When our attention falls on something, our energy flows that direction and life follows. It is a great honor to see deeply into Nature and love what we see. With that honor comes responsibility. We each have the ability to respond to nature by giving loving attention everywhere our eye falls. If we spy the thrush singing from a tree limb, it is easy for us to send our love to the bird. And as our love flows to it, the bird may sing even more brightly. Our attention carries our energy and life is greater because of it.
It may not be so automatic at first for us to direct our attention to the dark places on this planet—to the starving, the war-torn, the leaders who make the decisions for their people. Yet, the more we can appreciate everything and love everything, the more life and light will penetrate to those who live in the dark. I believe they need our love.
There is a sweet corollary to the giving of attention and love. As we give, so we receive. When our loving focus goes out it pops right back to us bringing more life and love to us as well. We touch the bird on the branch, our own loved ones, the peoples and places of the planet that need light. They touch us back. “As you give, so shall you receive,” is an immutable natural law.
Let it be time, too, to see that beauty in every person we meet. When we see beauty in everyone and speak to that, miracles happen in our relationships. When we acknowledge the goodness of each person we encounter, a lovely world is created around ourselves. And again, of course, we must see that same goodness in ourselves.
Let’s take the power of attention further, into the power of adoration. Yes, our attention to the bird on the branch produces more liveliness in the bird and in us. At the heart of life is always love. When we allow our awareness to add the power of devotion to our attention, who knows what wonder will cascade down upon the Earth?
Practice: Loving the Earth
1. Let us suspend judgment. This may require an active choice. We can change the habit of judging everything and everyone. Becoming conscious of our habits and changing the ones we no longer want is a worthy pursuit. It certainly will take conscientious choosing, but we are each fully capable of creating a new way of seeing each other and the world.
2. Let’s sit quietly in a comfortable place and close our eyes. Let’s fall into our own Heart Cave and rest there a few minutes. Let’s dwell in the boundless Love which fills us. Now, we begin to extend that Love. Let’s picture streams of Love flowing from our heart. Let’s picture those streams reaching everyone and everything on the Earth. Let’s picture specific people or places on the Earth. Let’s picture the streams merging and our Love flowing in a great ocean over all the Earth. We can rest in that.
3. When we open our eyes, let’s notice how we feel. Perhaps this will become a daily practice for us. Perhaps we need to love the world as much as the world needs our love.
(Adapted from Great Love in the 21st Century: A Path to Intimacy)
"Daughters of Solace"