Experiencing life through the senses

Turning ordinary into extraordinary and capturing the sacred in daily living

“The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings” Robert Louis Stevenson

As I was going about my ordinary day, I was suddenly alert to a familiar and lovely smell, shortly followed by a good shaking of thunder and the sky opening in a cascade of refreshing rain. I ran out to the patio to immerse myself in the storm’s beauty and majesty. I love a good summer storm, when the wind blusters about the trees, thunder shakes the house, lightening illuminates up the sky as it opens with a torrential downpour. I love the static energy that the storm produces and the soft, yet pungent, smell of the summer rainfall. As the storm intensified I sat mesmerized, well into the wee hours, as I watched nature’s light show. The next morning dawned in a soft warm glow, everything still moist and refreshed from the rain. As I set out on my morning walk with my doggies, I opened my senses fully to all around me. Across the way is a stand of three silver birch that always call me to spend a few minutes beneath their adjoined canopy. Theirs is such a magical place, I almost expect to see the little people popping up at any minute. Returning home I filled a bowl with fresh ripe local strawberries, the sweet smell enveloping me and the taste further heightening my senses. As I ventured into the yard, I discovered this one esquisite bloom, popping up on a plant that was new and unexpected. Notice the little nibbles on the leaves.

Ahhhh yes, living fully opened to experiencing life through our senses. Totally engaging in and with life. This is what makes the ordinary extraordinary and brings a sense of sacred to all we do. I am trying to impart this practice to my grandchildren. I keep an assortment of sensory items setting about the house to engage the youngest, bowls and baskets of shells and stones (remember the thrill of hearing the ocean in a shell?), kaleidoscopes, and other odd brickabrack I have found when out and about. When outdoors with them I engage them in nature, encouraging them to touch and communicate with the trees, plants, and land(scape). To walk barefoot on the earth, to smell the pungent earthy smells and to let loose the wild wonder and curiosity at all living things. Emmy and I have taken to naming the trees around us. First we pause and listen for the tree to communicate a name and then allow what pops up to be spoken. Currently we have Marge, Phyllis,(two stately birches) and Emmy’s favorite Lucy (a beautiful Japanese Maple). These are just simple silly names, but somehow I know the trees approve and take delight in the joy they provide us. We have two Hawthorne trees that we have yet to name. Naming a Hawthorne is a bit trickier and cannot just be left to chance as it is the Fairy tree, a tree of magical enchantment.

I have found that engaging my senses always leads to magical thinking. How marvelous is that? As the next step is seeing the sacred in the ordinary daily goings about. Dipping into that bowl of ripe glowing berries becomes a sacred act as I fill my body with nourishment. It is good for us to stop, slow down, and savor the daily doings. Taking a few minutes throughout the day to close the eyes and breathe in deeply, fully inhaling and experiencing the surrounding scents while filling the body with life giving oxygen. Listen to the sounds around you, be they the hum of the refrigerator or the early mourning bird song. Fully focusing on the task at hand, noticing textures, colors, and temperature. Something as simple and mundane as folding laundry can be come sacred if we fully engage. Opening the all the senses, noticing the warmth, texture, and pattern of each item, engaging the emotions to impart love and blessing into each piece of clothing and its wearer, and allowing that love to stoke memories of joy and delight that have come from the wearer. There are just so many ways to bring the magical and sacred into our ordinary lives. What is your favorite?

Don’t forget, Lovelies, tonight is the new moon and time to set your intentions for this lunar cycle. What rituals will you be engaging in? I will be engaging in meditative practice outside in nature followed by a warm purifying bath filled with salts and herbs freshly gathered from my garden.

On the Home Front:
Happy to have added an additional granddaughter for an extended stay. Milsie traveled back with me from Cali after my visit. She is an absolute joy to be around, a young woman just on the cusp of spreading her wings. Her and Bella share my witchy divine feminine ways and we have had a great time increasing our crystal collections, engaging in guided imagery (as a practitioner I always enjoy engaging), and staying up into the wee hours discussing everything and sundry.

My knitting has been nothing but frustrating as I pulled some socks off the needles as the color is just not what I expected and the lace count on my shawl just keeps getting off. Anyone who has knitting lace can understand the sheer pain of frogging back rows of lace….. So I took a break and picked up a quilt I had started for my youngest grand. It is just a simple panel, but I added some log cabin blocks for interest. It is very busy, but he is a very busy boy.

I also unearthed a Trip Around the World I had started a good decade ago and pulled it out to finish. It is in a kaleidoscope of muted earthy batiks. Quilting is a nice break from my knitting frustration :).

I have also happened upon a wonderful group of women discovered through the NextDoor site. It is glorious to be involved with a group of hen’s, cackling about all and sundry. It is an active group so I look forward to lots of engaging activities. It is just so marvelous to be making friends once again after the long desert of Covid and moving to a new location.

I find my days rich and full with friends, loved ones, and my doggies (my babies), and what more can one ask for?

Blessings,

Patricia