Imagination and the Mystical Experience

I do not know at what age I began using my imagination to help me understand life, yet by age 8 it had become a natural relationship. Nature itself became a place of solace and learning where my imagination could thrive and mystical experiences could be observed daily. It seems natural when I look back over my life now. It seems natural that our world could share with us in countless ways through all the creation that lives and breathes here with us.

Let's take a look for moment at this that seems extraordinary yet is really part of the inspiringly ordinary part of the design. Here we are on this incredible multidimensional planet that seemingly floats in the cosmos. The Earth, our precious home is held in space, held so securely she moves in a natural orbit. And we are so beautifully held in the golden of her gravity that we can move, rest, dance, jump, swim even fly in planes on our planet home. And that is part of the mystical connection, the crossroads of science, religion, spirituality and well, an extraordinary experience of love.

As a child I would imagine creating things, maybe you did as well? I would imagine baking with rocks and sticks in the yard. Imaginary friends would share in the meals. Sometimes a real playmate friend would share too. Yet much of the time I kept my imaginary world to myself. Perhaps I didn't want too many people tinkering with it!

My imagination began to thrive in my dream world. In the dream world dimension I could work out all sorts of things. Once I had a fear of a giant grandfather clock. In my dreams I would see it, it could walk and I could hear the pendulum "tick and tock". In the morning I would wake, and begin toggling my consciousness between the dream world and daily life. I could examine life and examine the dream and begin to understand the two different realities when I was in my teens.

As I grew this led me to an awareness of the tween times. In the dawn of the morning and in the late afternoon there was a golden feel to nature. I later read about the thinning of the veils at these times. I've noticed nature in the morning awakens, birds sing more and crickets humming changes and in the later afternoon nature begins to go to rest, birds quiet and the field and woods calm, well except for the movement of those more secretive nocturnal creatures.

Also, as I grew and began reading more books, learning more from other people that also noticed the sacred mystical nature of our planet, I was drawn to stories that had wizards and fairies as these helped explain both sides of real. At this same time I began drawing. I would draw subjects in nature most of the time. Birds, flowers, sheep and the night sky all became part of my drawing subject matter, except for the occasional beautiful gown, and later fairies with wings.

The elements became a fascination in my life. The lightening in a rain storm, the calm that pervades when snow is forming a blanket of white on the ground, the power of the oceans surges and rolling waves, the majesty of mountains and the livingness of tree communities as if they are holding a quiet rooted communion. As I grew and became more aware of the beauty around us, the beauty began to live more. Beauty is truly quite present in our daily lives in countless places.

Communion and communication in nature became a balance of observation and interaction. Once in my teens I came upon an injured bird. I do not know how it became injured, yet I felt I should hold the bird and warm it. As I did I felt the bird relax, it began to still and it did not revive. It's tiny sweet heart gave way to another world with a different sort of freedom. There was though a communication of love as its spirit winged on its way.

This experience helped me to recognize how the natural and the authentic are closely woven, one drawing out the gift of the other. For the Earth, our dear planet is as she is and this calls us to be as we are. Whatever place we maybe in our inner or outer worlds the naturalness of nature can call us to relax and be safely authentic.

There has been scattered on the sandy shoreline by the ocean during the summer seasons of my life twinkling shells and birds. The soothing sound of the oceans lullaby often sings as I walk and marvel at what has been created by tiny creatures that is then washed upon the shore by the tides. It's a generous sharing of beautiful color and marvelous designs.

Birds hover over the sand looking for a little meal, their wings navigating the air. Watching them adds to my own sense of lightness and I smile. Others on the beach point and quietly talk about their magical shell observations and findings. The community of the nature lovers is all around.

Nature can greet us everywhere. During a recent rain storm with strong wind gusts I watched from a front window and saw a bird land on our front porch swing as it rested from a rain storm. It had been blown off course and one wing was gently out of place. I could not tell to what extent it had been damaged. I watched from the window and sent a little prayer and wish. The bird sat for about 30 minutes, the first 15 minutes it was quivering, then it began to regroup and spread its wings as if for practice every few minutes. At the almost 30 minute mark, the wing though not exactly as it had been, must have been okayed for take off by the birds natural instincts as it flew off through the more gentle rain across the field.

I like to think that I have become more authentic in my life as I have journeyed along. I hope we all do as it seems to add to the natural goodness of life and relationships. Nature of all sorts, including human nature can help us become more resilient and thrive in our authentic nature.

Nature helps us understand change. Nature sometimes has the capacity to change in a way that at times is relatively seamless. Watching our field, sometimes as if from another realm the deer appear from our woods. Now and then a buck will boldly walk out with magical, ornate antlers that took many months to grow, yet now here they are! And he somehow knows of his new stature.

I often think to myself that somehow just beyond a veil there are fairies riding on those sturdy antlers. The other deer slowly wind their way out of the pines and hardwoods into the field. Their summer coats were golden and now several months in lower temperatures they are a beautiful deep charcoal grey. It as if they have been slowly, seamlessly, re-dyed to match the cooler season.

Their large soft eyes gaze over the field as grasses blow in the breeze and the birds flit here and there adjusting to their stately arrival. For several days our small orange cat boldly ran with the deer, yet now has realized their size and power, and sits across the field gazing back at them. He made a natural change in behavior for his own well-being. He turns and looks at me calmly with his golden eyed glance, as if to say "see I am learning!".

The mystical experience may indeed be more ordinary than we imagined. Sometimes we need only slow down and breathe to acquire the mystical view. Sun rays on a dewy field, the sound of snow, listening to a conch shells secrets or sharing a paintbrush with a child while they sing and paint are part of the everyday ordinary magic. These can be reminders of the truly real and authentic that exists in daily life, sparking our own truer nature to continue to arise.