Last night, a reef shark circled my lagoon. I felt the ancient, mammalian terror spike through my spine. In my old life, I would have called a ranger or bought a gun. Here, I had to negotiate. I realized that the shark was not evil. It was hunger with fins. It was part of Enature too.
Theologians speak of Mysterium Tremendum —the terrifying, fascinating mystery of the divine. I have found it inside a sea turtle’s eye. I have found it in the geometry of a spiral shell. I have found it in the moment when a school of silverfish leaps from the water simultaneously, a liquid explosion of syncopated life. Holy Nature - Enature - On The Desert Island -1...
The First Entry: Waking Up to the Cathedral of Silence By an Anonymous Castaway Last night, a reef shark circled my lagoon
On this island, there is no Wi-Fi, but there is a different kind of connection. The morning glory vines that crawl over my driftwood shelter are not "plants." They are relatives. When it rains, I do not run for cover; I stand in the downpour and remember that I am 70% water. This is the first lesson of : You are not in nature. You are nature, aware of itself. Here, I had to negotiate
Holy Nature includes the fang. It includes the rot. It includes the parasitic worm and the bone-dry drought. On this island, I have learned to say "Amen" to the mosquito as well as the sunset. This is the hardest lesson: The sacred is not comfortable.