The events of the weekend in Orlando filled me with sadness and deep compassion for all of us—for those who lost loved ones, those who were injured or frightened, and all of us who may be feeling a mixture of sadness, fear, and perhaps even hate.
What we need now is not to blame and shame nor foster more fear and separation.
What we need now is to practice reverence—for one another and for all of life.
rev·er·ence
ˈrev(ə)rənsnoun: reverence; plural noun: reverences
If practicing reverence for all life is too big for you, start focusing on feeling joy and seeing beauty in your life.
The more time I spend focusing on joy and beauty in my life, the more reverence I feel for nature, life, the universe, and every infinitesimal speck of dust—including all the people I find challenging (like a certain unnamed presidential candidate whose initials are DT).
I cannot contemplate a tiny seed without feeling wonder over this marvelous container for storing life force, ready to sprout and grow when the time is right.
Reverence is the recognition of something greater than self—something that transcends full human understanding.
I know there is far more that I do not understand about how the universe works than I do understand.
Therefore, I practice reverence.
To practice reverence is to stand in awe of something. For me, trees and nature regularly bring me to my knees in wonder—from noticing the soft intricate beauty of a carpet of moss beneath my feet to being filled with wonder when I stand beneath the tall trees in remnants of the big woods.
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” — Alice Walker, The Color Purple
Reverence sometimes brings me to my knees. I kneel down and look closely at the interior of a flower, gaze at a tiny plant sprouting in an unlikely place. And I feel gratitude and deep respect for the plant or flower.
Often we associate reverence with religion. But reverence can be experienced by anyone anywhere. When I stand in the woods and soak in the light, trees, fragrances, shapes, touches, and sounds, I feel like I am in a great cathedral and fills me with a sense of timelessness and wonder.
To experience reverence you need to slow down enough to pay attention.
The practice of paying attention takes time. Most of the time we move so swiftly through our environment that we fail to notice the soul of life in everything around us.
“In a way, nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small, we haven’t time—and it takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” — Georgia O’Keeffe
Try slowing down on your next walk. Or sit down in a single spot in your yard or in the woods and pay attention to everything you see around you.
Look down and notice the ground under your feet. Perhaps you will see a busy insect crawling through the grass or a brilliant green patch of moss or a newly emerged perfect mushroom.
Look up and notice the sky or the trees above your head. Stay in that one place and say to yourself, “I didn’t make this tree. I didn’t make the grass. I didn’t make the ant crawling near my foot.”
And then allow yourself to experience awe and wonder. Get curious. Explore. If you have difficulty feeling anything but boredom, take yourself out in the country on a clear night when the full moon rises or on a night with little moon so that the myriad of stars overhead are at their brightest. Look up at the skies and try to count the stars. Think about the distance their light has traveled, how many there are, and how little we understand.
Reverence follows wonder
There. Do you feel it now? The wonder of this world is there to experience whenever we slow down and take the time to pay attention. To practice reverence is to show respect for all of life recognizing that life transcends our understanding.
May you walk in beauty (and wonder… and reverence).
Composite of several photographs
Mushrooms that popped up overnight
Temporary Altar in the Woods (scarf, leaves, feather, stick, acorn)
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