Soul Glimpses

“The soul is like a wild animal—tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is to go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.”

― Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life
 
Perhaps it is this that makes the sight of Nature’s wild one’s so special. Perhaps it is like getting a glimpse of our own Soul. Join me now, for a peek.
 
“Peter!” I said, in an urgent whisper. “Come see this!”
My husband, Peter, was in the kitchen and looked up quickly, knowing from the tone of my voice that it would be some kind of wildlife out in our back yard.

I sat at the dining table gazing out the window into the back yard, my breakfast sitting forgotten on the table before me.

Peter scanned the yard through the patio doors but could see nothing. I always got excited about what showed up out there, and we had seen some interesting animals and birds since we’d moved in. He stepped quietly around the L-shaped counter separating the kitchen and dining area and moved to where he could see what I pointed at. 

The early morning sun slanted across the warm brown back and head of a white tail deer as she bent to pluck the last of the green fall grasses. Her tail twitched back and forth, showing the white underfur for which her kind are named.

The doe lifted her head, beautiful, dark, liquid eyes alertly scanning the back of the house. Long, tufted ears pinpointed the source of the movement she must have heard.

She stared intently at Peter as he stood, now motionless before the window, studying him for any signs of danger.

Then she relaxed, ears and tail flicking about, and resumed her grazing.

Frequently she lifted her head and looked around the yard and back towards the woods, alert for anything that might be threatening. Then she continued, cautious and deliberate, tail and ears flicking, moving about the back yard searching out the grasses she liked best.

Peter backed off quietly and reached into the voluminous pocket of his fuzzy grey bathrobe for his phone.

He thumbed it on to camera so he could take a picture of me looking out the window as I studied the doe avidly. He managed to get both of us into the frame and took the picture.

Then he creeped closer to the window and got a good shot of the deer as she looked up at him.

We had seen deer in our yard before but never had one stayed so long as this. We had seen coyote crossing the yard as well, and turkey.

When we first moved in, a huge, black rat snake visited, as if welcoming us to the neighborhood. It waited, shining black scales covering its thick body, stretched out beneath the bird feeder. Perhaps it hoped for an unwary squirrel. We estimated that it was at least five or six feet long. I was thrilled.

I continued to study the deer as she made her way over to the shade garden under the big oak trees.

“Are you going to eat my Hosta now?” I asked her.

The doe moved about at the far edge of the garden not attempting the Hosta which grew on the side of the garden closest to the house. Then she turned and ambled off, moving into the woods at the back of the yard.

The last we saw of her were her long, graceful legs as she crossed a patch of sunlight between the trees, her upper body already hidden,  as she moved away deeper into the woods.

I looked over at Peter grinning, “I am so grateful we moved here.”
​
“Yup,” Peter agreed, smiling back at me.

Photo by Anthony Roberts on Unsplash
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Your Spiritual Toolbox

​Take Dr. Palmer’s advice and give yourself an hour to walk quietly into the woods.

Sit silently at the base of a tree.

Feel the tree at your back, the ground supporting your body, the breeze wafting around you.

Breathe deeply of the fresh air.

Give gratitude to Mother Earth for what pleases you.

Watch and wait.

Allow yourself to merge fully with the moment. Still yourself inside as you still yourself outside. Be fully with the tree, the woods, the Earth.

See who or what makes itself known to you and what message it has for you.

Our Soul’s speak to us in all the many voices of the environment all around us.