During my nature meditations of three recent mornings I have  put my attention on the snow. Each time, a different quality was revealed: flawlessness, adhering, malleable. I have noticed this before, that any one aspect of nature is multi-faceted and can teach me what I need to learn at that particular time. I don’t just get a word; I get an experience in my own being of the substance of the word. This then helps me to return to mindfulness during the day from a vantage point bestowed by my meditation. This is important– I am not working out of a mental concept or idea, but with a real experience, a new sense of self.

Over time, these meditations, based on a quieted mind, build upon one another to give me an expanded sense of self. I realize that I am more than I thought I was, and I feel progressively freed from judgmental thinking.

Come forth into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher.

— William Wordsworth