Staring into her eyes, I promise to hold my gaze as long as she does. With a subtle pinpoint of energy, I feel the deer committing to the same. Our minds lock together, only love, wonder and awareness between us. No past, no future, just this very second of visual co-embrace. Our energies merge and we become one. Serene, in-tuned to the forest, and centered in her body, her ears flinch and a muscle tenses. All the while the deer’s eyes continue to share focus with mine.
This is a daily ritual during my morning walks in Seneca Park (Rochester, NY). Seeing 5-6 deer as I walk down my driveway and at least that many on the path in the woods, I receive so much by being in the presence of these creatures.
When caught unaware, they run away with their white flags held high. However, if they see me coming, they check me out and I can invite them to a starring contest. Always accepting, our eyes lock, and we search each others souls, discovering the love within us. Not the baggage and not the ‘to do’ list. Not the unworthiness, the guilt or the regret. Instead in her eyes, I am reminded of what is most important: The beauty of connection, the synchronicity of pure love in the present moment, without expectations, or needs. Just the goodness. One sentient being offering love to another.
I am eternally grateful for the moments of bliss since it sets me right minded for the rest of the day: Always chose connection over separation. Keeping this forefront in my mind, it effects each decision that I make in the best possible way. The experience grounds me in the knowledge that (1) I am connected to everything, (2) there is good in everything and (3) I can make choices today that prioritize connecting to the good in everything.
This significantly happens more if not all the time with female deer. (Not that I don’t want to connect with bucks, but they don’t seem to stick around to play.) There is something about does that makes them stay. Perhaps it relates to their feminine energy. They represent Shakti. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes referred to as ‘The Great Divine Mother’ in Hinduism. The Divine Feminine represents Unconditional Love. This energy of creativity, gentleness, nurturing and understanding is what I need to propel me through a day of helping others address the problems in their lives. The Shakti in me and the Shakti in the deer connect and the synergy of this is nature’s greatest sustenance.
Sometimes I stop walking and fully concentrate on this exchange for a moment or two. And other times, I joyfully take it ‘on the go’ and continue walking as I stare. When I am moving, the deer, who continues to stay still, follows me with her eyes. I’m endeared and amused by her head robotic-ally shifting only inch at a time, as I glide past. It is usually not a smooth movement and I am not sure why.
But what is most fascinating is that these quick (yet graceful) jerks always match the beat of whatever music I am listening to- even though I am wearing headphones. What a beautiful example of entrainment! (See below.) The deer and I are so connected through our love that our vibrations literally synchronize. The music affects my vibrations and my energy and, through the eye contact, follows to the doe. Tangibly, not abstractly. We exist at the same rhythm in that moment.
Entrainment explained: Excerpt from Timeshifting by Steven Rechtschaffen
Everything moves in rhythm. In us, as in all animals, the heart is most noticeably rhythmic; but the blood pumped by our heart, along with the organs, muscles, and sinews nourished by our blood, also move in rhythm, whether we are conscious of it or not. Our breath, the most obvious manifestation of our inner condition, quickens or slows according to our state of mind or level of physical excitement.
The world is thus alive with a myriad of rhythms. “Entrainment” is the process by which these rhythms fall into synchronization with each other.
Rhythmic entrainment is one of the great organizing principles of the world, as inescapable as gravity. It explains how one rhythm works with another, and how separate entities, from molecules to stars will fall into rhythm as automatically as a pulse beats or a butterfly flaps its wings.
Frederick Erickson of the Interaction Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania has shown that entrainment takes place even at the dinner table. When family members talk, the syllables they stress carry the same rhythm. When the conversation lapses the shared rhythm continues; Someone reaches for the salt on a beat; a knife hits a plate on a beat; and, when the meal is over, the family members’ departing footsteps continue to tap out the beat.
1. – Awesome blog entry, thank you for sharing! The synchronicity of pure love you write about reminds me of this one rhythm that always stands out to me which is Zikr- an Arabic word meaning remembrance. It usually takes place in the form of repeating God’s name over and over again starting from the tongue and eventually sinking into the heart..then the soul..and then everywhere. I was listening to a group of people chanting the other day and it started to sound like bees buzzing. It made me think about how we really are one, working toward the same purpose.
2.- Deer swim??? I had no idea. Is like a pas-time of theirs?
1. They were repeating Allah? Allah means: Al= the, All= the very ( the absolute), Ah= breath. The very breath. Zikr must be amazing to witness/be part of.
2. I guess they do swim, though I think it is unusual. That is why it was so cool to witness!
I just found this in an old journal and I copied and pasted it here, fascinated in my consistency:
I can walk in the woods and see the does as my sisters. I look into their beautiful eyes and bless them for looking back, sharing connection, being curious. I love them exactly as they are. And in those moments when our eyes connect there is nothing else that matters. I am not thinking about this or that or who is to blame, I am in the absolute present moment. The only reality there is. The deer is my sister, my love, my divine, my present moment, my everything. She is me. Offering connection. She sleeps with her belly on the earth like my ancestors did, and I have forgotten how to do. But it is time for me to remember, for us all to remember. It is my mission to invite people to put there stomach on the earth to both feel support, and release the fear and guilt they are holding unnecessarily.
1.- Wow! That’s so beautiful! I had no idea Allah had a definition besides “God”. Thank you so much for sharing that, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. It has been really uplifting because I felt understood which is not so common when it comes to that topic. Additionally, it increased my gratitude in a couple of different ways. To answer your question, yes, for some of the Zikr they were repeating Allah, but I think the one that started to sound like bees was when they were saying La-illaha-il-Allah (There is no god but Allah). Doesn’t really seem like it would make that sound but because they were going so fast it all started to sound like one thing.
2- Your journal entry is beautiful also. You have such a gift for writing. Your entry above is quite poetic and I love how it just seems to flow so naturally from you = ).
Hey Jodi,
Sweet post. Indeed, animals and nature are here to help us find out true nature, our “beings”.
We got so much to learn from them.
Thank you for the share!
Akos
THAT is my favorite game! I play it alone most of the times. I could even ask my dog to do something just by looking in his eyes, no movement, no words, no sounds, just communication with the eyes.
I can do it with some people too.
I need to learn more about eye contact, as it is extremely important to me. I play it with my kids too, and look at them in the eyes and tell them to repeat what i’m saying. They sometimes can, not always, but its amazing.
In an “eye contact” of just few seconds with my grand mother before she died, we exchanged so many things. I still can see her eyes. It was the last time i met her.