Dear Lion

image:BeautifulFreePictures

I am in awe of you and your power and strength. I know very little about you except what I found today on A-Z Animals, which was that the life span for male lions is 8 years, while the life span for females is 20 in the wild. I was surprised to learn as well that the lioness is the hunter, providing food for the family.
 
To be honest, I am reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" for the first time and I am in awe of Aslan, the lion in the story. Because of him, I am looking at you with new eyes.  Aslan speaks and sings, sharing his love and wisdom. He is honored and respected not feared by those in Narnia.

I know you speak to my heart..and I look forward to the day when we can speak as part of One Great Family.
I have read stories of young children facing death, who share with their doctor that their pain is lessened because the Angels "take them to play with the Dolphins" and , says one young nine year old, "The Dolphin, told me I was a good kid!!!"   So like that young man, I believe you do speak and in time we can speak face to face as well.  Until then I ask you to speak to my heart and speak what you know I need to hear.

One of the things that pained me, as I read about you on the A-Z Animal web site, was that you and your family like so many other creatures were rapidly losing your habitats due to so called "progress and development". We humans have not yet understood when enough is enough or when need becomes greed. To say I'm sorry that your needs are not being honored and respected seems so shallow in light of what we are doing to you.

What would you say to me dear Lion, I truly want to hear your truth.

Dear Assunta,
Thank you for being open to hearing my truth as I will speak. Thank you too for your apology as it is good to know that more and more of our human kin are seeing us with new eyes and beginning to honor and respect our very existence, more for who we are, rather than what we can give to them.

So many of you are in awe of our power and strength and I thank you, yet, our focus is not on our "so called" power and strength as you see us.  Power and Strength in your culture usually leads to dominance and control and that is not the understanding of power and strength that we live by.

Our power and strength comes from and resides in our sense of community and family, our Pride.
Your sense of "Pride" too often relates to power, strength and control over someone or some thing!   Yes, it's a good play on words yet it is a dangerous kind of play that you humans engage in.  Power and Strength in their best sense are gifts that can be offered to benefit the whole in a positive way!
We use our power and our strength to meet a real need, we know the balance between need and greed and we know and respect the understanding of "enough"!

If you, our "conscious" family members, were to live out of those two understandings we would all be in a much "richer"place. 

In order to open oneself to that understanding, we must listen to the message of the heart. Power and Strength in their worst sense, are so, because they are never affected by the message of the heart.  When you let your heart speak, you will know and live differently and you will truly be able to take pride in who you are within our magnificent web of life.  It is not to late. Look with new eyes at your Pride and let your heart speak!

Dear Lion,
Thank you for your strong, powerful and heart felt message.  I am awed and humbled!  You have given me and all of your human kin much to think about and more importantly key methods of acting for positive change and growth.

Dear Cardinal

image: National Geographic


You have taught me so much today. You are both so strong and yet so vulnerable. Storms come and you have no real place to hide.
 Being vulnerable is not easy for me.  I'm not sure I would/could survive a major storm in my most vulnerable state. I'm not proud of that but it's true.  I need your help, how can I be vulnerable and at the same time, strong enough to survive?

Dear Sunti,
Easy does it, you are stronger than you think and you keep forgetting one very important thing, you are not alone in your vulnerability, you can lean on and be supported by others...if you speak that vulnerability out...Ask and you shall receive...you do not have to rely strictly on yourself..which you have done for so long.  Many family members are available to give you support, encouragement and what ever else you might need.. if..you but ask.
If death is what you fear..face that fear!  Is it the unknown aspect?  Facing your fear head on is the only way to set yourself free, for you yourself have said " If there is no walk through, there is no break through."

Trust and know you are not alone.. speak and it shall be given!  I love you!

Dear Stars

Astronomy-Pictures.net

I needed to see your beauty and light tonight!  I was feeling low and wanted to recapture the sense of love, generosity, joy and change that this beautifull season holds. You seem to capture all of those characteristics in your beautiful being.

Light in the darkness what an incredible gift of hope and new life, especially in the days of unceretainty and change in our lives. 

What amazes me about you is that during the day..it would seem that you did not even exist, as there is no trace of your presence in the brilliant blue sky!!  Yet, with the coming of darkness you shine through!
When the darkness seems to overwhelm us.. we can remember that your Light is present and with us.

What your daytime presence also teaches me is that we ourselves have hidden gifts that come to fullness and awareness as they are needed!!  Thank you for that awareness!  What a Gift in this season of Gifts!

For how long...have you been the beacon that brought us home!  That guided us, when we were lost! Thank you for the gifts that you bring to us.. reminding us that in the dark nights of our lives there is light to be found!

How often over time.. have you given up your life..that other life in the star family might come forth... Your numbers are beyond my imagination and I am awed when I hear the stories of your abundance...

I know I am "all over the place" in thought tonight dear stars, What would you say to me.. I would love to hear your wisdom...

Dear Assunta,
Relax and be at peace..in your being "all over the place." I'm glad our presence is comforting for you. The things that are stirring in you and bringing you tension and doubt, in time will become still and clear.  Newness brings complexity which brings forth growth and change...those are not easy places for you and many humans to be.  

In the star family, that is just how we grow...the coming together of many stars brings diversity and a complexity that sparks change and new growth... In many ways, we grow the way you do.. when you are truly open to growth.  Complexity and diversity can seem scary and fearful, yet...look at the beauty that can come forth.

As you said..our seemingly lacking day time presence..is similar to the inward growth going on within you that only manifests itself when the time is right...So dear one.. don't be afraid of "being all over the place" it just means that your growing process is about to bring you to a new place of awareness.. a new light in what you perceived as a time of "darkness"! 

I'm glad you are surprised in a positive way at the focus of our exchange..you thought you were in a negative space only to find out that you are in a positive growth space.  Let your light shine dear one and we your star family members will be with you, lighting your way and calling you forth to grow and become the fullest and best you can be..

Dear Stars.. Thank you for your "light" which rekindles my joy and trust in growing and becoming more!

Dear Donkey,

imageA-ZAnimals.com

With Christmas approaching I have to be honest and say I have not given your role in the Christmas Story a lot of thought. I just knew that you were the one to carry Mary and her unborn child, Jesus, as they went on their long journey to Bethlehem.  Forgive me for taking you for granted and pretty much ignoring the great gift that you gave.

As is so often true, when I learned a little more about you I had a greater appreciation of you!  For a very long time you and the members of your family, have given the gift of your strength to help humans carry heavy loads and transport goods over long distances.  Thank you for your strength.  I was amazed to learn that there are 44 million of your family members through out the world, and that your favorite food is grass!!

A surprise for me was that you, whom we have labeled as stubborn, are truly not so!!  The behavior that had been labeled as stubborn is really your way of taking care of yourself, which you are very good at.  A lesson that we in the human family need to learn and heed.  Your self preservation instincts are so strong that you will refuse to proceed if you sense danger. I would say that is a wise move and far from being "stubborn". 

Another gift that has also been construed as stubbornness, is your unwillingness to proceed when you are overburdened!!  That too is a wise behavior, that many in the human family could benefit from.  Isn't it sad that you can be thought of as stubborn...for taking care of yourself!!   You are just plain smart Donkey, and I would be smart to imitate your behavior.. especially with regard to taking care of myself.

I loved learning that your very presence has a calming affect on distressed horses which is why you are often brought to the fields to be with them. Thank you again dear Donkey for your big heart.  That big heart is reflected in another of your gifts, your loyalty.  I read that once you get to know and trust your owner, you are extremely loyal and a good friend.

Wow...how did we miss so much with regards to you?  I/We  have focused on your "stubbornness" all this time only to learn that I/we have judged you wrongly. I am sorry and I ask for your forgiveness.

What would you like to say to your family members who have judged you so?

Dear Assunta,
I hope you have all learned a good lesson about not making judgements without knowing the facts.. the real facts.  I have many good qualities that you are now more aware of and hopefully will change your perception of me as "only an ass" in the most negative sense!  I would be glad to spend the rest of my days with out that particular label.  

And I have to say, not all people have seen me that way. Those who have truly loved and known me have seen the best of me!

With Christmas coming I offer you the gifts of the best of me that you have uncovered and ask you to live them and give them to each other. 

This Christmas too, may we look at each other with new eyes and open hearts.. and who knows.. we may find that some other long standing label that we have applied to folks no longer apply due to misinformation or that we have allowed the person the possibility of change. 

Often, when we are hurting, all that is needed is a calming presence, like my just being with the horses when they are upset.  We can all be that calming presence to one another if we choose.

Why wait till Christmas.. Start now..and what a wonderful Christmas we will all have!

Dear Donkey,
Thank you for you and your genuine gifts...this sharing has given me a vibrant sense of what this Christmas Season can be for all of us..starting right now!

Dear Leopard,

A-ZAnimals.com

You seem lost in thought..and I feel like I am interrupting you..forgive me. I know so little about you. I just read on A-Z Animals that you are incredible at climbing trees, and that in doing so.. you can see any incoming prey or danger.  You are also a fantastic swimmer!!

 I also learned that there are 30 different sub species of your family and that most are considered to be endangered or critically endangered, with some on the verge of extinction.  This news breaks my heart. I can't imagine how it must feel to live each day with that reality! For me as a human it would be like facing death on a daily basis.. I'm not sure I could handle that! 

With so little knowledge of you on my part you have every reason not to want to converse with me. I am late in coming to know you and the rest of our family in the natural world but I enter into this conversation with the deepest respect for you. I truly would like to hear what you would say to me...if you wish.

Dear Assunta,
A little knowledge can go a long way and I appreciate your efforts to get to know me and my family. Your sharing our conversation with other humans could perhaps limit the mass extinction that my family faces.
It is not easy to walk each day with the realization that not only could it be my last day but the last for my entire family. 

To have been given the gift of life and then to have it taken away through no act of ones own is very hard to deal with; and yes.. you can sense some anger in me for the lack of respect and willingness to work with our family and all the families of the natural world, that humans display. 

No one likes to feel devalued or unwanted, or to be treated like an object strictly for your enjoyment. Remember when you saw the picture of Giraffe in the small square enclosure of a zoo?  You wondered what he/she might be feeling and if he/she would like to be free of the fenced in space?

Why does Giraffe have no say in how he/she lives life?  You humans speak strongly about rights and rights are valuable.  Why is it therefore, that we of the natural world, young and old, have no rights?  Any rights that we might seem to have are dictated by the needs of humans.

I want to live... I want my family to live.. to grow up and become the fullness of themselves. Why does that not seem to matter?  Would it not be to the good of all of us, to recognize our dependence on one another?
There is a balance that needs to be kept if life is to thrive, and each of us in being who we are contribute to maintaining that balance!  
How often have you said..Mother Earth does not need humans to survive.. She will make the changes needed for growth and healing.  It is the human family that will not survive with out Mother Earth!!   Sadly and realistically, my family and your human family are endangered!!

As I said, I want to live and I want my family to not only live but to thrive!  Is that not what you want as well?
Together, with mutual respect and mutual rights to life, we can share our gifts and in so doing create the healing balance of life that will bring wholeness to All Our Relations!

Dear Leopard,
Thank you for your honesty and your wisdom.   This sharing has touched me deeply.  I pray that we humans will not only hear you but act to honor your rights and the rights of all our sisters and brothers in the natural world.

Dear rippling blue water,

Thank you beautifulfreepictures.com

With the help of gentle light, soft shadows and the golden hew of mountain in the background you speak to me of calm and peace, and that is what I am searching for tonight.

I almost chuckled as I began to write as I realized that it took a combined effort of family members to bring the peace that I spoke of .  Each of you are beautiful in your own ways and bring peace in your own ways, yet ... together there is a deepening of that peace.  You remind me that .. yes we are alone..yet we are also together.. and I tend to forget that all to often.

Your gentle surface ripples, speak of unknown activity even as you give the appearance of calm. There is more going on within you that is not visible to the human eye.  So like us humans, when we can appear calm on the outside, with much going on within.

I have a hard time "being truly at peace" when so much is stirring within me!  The needs and pain of  All Our Relations tug at my heart and drain my spirit.  How do we bring together so many differing views to meet the urgent needs of our family?
Is it possible to truly be at peace and at the same time address the web of issues and concerns among us?

What would you say to me dear Water?  I truly need your wisdom.

Dear Assunta,
First of all, I'm glad that you can find peace in my presence and the family that surrounds me.. that is your/our first clue to having peace.. knowing we are not alone.. as you said.. we are alone yet we are also together.  At no time are you alone.. The Energy of Love envelopes you both within and without!!  It is when we forget that vital connection that fear can enter and drain our energy.

There are many urgent needs and there are many ways of meeting those needs..the difficulty is finding the common good...that is something that the human community has thought less and less about. You are still very caught up in Independence and competition which moves you farther and farther away from what is best for all concerned.  

You have used the phrase "decisions should be made by those most affected by them" and that is a process that can lead to the common good.  That is not the case in your Congress right now.. yet things can change.  You want immediate action on critical issues and that seems fair, yet in order for that to happen it has to be the will of the people and that takes time. 

Be the ripple that stirs the water...patience..persistence...alone and together..can move more than you know. 
Too much too fast does not always bring the best results...! You must know and understand the long range ramifications of your choices if there is to be real healing and growth. 
Ah yes.. don't spread yourself thin trying to do more.  Know your gifts and talents and focus your energy on what truly speaks to your heart.  Trying to do too much limits rather than helps.

Be the ripple that stirs the water...and as you ripple be at peace, how?
 Holding the awareness that you are not alone, focusing your energy and engaging others whose gifts and talents, like mountain and light, can add their unique dimension to the situation being addressed.

Dear water, thank you so much!  You have shown me that true wisdom can also be "common sense" and I don't often equate the two.

Dear Grains of Sand,

http://www.freenaturepictures.com/sandpictures.php

I love this close up picture of you as you hold leaf in her golden glory.  I love too, the way you create simple lines and tiny mounds as you gather together. The word sculptor comes to mind as you move and create moment to moment.
 As I look at you it is all to easy to forget that your presence as Sand is created by individual grains. What a gift of community and communal effort. Without each one of you..there would be no Sand as we understand sand to be.

Although you appear very much alike, there is evidence of diversity among you in color and shape...and in the roles you play for land and water.  I'm fascinated by the fact that your appearance can be altered so easily by the presence of wind, rain or snow and the impact of another being..small or large.  I don't think I really appreciated the gift of that before. You appear so fragile and at the same time so strong. 

You are so versatile in all that you do for your extended family members. Creating homes for sea and land creatures as well as humans; Rooting, plants, trees; grasses, and flowers and providing a floor or bed for ocean, lakes, rivers..brooks and ponds...!! Oh..how much you give and how little thought I have given to your enormous gift!

 Forgive me for taking you so very much for granted.  I walk on your family members daily as they soften my walk and provide the life support for the beauty I see around me.  Without you I/We would be starved of nourishment in body, mind and spirit.  Who would ever believe the life giving power of  grains of sand.
You are simply magnificent!!

I have truly enjoyed getting to know you better dear Sands and I would love to hear what you would like us to know ...

Dear Assunta,
I'm glad we have awed you with our giftedness..as it is nice to know that being small does not diminish the impact or magnitude of one's gift.  Thank you for being willing to take the time to truly see us. 


I would hope that you humans would also receive from us a deeper appreciation for community and the diversity within that community.  You still fear the impact of diversity and that only heightens the difficulty in our forming community.


You humans, are driven by a strong sense of Independence..with dependence, being seen as  weakness.  We grains of sand, are both, uniquely ourselves and deeply reliant on one another. Change affects us quickly and it is our strong bond of community that supports and strengthens us in Life's unfolding process. 


Like our Cloud family, we also enjoy sculpting our selves in different ways for both fun and beauty.  Play is essential to keeping us alert and ready for the changes to come.  By the way, if you really want to show your  appreciation for us, please be more mindful of what you leave on us and what you choose to feed us, for that we would be most grateful.


Thank you dear Grains of Sand, you have taught me so much!  

Dear Cloud,

You totally amaze me! Your size, color and  density speak strength and power!  I'm not sure if its fear or awe that captivates me.  You loom large!  What do you want us to know by your striking presence?
And forgive me..as I note your mighty presence.. I also see a potential for humor.. You seem to be saying,
" ahhhhhh I'll have a seat right here and I hope sister stone can hold me up!"   It's amazing that humor can be found even as you look so daunting and fierce!   You appear heavy burdened as well, forgive my humor, as I do not mean to make light of your present reality.  As much as you stir up mixed feelings within me, I am also aware that there is beauty in the contrast of  your dark color and the soft white colors of sister sky. I'm not sure I want to see beauty in threatening darkness and yet I do!  Your layers seem almost feathery and the soft light highlights your edges...You truly are beautiful!   Ahhhhhh the thought just came to me that sometimes it takes a little light in the darkness in order to see the beauty that is there!

Whew..You've given me a lot to think about dear cloud.. What is it that you want me to know.. in light of  what I've said?

Dear Assunta,
 A dark foreboding presence is not easy to look at as it does evoke all of our fears...but those times do come in our lives.. when we are and do feel heavy burdened. You picked up on a key point as to how even a small amount of light can reveal something of beauty where one least expects to find it. We also have to be willing to see it and focus as best we can on it, rather then the dark pain.  The other gift I offer is that we clouds can change quickly in color and shape..thus we can offer the gift of hope that newness will come!  Our heavy burdens will give way to newness of life..  And finally, as you saw humor in my stance over sister rock, we clouds enjoy changing our shapes to keep you guessing as to who we will remind you of next...humor is a great healer as is play and our shape shifting is truly play for us!  So..the next time you see me in a dark and ominous way, remember to have the courage to keep looking as you did tonight and you will find light, beauty, hope and humor.  Not a bad days work for a cloud!!!

Whew again...you've blessed me greatly dear cloud, and I thank you!

Dear Mountain,

imagebeautifulfreepictures
      I'm not sure what it is that you are touching in me. Your presence is beautiful and strong, tall and expansive..You speak to me of stability, endurance, loftiness. There is both a sleekness and a roughness about you. Your height is daunting and magnificent.  The stories you could tell of the unfolding of life!  How much you have both seen and endured. I am reminded that you are not only strong but vulnerable.. You cannot run from the storms and changes that life brings...are you ever afraid?  What helps you to remain strong when storms come and  you stand like a target waiting to be hit?  I realize too, that you do not stand alone..you are one among and with your kin.  That in itself must bring you a sense of support when changes come. 

     I have always thought of Mountains as invincible.. yet as I have taken this brief time with you I understand that you are not as invincible as you appear. I am glad for both your strength and your vulnerability.  Your courage and steadfastness..bring me hope...that I too can stand strong amid the changes and storms of life. The passage of time weathers us all..in little ways and great..

    What would you want to say to me dear Mountain..?

Dear Assunta,
      My Presence is my gift as is yours..   Many have not yet begun to recognize that.. for me or for themselves.. You have taken the time to see some of me and for that I am grateful.. It is important that you also take the time to "see" your own Presence as the gift that it is.. we will see or understand little without taking the time to listen and to look within..You want to run from that looking and there is nothing to fear. Just as you noted my strength and my vulnerability.. don't be afraid to see your own.. and don't let your vulnerability paralyze you.. When we are weak we can be strong if we rely on the Source of Life rather than ourselves. 


     You tend, to think "its all up to you" and it definitely is not. Relax and know you do not walk alone.. ask and you shall receive..and yes..this conversation went in a direction you did not expect.. but I think you are ok with that..yes?   You asked.. Do I fear? Am I afraid.. I would have to be honest and say no I do not.. I have lived long enough to know that Life is an ongoing process of life and death and new life.. in a different form.  Sit with that understanding for a while and let it grow within you so that you will be less fearful of change and death. 

    Thank you dear Mountain, as you said.. you took me in an unexpected direction but I am ok with it.. I needed to hear it and I am grateful and I will take the time to mull and ponder the ongoing unfolding of  life as one of life death and new life often in a different form.  I would like to hear more about you at a later time..

Will do.. no problem..!

Dear Owl,

   Your eyes are penetrating and I thank you for seeing deep within me. I am asking for your help tonight and for your wisdom. Over the last few years I have been shown the wisdom of your brothers and sisters in the animal and plant family.  I have wanted to share that wisdom but have held back.. afraid of what people will think and I do not want your wisdom dismissed as “cute” and labeled as “a romantic view of nature”. I am so afraid to trust myself and what has been shared with me and yet.. the wisdom shared is life giving, joyful and healing and the human family needs those gifts.  I do not want to  run away any more from sharing your message and most especially from helping others to experience your wisdom in their own lives.  What would you say to me dear Owl  and don’t be afraid to say what I need to hear. Thank you for hearing me.

Dear Assunta,

Stop running and begin the sharing processes.. you will not know who is open to receiving our gifts if you do not try. Not all will be willing to hear.. but many will and their lives will be changed and so will ours as we all come to know one another as family. You have nothing to be afraid of .. let your fear go.

And as I sense you wavering in your hearing.. maybe its time to be with us more, then you will not doubt yourself because the more you experience what we have to give the stronger your trust will be in what you are hearing.  It’s like so much else in life.. its all about creating relationships and that takes time and patience. Patience is not your strong point.. but Love is.  Be with us.. in reality and in spirit.

Yes, remember what you heard shared in “Into the Light” by the little boy who was dying, when he was with the angels they took him to the dolphins and he rode them and spoke with them.  Speaking with us is not weird or unheard of.. it is new to the human family; and you if you choose, can help them to know us and our gifts to the benefit of their own lives and in the long run ours.

Communication and relationship can lead to a renewed sense of family, and is not that what we are one and all together.  So now is the time to step out and SPEAK WHAT YOU KNOW so that others can know us as well.  The need is urgent so that their will be fewer Beings dying into extinction.  Now is the time… MOVE.. and move in Joy and Love not out of fear. We, your family, support you and stand with you.

Thank you, dear Owl, for your words of encouragement and support. I will stop running and move and I will take the time to commune with you more.

Dear Sea Gull,

image:Beautifulfreepictures

Dear “Little Gull” I know about you but I don’t know you.  I admire your lack of fear as you wing over the wide expanse of sister Water, and your agility as you come back to land in search of food.

What do you see and what would you tell us from your perch high in the sky?  Are you ever afraid?  What brings you joy?  Pain?

Dear Sunti,

          Thank you for wanting to get to know me, not to many choose to do that and it makes me feel special.  I have learned to trust my wings and really do enjoy my flights across your waters.

          What do I see as I fly? ..No let’s go back to trusting those wings.  Just as I fly because I risk and trust my wings, so can you.  Perhaps not fly, but let yourself soar in possibilities and don’t let threats of predators deter you.

          Now for what I see, I get to see the “Big Picture”…the beauty and the destruction.. its an eye opener.  Maybe if more of you saw the big picture as I do, you’d have a whole different sense of your home called earth.

Thank you “Little Gull”, I am amazed once again.

Dear Gray Wolf,

 I need and ask for your wisdom today as I think about all the people hurting because of the earthquake in Haiti. I feel so helpless and my heart breaks for all beings that are suffering. Your intense eyes seem to see right through me, so that you are aware that I am in awe of the courage, and sacrifice of so many and I wonder how I would respond in such a situation. I am angry that we as a world family have not done more for Haiti!! I can sit here at my computer and type while Haiti suffers intensely. So much destroyed so much death, pain, fear and just plain shock. Little ones who never got a chance to grow and become…

How does one find hope in this? How do we enable new life for Haiti when the after affects of Hurricane Katrina for so many, have not yet been dealt with?

All I keep thinking is … So much death and loss.. and yet I am alive! Will the deaths of so many wake me/us up? I/we as a world family could not stop the Earthquake but we could have done so much before hand, in terms of daily living… food, water, health care, education, safe, strong, housing.. Haiti, as a whole had none of this!!!. We as a world family, for the most part, closed our ears and our hearts to the cries of our sisters and brothers, human and non-human in Haiti. I am ashamed and at the same time scared.. I am not sure I would have the strength and Faith that many of the people of Haiti do with all they have suffered. Help me, wise one.. I was told you point the path.. please show me the path I need to walk.. thank you.

Dear daughter, right now weakness is your strength. There is much going on but far more than you know and that is what you have to hold on too. The people of Haiti will survive and eventually thrive because of a new awareness and understanding of their pain and need from so many who previously closed their eyes. Situations are changing all around you and that is in itself “an earthquake” of your current understanding. Do the small things that truly can make a difference and be consistent in doing so.

Take that time with your God and rest in God’s love. As you have read in “Into the Light” and “Learning from the Light..” all will lead to perfection. For now it looks anything but… yet you are called to trust. Earth is being shaken, all beings are being shaken.. newness and change is in order and change does not always come easy. Do what you can and don’t try to take “it all on”! That is not your role at this time or any time. All beings have gifts and all beings are being asked now more than ever to share those gifts with one another for the benefit of all. Keeping it simple applies to more than your response, look at your whole pattern of life.. simplify, simplify and you will be much more at ease.

All beings in our family have to walk their own paths.. and often we have no idea of their paths, thus we can not judge what is “bad” or what is “good” as we do not know what it is ultimately, for them. See through the eyes of love.. and yes remember that for you and for all really.. there is much more .. death truly is a beginning and not an end. There is sorrow and there is pain but there is Life and Life to the Full… in its own time.

Be at Peace my daughter, knowing and Trusting the More that you are unaware of but which is Known by our Loving God. All will come to perfection in its own Time.. a perfection wrapped in abundant Love.

Be at Peace… I see you in your fullness and I love you …Thank you for seeing me and honoring my wisdom. Walk gently and keep your sense of humor too. Life is hard but there is also joy.. as seen in these painful days for our sisters and brothers in Haiti.. People are being found alive after a week in rubble.. Hope.. is given…Hope remains.

Thank you dear Gray Wolf.. I will be pondering your words for a while.

Dear lonely tree,

I am feeling lonely tonight as well.  Does talking to trees make me crazy.  I love you and all your kin and I want to help others love you too.  Yet I resist doing more.  Does helping humans fall in love with the Earth seem like a crazy idea?  A life long pursuit?  And yet...it is your beauty and your pain that so is like our own and you do and can teach us if we are willing.  You stand alone and yet you honor your standing and your life.  You do not try to hide or diminish your self.  You stand without support from your family of trees and you are beautiful in your standing.

Help me to be willing to stand on my belief that Nature does speak if we are willing to listen.  What would you say to me, dear Tree?

Dear Sunti,
Standing alone is not easy as you say..I too question my being..as I dwell here..what do I give? Do I matter to anyone?  That is the cry of all of us, human and non human, Yes?  You say you want to help humans fall in love with the earth, is that a worthwhile pursuit..I say to you dear lonely one, it is a most worthy pursuit, because in doing so, you will save us, your kin, from the destruction that comes from being perceived as objects rather than Beings of worth, with purpose and beauty of our own.

You will also bring much joy to the human family as they discover their true kinship with us and how we can help to heal one another.  Thank you for being willing to stand alone and to risk such a pursuit.  Let us strengthen one another as we give fully of who and what we are.  We truly are not lonely, as we are immersed in family, it only seems that way when we focus on our individual selves and our pursuits.  That is not bad..to focus on our pursuits..as long as we do not forget our connectedness and all that it gives us, and asks of us too.

Thank you again, for being willing to stand.  You give me strength to continue standing as well, by recognizing my beingness.. As I said, we can strengthen one another.

Dear Field,

Thank you to Wikipedia for the photo.

You know I wanted to avoid you.  And yet you drew me.  I can not view you as wasted...even as I see your pain...because your pain teaches me what I no longer want to see happening to you or others of our kin.  You who were so rich and green at one time, how could we do this to you? We the humans, who are called "conscious and aware"!!  How can you not hate us?..What would you want to say to us dear field?

Dear human,
Thank you for being willing to not see me as wasted.  Even in the depths of my pain I am alive and there is hope.  Hope that you as humans will see, truly see what you are doing and begin to change.  Just as you often say ..when things seem at their worst..some good can come.  That is my gift to you, the gift of potential and possibility and the HOPE that you will not throw it away. In time I will be renewed..just as each of you, with time..are renewed and renewed, if you are open to that renewing.  Nothing is wasted dear one..nothing ..human or otherwise.!!

Whew!! dear field..you took me to a place I would never have thought a field could take me.. to possibility and potential...thank you and may I honor you by honoring my own potential and sharing with others what you have taught me and just how precious you are.

Dear "Little Manatee"

From the first day I saw you and your mom I loved you. You tugged at my heart and I've held on to your picture for years.. I couldn't and still can't let you go.  What is it that you touch in me?  Do I even want to know?  I'm not sure what I feel as I watch you and your mom in so tender a moment.  A longing that is deep.. one that I've been afraid to name for years.. a sadness and something so fragile..

I have such an active and vivid imagination  and a sense of drama that I don't want to magnify or lessen what I yet cannot name.  I'm not sure if my focus is on you..or your mother..or both

I see such tenderness, such a delicate, gentle,  life giving bonding, embracing, attachment..connection.

Mother nursing her child..is their a part of me that never knew that bond?  Is that what attracts me so?

"Little One", so small, vulnerable, dependent, connected, bonded, embraced!!!  Your gentle nursing is touching something I can not name...

I was not in a place to ask for your response.. and yet now.. I ask.. what would you say to me..Mom?.. Baby?

Little One,

As mom I would say, yes that bond was there but as you said it was fragile...fragile but not lost..yet probably not strong enough for you to truly know it and feel its security as you see with me and my little one.  I'm glad we were able to touch that space within you and thank you for being open to our gift.  Your deep gentle love brings us much joy.

Dear "little Manatee and Mom"; with even more time gone by ..I would now name the longing you evoked in me as "a longing for belonging" which after so many years I am allowing myself to name, acknowledge, heal and be open to the many places of belonging in my life and the place of Ultimate Belonging ..the very Energy of God..The Ground of All Being!  Thank you for gently moving me toward that realization! 

PS. A note about the picture. After going on line trying to find a picture similar to the one I originally used for this sharing with no luck.. I took a picture of a copy of the picture.  That is why it seems less clear. For me it still captures that longing that was awakened in my heart waiting to be acknowledged and healed.

Little Brook.....

It was with you that I had my first conversation and was introduced to "Communing with the beings of the Natural World".  You were not the original brook but I thank you for standing in for your kin.  Our conversation went like this:

Little brook, little stream, I heard you before I saw you...or was it sister wind rippling through the trees as we approached you?  Your gentle song gladdened and saddened my heart. Gladdened, because you sing as you give life and you and your song nurture me.  Saddened, because I saw what a small stream you had become and wondered how much you would have liked to go deeper?

We humans have closed our ears and our hearts to your song.  Closed our ears and our hearts to your needs. We treat you as an object for our gratification with no sense or willingness to know your Being, your gift as you are!  We expect and demand that you fill our needs...fill...fill..fill as we deplete all that nurtures you and refreshes you. 

We your blind and selfish kin do not honor you with the understanding of "kin".  We pollute your sparkling crisp essence and drown your song with the noise of more more, with no thought of replenishing or renewing you. I fear what you might say to us and you would have every reason to disown our kinship.

We truly speak with forked tongue extolling your beauty on the one hand while objectifying you on the other-
How do we begin to heal our relationship...How do we become kin little stream?  Is it yet possible or have we come to little to late?

        As you have said dear human, even in my little-ness I sing and I move; you and others have honored that and that is a beginning.  We are entering into relationship, a mutual relationship...Many are beginning to see me for and in my essence and fullness, rather then my doing...Just as you humans are beginning to realize the contamination of to much "doing" without valuing your essence..your own fullness.

Each of us then, needs to be nothing more or less than who and what we are in our fullness...To begin to realize this and recognize this is the beginning of healing and the renewing of kinship and relationship.

Thank you "little stream", this sharing has gladdened me and amazed me!

Dear Clouds,

Just as you often hide the sun, you remind me of how I hide from the sun within me.  What am I afraid of?  You are an indicator of present weather conditions and sun still shines weather we can see sun or not. I often forget this.  Just as the golden light of Wisdom and Love within myself is always shining there weather I choose to honor its gaze or not.

Why do I resist going within so strongly?  Do I really believe I will find emptiness?  What's in there?  Who cares?  Your wasting your time..Do something Ego cries, and yet, I am drawn within...stop ..stop .. stop.. my heart cries!  Help me dear clouds to understand my resistance and to move within.

Dear Assunta ,
Just as you said about us, clouds are indicators of present moment and can often look fierce and bring fear. You have many stories within you that have called into question your sense of truth and thus you tremble at the thought of really trusting YOURSELF.  this fear clouds your light and your beauty.  To be in touch with those stories and reclaim your light is your journey within and only you can take the necessary time and steps to remove the clouds and restore the blue sky of peace and renewed trust in your SELF.

As you said, Sun is always shining yet in your heart you do not believe it because of the clouds of pain and doubt that have yet to be made present to you so that Light can come forth.  Go for it.  Go Go Go within and see for yourself the bright Sun that you are.  Mom Riley was right.. You are Sunshine!!!

Dear Clouds,
I am again amazed at our conversation and communion.  Thank you and I accept your challenge to go within to find my Sun. Much love, Assunta

Dear Sun,

It is in seeing your radiance that I finally am able to choose to move my life forward in a most positive and focused manner.  For to long I have not dared my own brilliance to come forth.  From this day forward may all that I think, do and say facilitate the emergence and brightness of the Diving Light within me.  May that glorious light spark to life the light of all beings that The Ground of Our Being chooses to put in my path.  I truly want to say at my death that "in being fully alive, my life gave glory to The Energizer"!  What would you say to me brilliant sun?

Dearest Assunta,
The Glory of God is YOU, Fully Alive...you are just now allowing yourself to live and to live fully without regret, fear or guilt.  Know that all beings will be blessed with your compassion and love as you let your Light Shine.  Don't keep waiting for big events...special happenings...just as I shine on all things, let your light shine in all that you do, on all that you meet. 

Let your laughter ring out..Let your song be sung..ENJOY.. and knowing how you care and love those especially who are hurting, continue as you have been doing recently..sending the energies of your prayers out to all who are in pain, fear and doubt..no prayer is wasted. The "little things" mean a lot. More than you know.  And when my brilliance is hidden by the clouds.. REMEMBER..I am still shining..just hidden.  Walk in confidence and peace.  The world sorely needs the brilliance of who you are and the brilliance of all our sisters and brothers human and non human. Give each other the courage to shine and to live fully.

Dear Dolphin,

Hello,
I don't know what it is that draws me to you but I am drawn to you.  I'm not sure if its your playfulness, your sensitivity or the great wisdom that I've read that you have.  I just know that there is something about you that attracts me and warms my heart about you.  I guess there is a part of me that would like to know what you know, if that's not to ego minded.  And its not the knowing of intelligence so much as the knowing of the spirit..I feel a little foolish right now as I can't quite put it into words.  But I truly believe you know.

Dear Sunti,
I do know and I hope I can share it with you.  There is a playfulness in me yes, and a sense of "one with ness" with everything.  As you sing in your beautiful O Gaia cd about sister water as "weaver of wonder, weaver of web", I truly know and feel the wonder of being a part of that weaving and wonder and you are beginning to have a sense of it yourself..yes.? And that is where the playfulness comes from, the joy of being a part of so much, of knowing the sense of connectedness to ALL THAT IS..and I am not alone in that knowing as my sisters and brothers in the Dolphin family and all of the sea family each in their own way..share in this joy of Oneness!!

Won't it be wonderful when all beings human and non human know and live out of that sense of oneness!!
And one more thing, we are here to teach you humans to lighten up..you need it especially.. and you are beginning to do it.  Play..Be..Enjoy and take each day as the gift that it is.

See, you wondered if I had something to give you of my wisdom and now you know that I do..and I am delighted that you are attracted to me and my Dolphin family because your love for us may keep us from being wiped out by the so called high tec advances of your culture.

Well, its time to go my pod is calling.. peace and joy to you dear friend. Dolphie

Dear Dolphie thank you so much, I look forward to communing with you again. Love, Sunti
Thank you A-Z Animals for the beautiful picture.

Dear Blue...

I was looking for you and then I was disappointed when I found you. I'm sorry. I wasn't disappointed in finding you, as much as I thought you'd be in some sort of special setting and

yet here you are fully you in all your beauty and I'm feeling disappointed!! Commune with you, you must be thinking..you ungrateful!!!

And yet, as I sit here looking at you I hear myself saying "isn't that the trap we allow our selves to fall into.." looking for the "special" the "spectacular" and not seeing the fullness and beauty of our very selves. We don't need a special setting..we are beautiful as we are.

I'm not sure why I haven't communed with you sooner as your family has a special meaning in my life as you know. I've been shying away from communing period. This is silly I tell myself and yet I know from the wisdom that's been shared with me it is far from silly. I don't want to appear foolish..folks are going to think I'm nuts. Here we go again..one minute I'm most comfortable with all this and the next I think I've lost it.

I need clarity and wisdom dear Blue. You know the stirrings of my heart what is it that holds me in.. keeps me back from embracing my kinship with you and all our relatives?? Or is that not it at all...what do I need to hear tonight? Please share your wisdom with me..thank you.

Dear Assunta...

I'm glad you picked me..I was afraid I wouldn't be chosen ..just because I wasn't framed in a nice background like my friends...and yet you chose me. You saw me in a different way and you chose...isn't it funny we were both being trapped by the backgrounds; and isn't it interesting that it is our so called "personal backgrounds" that can be a trap for us again and again if we get stuck there.

The scenery around us..the setting no matter how beautiful IS NOT US!! Backgrounds can enhance our lives but never take the place of them. Are you enough? Am I enough? I am one small vibrant and strong creature..you found me important...you see me as valuable. That helps me to know that "I am Enough", Being Me is enough. I invite you to learn more about me.

You are learning more and more about you and are becoming more and more at peace with the beauty of YOU, the fullness of YOU. YOU ARE ENOUGH. You are wondering and waiting for the big change, the big event the spectacular moment that will tell you that you are Enough.

Stop waiting dear one and KNOW from this day forward that you are enough.

Be YOU. BE THE FULLNESS OF YOU and that might mean ..doing more of what you are doing right now..commune more often...and we can share our strengths and the power that enables us to do what might seem impossible...like my yearly trek to a warmer climate, which is all part of being me.. as honoring your needs and challenging your fears are a part of you..

We are fragile and beautiful and strong and powerful.. as ourselves, yes even more so together.