Guest Post: Noticing One Simple Quality
Cypress tree, Big Sur, CA
NOTICING A SIMPLE QUALITY
In our highly logical and scientific culture, complexity is typically viewed as 'better' than something that's simple. But the truth is, the simplest wisdom is usually the most potent and profound. While our minds feed off complexity, heart wisdom is simple. Albert Einstein said, "When the solution is simple, God is answering."
Not surprisingly, the natural world is a powerful source of wisdom that is simple, yet deep. I once sat on the bank of the Big Sur coastline at the Esalen Institute in California with a pad of paper, brush, and black ink. Gazing at my surroundings, the thing that most struck me was a cypress tree perched on the edge of the cliff. With one stroke, I drew its branch reaching out over the ocean.
One simple brush stroke was enough to capture its source vibration: REACHING.
You might spend some time noticing the organic form of trees, a river, or a cluster of daisies, and then see if you can capture that message in only one or two simple brush strokes.
Just notice one simple quality. For example, OPENNESS, STRENGTH, FLOW, or EXPANSIVE. What is the one primary quality that you notice?
You might notice the canopy of a tree and it says to you: “I’m full and lush. I’m in my fullness.” Write in your journal: “What does fullness mean for me right now? What guidance does it offer?”
Your subconscious noticed fullness for a reason.
Above all, keep it simple. When we make something complicated, we lose its potency.
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The above excerpt is from Kim Hermanson’s, Deep Knowing: Entering the Realm of Non-Ordinary Intelligence. Published January 2022 by Rawberry Books.
Kim Hermanson, Ph.D. is a faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute in California. Her books include Deep Knowing: Entering the Realm of Non-Ordinary Intelligence, Getting Messy: A Guide to Taking Risks and Opening the Imagination and Sky's the Limit.