Since I moved back to the North of Holland I have really reconnected to the healing power of nature. It is so nice to live in a small town again, in a quiet street, with a big garden and a huge natural area behind the house... I never thought I would enjoy living like this as much as I actually do right now. Before moving to Indonesia I already knew I did not want to come back to Amsterdam, since I had been feeling tired of living in the city for a while, but I also did not know where I wanted to go.
Ever since staying with my mom, in her house, things just fell into place. First of all because it has been great to reconnect with my family after many years on the road and in different countries. Secondly because this environment is just the right place to be for me right now. This became even more clear when I went to Amsterdam for a few days last week. It was nice to be there and see some friends and be able to meditate in the yogastudio, but the environment of the city really does not do it for me anymore. Not all cities are as intense as Amsterdam, of course, the energy in Groningen (the city half an hour bike-ride away from me) is very different and fits more with my current vibe. Still, countryside rules! :-)
I love walking out in the garden every morning to take a few deep breaths before starting my writing day. Hanging the laundry on the line is enjoyable because it is an excuse to be outside. I eat my lunch outside most days, and whenever I get tired of work and the computer I just lie down in the grass, staring at the sky, the moving clouds, the treetops..... Hearing the birds, the rustling leaves, a little animal crashing around in the bushes... The smell of grass and trees and sky.... mmmmmm, what a perfume.
There is this touching song called Azure Salver (which is sung by Singh Kaur and also by Snatam Kaur, and some other artists did it too) that really captures my experience of nature. It is a beautiful translation from a fragment of the Sikh evening prayer Sohila. I love those lyrics, such beautiful poetry, please forgive me for any mistakes (and you really should check out the Itunes version to hear the true beauty of it)
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The sky is the Azure Salver, The sun and moon are thy lamps.
The stars are thy scattered pearls, and the sandal forest thy incense.
And the breeze is thy fan.
These along with the flowers of agitation, our latest offerings at thy feet
What other worship can be compared, to nature's own festival of lights?
Divine music resounds within.
Thousand are thy eyes, and yet thou has no eyes,
Thousand are thy forms, and yet thou has no form,
Thousand are thy lotus feet, and yet thou has no feet,
Thousand are thy noses, and yet thou has no nose,
I am enchanted with thy play.
It is thy light which lives in every heart, and thy light which illumines every soul....
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So yes, Divine Music resounds within: inside yourself and inside every other creature and natural element. I love walking in the splendid, rich, green fields around the house. Looking at the cows, the birds, the horses, seeing the snails on the trail, the frogs in the water: feeling part of all this, deeply connected with everything around me. And hearing that divine music, within everything, no separations, no limits. Relating to infinity like this is a precious gift that I enjoy every day, and store in my heart, my body, my soul....
Whenever I feel burdened by something, I take a walk and it just leaves my body and mind in the rhythm of my steps and breathing. Often songs and sounds come to me and out of me and the good villagers of Haren and surroundings are probably a bit stupefied about this singing-girl-with-the-turban tramping through the fields.
To me being in nature is deeply healing, and I feel so lucky to be able to balance out the 'mind-work' of disseration writing by being outside and letting my thoughts slide away and filling my heart with joy and love.
