Print Edition using Recycled Paper

Printed edition is out now and printed through York University Press in Canada using recycled paper (why I chose York University Press for the printed version over CreateSpace and Balboa Press).

York University Catalogue Page >>

Introduction - Life Can Communicate With Us If We Know How To Listen

In writing this book in the style of a dialogue or story, I do not intend to promote myself as a perfect channel or role model for some of the ideas discussed. Nor do I wish to be seen as presenting the whole and accurate truth of what Mother Nature would have to say about our spiritual purpose—particularly as it relates to our environmental issues. I am not even sure Mother Nature is an individual entity that can communicate in this fashion. Even if it is true that Mother Nature is an entity that can communicate in this fashion, please still keep in mind that many of the messages in this book may have arisen from my own mind or awareness.

Chapter 1 - Say "Hello" To The Ducks

It was a clear and warm day in August when I found myself sitting on the bank of the river located behind my home. I was thinking about what I could write about, since this was the perfect place, full of peace and quiet, where I could allow thoughts and ideas to flow. While part of me had been intending to write for a while, I admit there was another part of me that had been resisting the process. Part of my resistance arose from not being sure of where to start. All I knew was that I wanted to establish an intuitive connection with Mother Earth and write based on whatever She wanted to communicate to humankind. So, I quieted my mind and asked Her, “Where do I start?”

“Start with how beautiful all of creation is,” was the reply.

Chapter 2 - "You Are a Guest in Our Universe"

The following morning after my conversation with the ducks, I found myself awakened by the sunlight that was streaming through my window. “I guess this is a signal that it is time to get up,” I thought to myself.

After feeding my two cats, getting dressed, and having something to eat, I went outside on my back porch to enjoy the beautiful view that is always available to me living by the river’s edge. I watched the squirrels chasing each other in the trees, the seagulls flying over the river, and the birds who were communicating with one another through their chirps and melodies. It seemed that my backyard was teeming with life, beauty, and vibrancy.

Chapter 3 - "Know the Web You Weave for Yourselves"

Orb Weaver Spider

It was a lovely, cool August evening. The sun was still out and I was seated on the steps of my porch beside a bush that was home to many orb weaver spiders (of the cross orb weaver variety). My cat Cricket was seated on the steps by my ankles.

While in the past I have been afraid of spiders, this summer I found myself feeling less anxious. In fact, the orb weaver spiders had taken over the part of the bush that was right next to the step I was seated on, and yet I did not feel too frightened to be sitting so close to them.

Chapter 4 - “Seeking to Maintain the Balance”

As I was sitting outside in nature, I started thinking about what the spider had communicated about love and balance. She had said to me, “Seeking to maintain the balance is an important part of learning the true nature of love.” She had also said, “Tend to life lovingly in all ways.” So, what did this all mean?

I admit that I have never really thought of love in terms of maintaining any kind of balance before. For the greater part of my life, I never even gave much thought to loving nature or animals. This wasn’t because I didn’t like nature. It was just that I rarely noticed Her. Nature was simply nature. She was something to be exploited for humankind’s own needs and advancement. Also, because nature was something I saw almost every day, She was considered too mundane to notice anything special about Her. Or, at least, so I thought.

Chapter 5 - “Remove the Blindfold”

Daddy Longlegs Spider

As I woke on a cold and brisk fall morning, I didn’t want to get out of bed because I felt so cozy and warm underneath the covers. As I continued to lie there, I wondered what type of message this day would bring.  In my last dialogue with Mother Nature, She had said, “The fruits never lie, and the current fruits of your collective labor reveal that your new age intention to be a loving force within the world is not a clear or focused one.  It is being contradicted by other intentions that may support a different agenda.”

Chapter 6 - The Law of Balances and In-Betweens

Many of the messages that I had written down from prior days were still on my mind as I woke up to the sound of geese making calls on the river. Feeling inspired to start a new dialogue, I got up, dressed myself, fed my two cats, and then went outside to connect with Mother Nature. I particularly wanted to ask about new age concepts that had seemed true to me for a long time which suggested that the measure of a person’s material wealth was symbolic of how much “energy” they had or vice versa. I wondered what Mother Nature would have to say about this, considering that many of the messages I have received seemed to focus on our letting go of our preoccupation with material gain for the sake of our personal and collective health. Yet, if money can be equated with energy, it seems as if it should be considered something important to have.

Chapter 7 - Impoverishment Is Not Enlightenment, But Neither Is Having It All

As I woke to the sound of rain tapping on my window, I found myself wanting to lie in bed and just listen for a while. I had always found a light rain to be so centering and peaceful. Its hypnotic rhythm tapping on my window was undeniably soothing.

The more relaxed I felt, the more my mind began to ponder my last dialogue with Mother Nature. All of the insights She offered regarding energy, money, and balance had inspired more questions to pop forward within my mind. Some of what she was relaying seemed to contradict what many of our abundance gurus teach us.

Chapter 8 - “Follow the Blessings”

Female Mallard

As I sat by the river’s edge at the end of a warm day, everything seemed quiet and peaceful. My cat Cricket had come home from the neighbor’s house two doors down where she had spent the afternoon hanging out with their cat Zero. I think what my cat liked most about going to the neighbor’s house, however, was that they had a kitten. So, every day Cricket would meow at me to let her outside so she could go over for a visit. Sometimes, the neighbor’s son would come outside with the kitten and let Cricket spend time with it. Other times, Cricket would just sit out on their back porch with Zero.