Power
of Place
“From my
perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far
greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments of
sadness or fear. That's what I believe, and it was very, very strong
in the forest.”
Jane
Goodall
Jane Goodall writes
fondly of a tree, a beech, where she spent much of her childhood. She
took her books up there, did her homework there and simply was more
at home among the green leaves and birds than on the ground. She
writes that her mother was the only one who did not laugh at her
childhood dreams of going to Africa, even though they were not
wealthy people, and didn't have the money to send her to college much
less Africa. Because she had the combination of a great passion and
strong support, she achieved her dreams well beyond expectation.
When I read about her
spiritual life coming alive in the forests of Tanzania among the
chimpanzees, I understood. I, too, was a forest dweller—in the
mountains of North Carolina. I'll bet you have a spiritual connection
to place, too. Maybe it's a man-made structure, but more likely, it's
a natural setting—a place on the earth that you identify as
perfect. Where everything suits your senses, from the smells and
sounds to the colors and tastes. Where your body/mind simply settles
into the rhythm of its heartbeat and knows it's home.
Because Jane Goodall
identified her spiritual home very young—through books, by the
way—she was able to go straight to it. Most of us wander around for
a while, until we happen upon our place, but when we do, we recognize
it instantly. There we feel our whole being exhale and know, this is
where I belong. I don't know what brings this about, but I suspect it
has something to do with the energy of the place—what Goodall
refers to as “a greater spiritual power” that for her was very
strong in the forest. Like a magnet, the spiritual energy of “our
place” attracts us and draws us to it. For me, that place is
inland—in the mountains, in green, leafy places, with running
streams. For many others it is shoreline, sun and waves, and
constantly moving oceans. And for others, desert sands, and desert
winds, and desert sunsets. Wherever your holy place is, you go there
to recharge your batteries from its power source.
Holy ground is different
for each of us. Once discovered, it never changes. I wonder about
you. Where is it that you find sanctuary? Where does the power of
place call you to be?
In the Spirit,
Jane
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