Today I took part in a lovely discussion about ways of understanding communication from synchronous encounters in the natural world. Blessed spirits and guides are communicating with us frequently. In addition to the guidance available through our dreams, we can enhance our practice with engagement in the natural world.

It’s helpful to set an intention to listen and then pay attention. It’s easier to do this when we take a break from our electronic devices so we can more fully engage with the world around us. What’s unusual? Is there a new plant in our garden or animal coming close? When we open our hearts to the moment we can learn so much.

I was in the woods and went to pick up my bag when a daddy long leg was adamant about staying on my bag. This was a moment of mystery, which I could have passed by if I was in a hurry and rude and flicked the little one off my bag. Instead I offered sacred plants used for prayers and asked if there was a message for me. I didn’t audibly hear a reply but I had a sense that the little one was saying “touch me.” So I tentatively reached out and we made contact. After a few times we even did a “high-5” of sorts. Then I said, “Oh, you’re friendly!” That was it. The daddy long leg walked away, mission accomplished. This magical encounter turned out to be helpful to me in future adventures in the woods.

I wonder how much of our days are aligned to bring us these connections? It makes me eager to pay attention to my intuition when it tells me to take a break and go for a walk, especially if I feel called to go somewhere new. What beings are smiling at us right now? How many occurrences that seem like inconveniences or problems are actually moments when we could learn important teachings and understand ourselves and our lives better?