing hard, stretching my stride like striving would win a prize. The crunch of gravel under my boots was both satisfying and meditative, a rhythm that lulled me out of replaying my day. I looked through the trees to the farthest I could see and expanded my energy-body to fill all the space. Alone and in nature, I feel safe to let myself be big.
I crossed a creek that’ve I’ve crossed many times, stepping on stones exposed by the low water. But today, I crossed as a ritual, crossed over this threshold into the new, the unknown, the becoming, while saying “thank you” and releasing what was. Each stone a foothold. A simple, ordinary act. I didn’t plan this. It came spontaneously, a desire within my heart.
Often, I stop and watch the ever-changing geometric shapes of light through flowing water. Never the same pattern twice — infinite creation. Even on overcast days, the patterns are intricate — sometimes bold and sometimes delicate. It’s soothing, magical and beautiful, original art. The stones and soil in the riverbed join in the play of light and water creating shapes; branches and tree leaves join in the play from above. I join in, my eyes receiving the light reflections.
Joining is possible because a truth lives inside all of us: We are sacred. We trees, rocks, water, air, plants and animals are sacred. If the truth didn’t live inside already, it couldn’t be awakened, this truth couldn’t be felt and known when we step out and behold the sky, the trees, the land.
Simple, ordinary acts are a threshold into Sacred awareness — touching your heart and feeling gratitude; dedicating three conscious breaths; turning your face to the sky. Everything is alive and listening in their own way. It’s always your choice to join, to belong.
