This morning I went outside at the moment of dawn for my daily nature meditation. As my feet touch the porch it is my practice to take a deep breath and to follow a series of steps to quiet the mind, which involves watching the breath. I am still fresh from the night’s sleep, which makes this easier to do than later in the day.

I felt as if I were entering a living painting. I saw tiny nuthatches in silhouette flitting from branch to lacy branch in the birches in the yard next door. The whole scene was in silhouette against the sky, which was pale and luminous. The sounds of the nuthatches were soft and sweet. A raven soared by silently. I could feel the rising energy of spring from Mother Earth responding to the widening and heightening arc of the sun. I felt this tender arising in my own body and being. I felt immersed in this tenderly arising power as a fish is immersed in the sea.

When the mind is silent, and we put our attention on nature, nature can inform us about how to be one with her. We can then learn from her about how to live rightly in the world.