mama
Geoff Dalglish, Odyssey's pilgrim-at-large, believes walking in nature is pivotal to health and wellbeing
'T
hank you for massaging the Earth with your footsteps. I'm sure Father Sky is looking down and appreciating what you
are doing for our beautiful Mother.' The words, accompanied by an unexpected hug, come from Howie, an Aboriginal elder who has often observed me returning from my early morning meditative walks along Tyagarah Beach, near the Australian mainland's most easterly point in New South Wales. His thanks echo my own gratitude for his gentle presence: I've noticed him picking up the litter and cigarette butts carelessly discarded by humans who travel from afar to this place of beauty, but somehow fail to see the importance of keeping it pristine and unspoilt. Our early morning conversation is synchronicity itself as I've been searching for ways to describe the feelings I have while walking barefoot in this special place, which he tells me has long been a sacred site for his ancestors. The daily ritual of a rhythmic contact between my bare feet and freshly wave-washed sand bestows upon me a sense of joy, peace and wellbeing, accompanied by fresh whispers of inner knowing. Feeling our oneness with the natural world is part of the divine plan, and the way we used to live when we readily recognised our kith and kin in the animals, birds, plants and all life surrounding us. Each morning in Australia I've been overwhelmed with the incredible gift I experience in the gentle caresses of the sea breeze, the intimacy of waves washing over my naked body and the warmth of the first rays of sunlight. The luminosity of the light at sunrise feels like love itself – a hug from an infinitely-loving creator; from God his/herself. We're all strands in the intricate web of life, sharing a symbiotic and interdependent relationship that is part of the great mystery, and sometimes way beyond our understanding. What I do know is that walking in nature is good for me physically, emotionally and spiritually. I feel love and joy welling up in me, and my mind's busyness is replaced by a deep peace, calm and clarity. I need this precious solo time – we all do. Howie is a kindred spirit who shares my sadness at the way many of us treat the Mother that sustains us. He tells me that at the next full moon he and elders of the tribe are planning a ceremony at a
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