There are many meaningful phenomena which contribute to the enjoyment of a truly rich and full human existence – spirituality, art, love – music, poetry, dance – visionary experience, wonder, joy – hope, faith, and even the mysterious world of dreams – all of which live comfortably outside the purview of the intellect. We must use different tools, then, different parts of our perception – different parts of our very being – if we wish to effectively address these factors and understand their true essence. It does not suffice to approach them with classical modes of science. We cannot adequately explain them with calculations or mathematics. Even the standard rules of logic and causality fall short in these high-minded endeavors. We must instead employ our intuition, our powers of attention and abstract thinking, and tap into our spiritual consciousness to properly experience, understand, and divine the value and meaning contained in these elements. And in doing so, the rewards are immense. We expand our minds. We enrich our spirits. We improve the quality of our lives greatly, in a multitude of ways that defy linear explanation, but which are undeniable in their beauty, depth, and value.
“Dreams are the guiding words of the soul. Why should I henceforth not love my dreams and not make their riddling images into objects of my daily consideration?”
“Animals praise a good day, a good hunt. They praise rain if they’re thirsty. That’s prayer. They don’t live an unconscious life, they simply have no language to talk about these things. But they are grateful for the good things that come along.”
A few days ago, a large, beautiful raven flew into a fig tree near our yard. It rustled around among the leaves for a while, feasting on the fresh figs within. After a few minutes, however, the bird seemed to have flipped upside-down and it was now hanging oddly, almost taking the appearance of a giant bat. It was such an unnatural position for a bird to take, it felt almost surreal. We couldn’t tell if it was eating, or resting. We couldn’t tell whether the bird had taken this position on purpose, or from distress. We had never seen a bird hang upside-down like this before, let alone a huge, jet-black raven. It was difficult to interpret just what was happening.
A couple of us climbed up the hill to try to figure out what was going on. As we approached, we could see that the raven was gripping part of the tree with one of its claws, its talons wrapped tightly around one of the branches. I moved in to get a closer look, and as I did, the bird shifted its body awkwardly, turning to look directly at me. It had such intelligence in its eyes, it almost took me by surprise. I also saw fear and pain. It rustled about, jerking to and fro, but the bird could not seem to break free. I knew that I needed to approach even closer to see what was wrong, but this bird was huge – almost as tall as my arm. If it remained afraid, it could easily scratch and peck at me, causing a fair amount of injury. So I began to talk softly, looking the raven in the eye. I told it that I was a friend, that I was here to help. I spoke gently, telling the bird that I needed to get closer to see what was wrong, and urging it not to be afraid. As if it understood my words, the raven soon began to calm down. Within just moments, this huge bird was hanging quietly, its big dark eyes intensely but calmly returning my gaze. It was as if I could actually feel the spirit of the bird recognizing the spirit in me. It truly felt as if the raven had seen the look in my eye, and had heard the tone of my voice, and had now come to understand that it could trust me.
I walked around to the other side of the tree, and the giant bird repositioned itself to keep looking at me. It didn’t seem to do this out of fear, however, just out of a desire to maintain this connection that we had formed. I walked in very close, and the bird remained calm and still. I could see, now, that the raven had picked up some twine, intermixed with what looked like fishing line, perhaps with the intent of bringing it back somewhere to build a nest. The problem was, by some random stroke of bad luck, the twine had wrapped around its leg and simultaneously around one of the branches of the tree, and the bird’s foot was now inextricably secured to the branch. The bird was stuck. The fishing line was so strong, there was no way for it to break free.
I realized what had to be done. With a quiet voice, I requested a stick and some scissors. One of the others ran to get these, and I stayed with the raven and continued to talk soothingly. Using the stick, we then gently lowered the tree branch and brought the bird’s claw within reach. I walked in even closer. Although the giant bird could have easily begun to panic at this point, and start scratching and pecking at me, I was not the slightest bit concerned. I had complete faith in the connection that we had formed, the bond that had been created between myself and this beautiful animal. As I got up very close, I identified the strand of fishing line that was binding the bird’s foot to the tree branch. I reached up, carefully positioned the scissors, and clipped the line with a loud snip. The bird’s leg was immediately released, and the whole bird dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. It began to flap its wings forcefully and move across the ground. Halfway across the clearing, it paused for a moment, and turned back for one last look, almost to confirm for itself that this strange series of events had actually occurred. And then it turned, again, and flew off powerfully into the woods.
The saga was over, and the animal had been saved. But the feeling stayed with us for the rest of the day, even for days afterward. It had been such an amazing experience to have such an emotional and spiritual interaction with such a magnificent creature. The whole event seemed hyper-real, almost like a dream that lingers in your consciousness. Most of all, it was gratifying and humbling to know that we were in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time, to save the life of such a majestic and intelligent bird.
“I am not sure exactly what Heaven will be like, but I know that when it comes time for God to judge us, He will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your life?’ Rather, He will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?'”
“This happiness consisted of nothing else but the harmony of the few things around me with my own existence, a feeling of contentment and well-being that needed no changes and no intensification.”
— Hermann Hesse
A philosophy of simplicity, and the cultivation of inner/outer harmony, these are the sources of true happiness. The contented one knows that happiness is not something “out there” that needs to be chased and pursued, but rather, if one understands and internalizes the principles of simplicity and harmony, everything that is needed for happiness is right here, right now, within reach, right in our own backyard.
This does not, however, mean that the contented one does not appreciate and savor every moment of new experience, of elevated quality, of unique elegance and beauty. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Because the contented one does not need these things to be truly happy, such treasures can be openly welcomed into their world, and the greatest pleasure and value and joy can be derived from them — naturally and purely — when they arrive.
Satori Circle | Art & Culture 