Encounter on Mt. Baldy in California

Editor’s Note: Reprinted from the 2017 Vital Force at Linda’s suggestion.

One morning many years ago, I was visiting Southern California and staying in the home of a friend on Mt. Baldy. She said, “Don’t be afraid of my Doberman. He’s a sweetie.”

The next morning around 6 a.m., in my nightgown and summer robe, I tiptoed outside to do my T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) practice on the patio. Barefoot, I began the soft flowing movements, facing east. The vista from Mt. Baldy was inspiring in the glow of early morning sunlight.

First, I heard the sound of the screen door, creaking open, then banging closed with a thud. The Doberman ambled out to join me and sat quite near me, facing east. Sometime later, a large spiritually attuned grasshopper sprang onto the patio. It too came to a stop, facing east. A large bumblebee hummed nearby, making figure 8s in the air.

This experience of connecting with other species which joined me to welcome the dawn has stayed with me all these years. Incredibly, not one of them moved away until I had finished my moving meditation after about a half hour. In the rose hues of dawn, we had indeed become One.