“How I Go Into The Woods” by Mary Oliver

Ordinarily I go to the woods alone,
with not a single friend,
for they are all smilers and talkers
and therefore unsuitable.
I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds
or hugging the old black oak tree.
I have my ways of praying,
as you no doubt have yours.
Besides, when I am alone
I can become invisible.
I can sit on the top of a dune
as motionless as an uprise of weeds,
until the foxes run by unconcerned.
I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing.
If you have ever gone to the woods with me,
I must love you very much.

When I was in high school and college, I experienced gut issues, brain fog, and fatigue that became very debilitating.  Western medicine didn’t seem to help me, so I got turned onto holistic health and alternative medicine.  I learned so much along the way - and some practices that I was turned onto alongside holistic health was tapping into spirituality (crystals, connection to nature, energy work, etc).  The other day my partner told me that he was surprised how much I keep my spirituality to myself - I hadn’t really talked out loud to many people about the stuff we were talking about. I think sometimes I keep my practices close to my chest because I fear that talking about my belief in past lives, angels, communicating with animals, and zodiac signs fall under the theme of “not taking life seriously - not living in the real world.”  But - to me - that is the real world. And I always hope to be daring enough to believe in things that we cannot explain with words - beyond what we can see with our eyes or in the physical realm.  In the “Art of the Possibility,” the author opens by talking about how bees can see ultraviolet light and dogs can hear pitches that humans cannot hear - yet - humans think that we know everything?  Nature shows us all that we do not know - keeps us humble, imaginative, and open. 

One of the reasons I love living in Hawaii is because worshipping nature and being aware of energy is a practical way of life.  Three of the four major Hawaiian gods are: Kāne (the god of the sky and creation), Lono (the god of peace, rain, and fertility) and Kanaloa (the god of the ocean).  Outside of religion - people are very in tune with nature: for example, on my paddle out to surf, uncles will pause to remind me that it’s 9 days after the full moon, “so be careful of the jellyfish!”

When I tap into the power of nature, everything else makes a little more sense. It helps me release trying to have this strong control over my life and what is happening around me. In “The Artist’s Way,” there is a task at the end of a chapter that instructs you to write your own prayer - to whomever or whatever you believe in. So - I wrote a prayer to nature. My prayer was all around worshipping the mountains and listening to the ocean and always being respectful of the land. I hung it on my wall - during a time that I lived in a studio apartment and rarely had anyone else come inside my space.

Of course a few days after proudly posting this prayer on my wall, my landlord and a WiFi guy came in to fix some chords. They both hovered by the wall where my nature prayer was. I had to leave the space out of embarrassment. But - I caught my embarrassment and just giggled to myself: I’m exposing them to such a cute and beautiful devotion! Could be worse! It was better than the time I moved out of a space and accidentally left a poster under the bed of something I was trying to manifest: “rollerblade with a total hottie who makes me feel safe and seen!”

They left the poster in their garage for me in case it was something that I wanted.

I like beginning my days with reading about what’s happening with the moon or energies of the day. I can’t always control what happens in the day - but I can decide how I will respond to it. Having a message, lesson or mantra in my mind keeps me anchored when days feel chaotic or like a rollercoaster. I love reading The Power Path’s instagram daily updates and monthly forecasts on the moon; oftentimes I will read it after journaling and my energy will be very aligned with the moon :) That makes me feel very proud of myself! I also love reading my weekly and monthly horoscope on AstroTwins;  and as of late: pulling tarot cards.    

I wonder if writing about this is a bit of my exposure therapy - daring to be seen. Connecting with others about spirituality, energy work, and the power of nature lights my soul on fire - and part of connection with others is being willing to be seen :) So here we are. I would love to hear from you on this topic!

Thanks for being here!

Yay for worshipping trees,

Lucinda