Water has always soothed me. I hoped some time in the river would assuage my fears and bring some clarity of mind as I pondered the next year ahead. I sat on a rock, my feet cooling in the icy spring runoff. I watched the light dance on the surface, thinking about all of the life this water supports; I became aware of the insects, fish, birds, mammals, plants, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, all shaped and supported by this water. It came to me that this river has also supported me, my whole life, in Southern California, by joining the Colorado River and bringing life to all of the deserts of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. This river has sustained me all my life, and we had never been properly introduced. My heart swelled in gratitude.
In this realization, I decided to stretch my animal communication skills and attempt a session with this river. My teachers and mentors speak often of using these same skills to learn from the plants, minerals and waters of Earth. Indigenous cultures the world over have acknowledged this type of communication with Spirit of all of Nature’s manifestations, considering it normal and essential practice for respectful living. As my feet grew colder, and my fears of not attaining an adequate income continued to whisper in my ear, I humbly asked the river for guidance.
I sat in the unfolding awareness of the nutrients (support) flowing toward me, and past me. I knew that, despite the seasonal flux in volume, this river is ever present. I was made aware of the similarities shared by river systems and the body’s circulatory system, bringing nourishment and transporting wastes. Both systems experience health and illness while continuing to do their best for the support of the whole body, be it mine or the Earth’s. This life giving flow will continue by its own right.
I realized I can choose to watch the river’s gifts flow past and wait for more to follow, or I can reach out and grasp what looks good before it flows past me. In order to thrive, there is a balance between the gifts of opportunity freely given and the active claiming and use of such gifts. I can watch opportunities come and go, but unless I reach out to take advantage of them, nothing will change. And once I grasp a potential resource, I should follow the flow, allowing the current to take me beyond what I currently see. There may be more good things to discover around the bend. To stand in opposition of the flow creates turbulence and a lack of momentum. The river was clear: You must take the hand that reaches out to help you.
The message was both profound and absurdly simple. Did I really just get schooled by the spirit of this river, a gift of wisdom, granted like an answered prayer? Or did I spin this daydream from my own subconscious with my human, story telling mind? Clearly, one’s cultural perspective will inform the truth of one belief over the other, but does it really matter? Regardless of the source, the insight itself was a good one, and directly applicable to my current employment circumstances. As I dried my feet and walked out of the canyon, I reviewed my situation with this new lens.
Since that day, I have been applying the river’s wisdom by actively reaching out for whatever job-leads floated my way from friends and the community. I have focused on opportunities that resonate with who I want to be and the life I choose to embrace while recognizing the choices that will keep me stuck in the attitudes and mindset I am trying to leave behind. When my scarcity mindset takes a firm hold of me, I am reminded to go with the flow of these choices I’m making and to watch with curiosity what might unfold. I may not currently see what lies downstream, but if I stand here with my legs locked in fear, I never will.
This animal communication journey continues to surprise and shape me. As I expand my skills to include Spirit of all of Nature’s forms, I am awakened to new insights and possibilities I did not expect. I invite you to do the same. Take some quiet time to sit and ask a tree, a rock, or a river for their perspective about something you are grappling with, and listen for an answer. Prayer and wisdom take many forms. Sometimes, a revelation we might dismiss as trite or trivial can become a real guide for our behavior when received with gratitude and respect.
Oh! And wish me luck. I start two new part-time jobs this week, one with plants and one with animals. I am eager to see where the flow takes me.