[centerchannel68]

Another way of getting closer to nature is to become acutely aware of disturbances in the life flow. What happens when you throw a stone into a quiet pond? Initially there is the splash. Then a serioes of concentric waves begin emanating from the point of impact. They keep flowing outward, growing larger. On their jounrey they affect everything they pass. Insects are lifted up as though on ocean swells. Pond lillies ripple. Fish dart for cover. Sand grains shift on the shores. Then th waves begin flowing back to their point of origin. The impact of a single stone causes thousands of disturbances, and each of these may cause thousands of others, until the surface of the pond finally smooths out and returns to normal.

The same thing happens in the woods. A fox walks into an open glen and it's noticed by little birds that flit and peep in teh branches above it. Soon the jays are attracted and they begin screaming at the fox. A dear hears the jay's call, jerks its head up, and perks its ears forward. Sense this, a deer close to the fox does the same, and the fox stops in his tracks. The ripples return, and the fox is affected by its own concentric rings.

This kind of thing goes on everywhere, all the time. But the system is more complicated than it seems. Nature is not the flat surface of a pond. It is multidimensional. The distrubrances that radiate are not just those of physical senses, but vibarations of the spirit that moves through all things. On the deepest level, all is one, and all is felt and known withing the boundaries of everything else.

In terms of nature awareness, what this means is that you can learn to attune yourself to the symphony of hte woods and begin translating the distubrances that are occuraing at greater and greater distances. You can take in subtler and subtler nuances of meaning. It is important to first becoming familiar with teh baseline, the pervasive melody that predominates at any given place and time. Once you are familiar with the baseline, you can easily recognize when a stone is dropped in the pond, or when one of the instruments in the symphony hits an off key note that causes confusion and discord.

Remember though, learnign concetnric rings is not like sitting at home listening to a symphony with a set of earphones. To really appreciate a symphony, you have to be there- not just lisetning to the music, but watching the movement of all the instruments, feeling the electricity in the air, even smelling the odors of the concert hall. The wilderness is just such a symphony. It is a multidimensional tapestry of concentric rings. Some are caused by animals, some by plants, some by wind and temperature, some by chances of the seasons, and some by the march of time and geologic events. The more rings you can read, the more easily you can put together the puzzle of what is going on around you.

The first thing I do when I approach an unfamiliar area is sit down and wash all tension from my body and mind. A good meditaiton helps initially, though after a while this becomes a matter of habit. In about ten to fifteen minutes the concentric rings of disturbance I have caused by walking in have dissipated, and the symphony begins. After twenty minutes of concentrated efort, I know pretty much what the baseline is. Everything I sense afterwards will be compared against that baseline.

Most important, I consider the whole picture. I don't concetnrate on sounds and sights to the exclusion of smells and sensations, and I don't focus on specific birds or animals because that is too narrow a scope. I try to imagine the land, air, and water around me as a univied sphere of influence, and I try to take in the whole picture without becoming distracted by the parts.

When you first do this exercise, you will probably only be able to read a few rings, so to speak. But eventually you'll become more sensative and be able to read farther and farther out, until you will find yourself jolted by sensations within your body that do not even have names. You will begin to open up the sixth sense- the gut feeling that comes as a hunch of flutter of the heart. Eventually you will begin to trust these impulses as deeply as those of the five physical senses.

[design219]

I'll bet a high-performance spud gun will take care of that fox.

[ort888]

Kind of like how you treat everyone with disrespect and then get it back in exchange? (and then act surprised?)

[centerchannel68]

Boy it's a shame fanboi #1 and 2 are on ignore. I'm sure what they said was very insightful.

[ort888]

I like the way that you bring up the fact that I am on your ignore list as much as possible. It's adorable.

[centerchannel68]

You're too cute.

[design219]

Watch the rings. Ohhhhh.

[ort888]

Ca$h is so deep.

[design219]

Hey ort, who else is in the club?

[christ]

Bluegirls come in every size
Some are wise and some otherwise,
They got pretty blue eyes.
For an hour a man may change
For an hour her face looks strange -
Looks strange, looks strange.

Marching to the promised land
Where the honey flows and takes you by the hand,
Pulls you down on your knees,
While you're down a pool appears.
The face in the water looks up,
And she shakes her head as if to say
That it's the last time you'll look like today.

Sail away, away
Ripples never come back.
Gone to the other side.
Sail away, away.

The face that launched a thousand ships
Is sinking fast, that happens you know,
The water gets below.
Seems not very long ago
Lovelier she was than any that I know.

Angels never know it's time
To close the book and gracefully decline,
The song has found a tale.
My, what a jealous pool is she.
The face in the water looks up
She shakes her head as if to say
That the bluegirls have all gone away.

Sail away, away
Ripples never come back.
They've gone to the other side.
Look into the pool,
Ripples never come back,
Dive to the bottom and go to the top
To see where they have gone
Oh, they've gone to the other side...

Sail away, away
Ripples never come back.
Gone to the other side.
Look into the pool,
The ripples never come back, come back,
Dive to the bottom and go to the top
To see where they have gone
They've gone to the other side
Ripples never come back
Sail away, away...

[ort888]

Originally Posted by design219 

Hey ort, who else is in the club?

Give it another 6 months and it will probably be everyone on the board.

[RAILhead]

Spell check?

[centerchannel68]

Originally Posted by RAILhead 

Spell check?

It wasn't built into the board so I just hit post. Sorry. I thought it was cool enough to not need it. If I had been at my own computer I would have checked it, but I hate typing on this one.