Wildlife Appreciation as Spiritual Practice
Article · 1 min read ·
Observing wildlife with mindful attention serves as a practical spiritual practice.
There's a moment every wildlife rehabber knows, when they are holding something wild, something that would rather be anywhere else, and for one breath it stops fighting against their hold, not out of trust in what they are doing, but because it's decided, for now, that stillness is the smarter move. That moment has taught me more about presence than any meditation app ever has. I've spent over thirty years with my hands in this work, coastal Texas, herons and raccoons and the occasional furious opossum, and somewhere in those decades wildlife stopped being just my job and became my spiritual practice in the most real way, built from paying attention to creatures who owe me nothing and perform nothing for my benefit.
Why Animals Make Honest Teachers
A Practice, Not a Metaphor
What This Has to Do With Grief, Fear, and Everything Else
This piece is part of the Nature & Wonder series, and will be available soon on the new Moss & Ember resource guide. Keep an eye out for that launch.
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