Copyright 2002
Wilderness Drum, Inc.
All rights reserved

Closer to the Earth
Steve Beyer

Introduction Before you leave home Fears and prohibitions Beliefs Your senses Asking permission Sensory powers Camera walk Being something else Changing perspective "Artist Unknown" Thinking about nature On not naming things Gratitude Gifts from the wilderness Writing about nature Getting close Watching quietly One creature Decomposers Wilderness symphony Competency

Gifts from the Wilderness

Just as you have brought with you a gift for the wilderness, the wilderness has many gifts it has been waiting to give you. Among these gifts, of course, are quiet, calmness of spirit, and patience; but even fear and terror can be a gift, and, believe me, the wilderness can sometimes truly scare the hell out of you.

On your journey you will find a natural object that has a relationship to why you are here. It could be a stone, or a feather, or a shell. The object will have a meaning for you alone. That teaching is a gift to you from the wilderness.

Ask the animals to be your teacher. Each animal you meet in silence and gratitude has a gift for you. The spider may teach you patience; the deer may teach you peace; the lizard may teach you wisdom. It is all between you and the animals.

At some time during your vision fast alone in the wilderness, you will experience fear. What is it that is frightening you? A thunderstorm? The sound of a wild animal in the middle of the night? Silence? Being alone? Ask the storm, the animal, the silence, the solitude to be your teacher. What does it teach you? Is the fear a gift?

< Previous       Next >

Back to the top
Return to Writings Page