​Dearest Tribe,


Being in nature is curative, restorative, and unifying for the mind, body & spirit. Recently I have immersed myself in the gift of our great Northern Michigan outdoors with my family. Escaping inland life & upon arriving to the lake, though, it was readily apparent I had been allowing life's chaos to put me into a grid-locked state of overwhelm. Distractibility & anxiety I quickly realized had been holding me hostage. The call to produce, perfect & perform has kept my head filled with noise and heart clouded by confusion & fear. Thank goodness Mother Nature came to my rescue. 

Listening to the call of the loon, witnessing the dance of fog on water, and meditation on the diamonds alight upon the waters have been not only a blessing but my renewed daily personal practice. Our Great Mother reminds us all to take time to pause, sit, meditate, observe, & listen... really listen to what She has to say; around and within. 

Northern Michigan's greatest gift to me was the call of the loon. It was my soul' s siren, awakening a primal energy & consciousness within. As a spirit totem, the loon's call is a reminder to wake up to what is important in life and to call forth the soul's longing through dreams & imagination. What a beautiful nudge as well as a tragic realization that I had been drowning out the call of my own soul by being "too busy." 

Now more than ever, I am reminded how crucial it is to our wellbeing to slow down, be present, be mindful, breathe deeply and reconnect to ourselves. In those quiet moments the peace that passes all understanding washes over us, calms our frayed nerves & offer insights, awarenesses and a sense of wholeness. 

Let nature remind us to BE PRESENT to all our moments, for that is all we have. Live your moments now with eyes, ears & heart wide open. Do the work to fight off distractibility, the plague of busyness, the allure of multi-tasking, social media frenzy and all that pulls us out of our center. Eckart Tolle aptly observes, “Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.” 

Your whole life is NOW. Wake up to the loon's call to be present for your own life. Get outside, take your shoes off, sit by the water's edge, & listen... really listen. Nature speaks. What is calling you? Please share with me in the comments below.

Your looney one,
Dana