Dear Travelers,

During a recent walk in nature, I noticed garbage strewn in the gullies below me. An old car, slowly rusting under the influence of the elements, stood out amongst other odds and ends. Humans had definitely left their mark. But greater than the sight of the garbage, was the magnificence of nature around me.

I began to ponder upon my feelings. I felt nature wooing me in some powerful way as I sought to keep my mind silent within. A lesson was in the making; I could feel it forming in every part of my being. I literally found myself ‘vibrating’ in tune with the soil I stood on. The air felt electrified as energy bounced off the hills surrounding me. “I am greater than the garbage,” I heard whispered within.

My eyes saw what humans had strewn about. But I couldn’t, and wouldn’t get worked up about it. There is a collective energy that surrounds most things we experience. Attitudes on pollution are part of a huge collective consciousness. If I had yielded to hating the sight of the garbage, where would my energy gather? Well, I’d guess it would quickly magnetize with the negativity that causes the polluter to pollute in the first place. I’d become part of the action that pollutes our world.

I know that the landscape would look better without these signs of humans upon it. The deer that I startled from its resting place would probably appreciate us not littering in their living quarters. But as I stood there taking in the scene, something else stirred within me. I was a little shocked to realize, that what I really felt, was love.

Only love, joy, and peace will awaken the flow of the soul within each person. As I felt love for those who didn’t seem to know any better… or who knew better about dumping, and now carried the guilt of doing so…. I trusted that my new-found love would become part of a better collective consciousness. There was no condemnation and no judgment in my thoughts. I was having a special moment myself… I was receiving a stronger flow within, from my soul to my heart. I found myself feeling very grateful.

We humans need to awaken to the power and beauty of the life around us before we’ll understand how to treat our surroundings in a loving fashion. The need is great for our planet. I keep hoping that we’ll awaken and understand that we will better serve our precious Earth when we stop adding our criticisms and angers to the collective energy that causes it in the first place. In other words, dear travelers, let’s clean up the garbage within ourselves, by opening up within to a greater flow of love from our own soul. Meanwhile, may the garbage we see on our walks, remind us to look within, so that we will begin to see a change ‘without.’

From my heart to yours,

Nancee