6 am musing

In the silence of the twilight dawn, the slow shuffles of my feet echo as I totter behind Leo on a new route, a weaving trail set amidst tall trees. Floof’s brisk sniffs excitedly take in the newness of the place and the nascent morning air. My mind, unlike his, is yet to awaken. All it desires is the aroma and taste of coffee, for the warmth of my favorite teal mug cocooned between my palms.

Suddenly, Leo stops and stares into the distance. My eyes follow his gaze. There, basking in the rays of the sun streaming through the thicket, stands a stag, aglow. He stops chewing, and looks directly at me. Our eyes lock and a shiver runs down my spine. The beast with its perfectly carved antlers is magnificent and as he continues his piercing gaze. I find myself shrink into my smallness. Snapped awake now, my mind has discerned that I don’t need to flee, it’s not a ferocious cat but the gentlest of God’s creatures. It’s not fear I feel – it’s awe. I stand there transfixed.

The deer, in its stillness, gentleness, subtleness, so in tune with nature, exudes great presence that draws me in. Is this the oneness, the connection that wisdom teachers and gurus refer to?

Maybe, it is also why the sage Valmiki chose a golden deer as the catalyst of the cataclysmic events to follow.

I clumsily pull out my iPhone in an attempt to capture the moment to share with my loved ones although I know that no lens or filter, however advanced, can do justice. As presence cannot be seen or touched, it can only be felt – as a stirring in your soul.