We have reached the end of this series and today I will be talking about how the power of gratitude, and how to bring your experience to a mindful close.
When we visit our Sit Spot we can begin by giving thanks for the living things that share our Sit Spot and even asking them for permission for being there. At the end of our time we can also gave thanks for being there.
There is a variation of this practice that we can introduce into our life in every moment. It is something that we would do every day, several times a day, in the Findhorn spiritual community where I lived for seven years. We would pause at the start of each new activity, take a moment to connect with ourself, with the activity and with the others who we will be participating with. Then at the end of the activity, we would pause again, take a moment to reflect and give thanks – what went well, what could have gone better, what did we learn – before moving on to the next task or the next meeting.
This moment of pausing at the start and end of activities has many benefits. It brings us into the present moment. It also brings us immediately into direct relationship with the activity and those others beings that we are going to be engaging with. When we do this before a group activity, such as a work shift or a meeting, it brings us into synchronicity with the others in the group and things flow more gracefully.
Last but not least it is a very simple and easy way to bring ritual into our daily life – and ritual makes the mundane magical.
If you have 20 or 30 minutes (or more)…
When you arrive at your Sit Spot, take a moment to greet this place and all the beings that use it. Ask again for permission to be in this space and to share and enjoy it with them. Turn your attention to your breath and observe the air moving in and out of your body. Feel yourself becoming relaxed and peaceful.
Now sit for a while and simply enjoy being in this place. Look at the things that you saw on day one and notice if you see them differently today. Can you see any of the things that you mapped from your Sit Spot position? Even if you cannot see them, you may remember where they are – you may even have marked them on your map. Try connecting with those tracks now, as a way of coming into relationship with the animals that left those marks.
Notice the direction of the wind on your face, or the sun on your skin. Sniff the air. Listen for the different sounds – are they more familiar to you now? Engage all of your senses, one at a time and all together, as you recall those activities from day two.
Now pay attention to the bird song – noticing the direction of the sounds. Are you at your Sit Spot at the same time of day as you were on day three? If so, are those songs coming from the same location as they did before? (You can check your map).
If you are there at a different time, is the quality or quantity of bird song different than previously?
Now become aware of your connection to this place, in whatever way that makes sense for you. Does this place feel more familiar to you than it did on day one? Do you feel a deeper sense of connection with this place? Do you get a sense of this place welcoming you differently than it did on day one?
Finally focus on your heart centre and imagine radiating love and appreciation to everything that you can see and hear. Give thanks to this place for welcoming you and letting you be here in this way. If you don’t plan to return to this place regularly (or at all), take a moment to say goodbye.
Only got ten minutes?
Take a moment to greet this place and all the beings that use it. Ask again for permission to be in this space and to share and enjoy it with them.
Turn your attention to your breath and observe the air moving in and out of your body. Feel yourself becoming relaxed and peaceful.
Now sit for a while and simply enjoy being in this place. Look at the things that you saw on day one and notice if you see them differently today.
Notice the direction of the wind on your face, or the sun on your skin. Sniff the air. Listen for the different sounds – are they more familiar to you now? Engage all of your senses, one at a time and all together, as you recall those activities from day two.
Become aware of your connection to this place, in whatever way that makes sense for you. Do you feel a deeper sense of connection with this place?
Finally imagine radiating love and appreciation to everything that you can see and hear. Give thanks to this place for welcoming you and letting you be here in this way. If you don’t plan to return to this place regularly (or at all), take a moment to say goodbye.
The power of gratitude or thanksgiving
Gratitude calls our attention to the multitude of things going right with the world, reinforcing our sense of the interdependence of all living things and reminding us of our kinship with nature.
Gratitude also provides a place of strength from which we are more easily able to deal with life’s challenges, and is a simple way to bring balance into our daily lives.
Gratitude forms a core routine of many indigenous cultures – as part of their daily lives they offer thanks to the Spirit that moves through all things, the ancestors, the four directions and the elements. They also regularly give thanks for the abundance of the natural world before eating, before hunting, before going to sleep.
Thank you for taking part in this challenge. I hope you have enjoyed it. I plan to offer more challenges over the next months, so please keep an eye open for those. Some will be nature-based and others will be animal communication based.
If you’d like to find out more about connecting with nature and communicating with animals, please check out my website. You will also find details of upcoming courses and events on my Facebook and Instagram pages.
Meanwhile I hope that you continue to enjoying getting outside and enjoying nature and feeling gratitude that we can choose to spend our days in this way.
With love, Jacqueline x
