Friday, January 10, 2014

Being a Stomper

I recently rented and watched with my seven year old, the animated movie Epic.  The main storyline is of this eccentric biologist who lives in the woods and is searching for evidence of little people and their world that he just knows exist in nature.  When contact is made with this world through the accidental entering into their world by the scientist's daughter, we find out that that humans are called Stompers.  While enjoying the movie with my daughter well enough, and appreciating the beautiful animation, I was slightly annoyed at the subtle simplistic theme, "humans are the bad aspect of the natural world meme"  -- that was my first impression.

Also, I recently spent twenty-four hours on a silent  nature retreat.  The natural area I wandered through was home to a small herd of diverse "Zen cows".  Meaning the owners of the property keep the herd as a tax break for the land, but do not manage the cows in any commercial way--they are simply there to enjoy there existence, eat the grass and hopefully die at a ripe old cow age from natural causes.  Because I had no particular intention or goal, the relative silence and details of all the life around me became much easier to experience.  I found I was more and more comfortable as the hours flowed by and I liked the flow and felt more balanced and more integrated. And yet paradoxically I felt more in my body and the moment to moment experience of the passing moments  and yet less identified with the external, typically distracted, slightly anxious me.  And I was less of  a stomper and more of  wide awake, respectful visitor on the is piece of nature.  I noticed small insects with a quiet amazement  and gentle appreciation of how the creepy critters made there way on this land and that we were both participating in the univocity of being.  Everything does truly belong!  And that I am participating with everything and that these subtle little creepy crawlies are in some way teaching me!

So the wandering experience was truly Epic --like the movie.  I was travelling and searching for nothing in particular, and yet more aware of participating deeply in my environment.  And because I did not spend a lot of time thinking about and categorizing my experience,  my ego took a rest and perhaps even my thinking addiction lost some of its hold.  This is great for my wellness and stress, as my body relaxed.  More days like this feeding the soul and preparing  me for more letting go and deeper participation are needed by many --perhaps most!