Miracles

When we start on a spiritual path, we may encounter stories of extraordinary and even miraculous experiences. As we imagine ourselves having similar experiences, we may begin to believe that those dramatic moments are the point of our practice. However, those experiences , while dramatic and inspiriing when they occur, are also usually rare and fleeting. They cannot form the basis of a solid lifelong spiritual path. On the contrary, they may lead us down a rabbit hole, as we mistakenly pursue them, driven by our craving for the unusual and spectacular.

In Ecospiritual practice we learn that there is really no distinction between the ordinary and the miraculous. When we properly prepare our minds, fully utilize all of our senses (including all of the "subtle" senses that aren't often recognized.) and propery apply the 4 S's of solitude, silence, sitting, and slowness, to our time in nature, we open the way to witness the myriads of tiny miracles that are occurring around us all of the time.

The pollinators, making their rounds from blossom to blossom, the sound of water meandering through the rocky streambed, the breeze that falls lightly upon our face- these are all miraculous. Ecospiritual immersions, intentional excursions into the natural world to experience true intimacy with nature, will never disappoint us. Ulltimately, as we deepen our relationship with the natural world, that connection can open the way to living a profoundly spiritual life.