Sunday, September 11, 2022 Miss Tweety Pie, my 2-year-old hen, has a variety of nicknames. My favorite is "Miss Nemesis," for the goddess of divine retribution. I only have three chickens, but this follows a 14-year history of chicken-keeping, and the asociated challenges that come with the territory. In all, 20 chickens have passed through my life, but Speckles and his father, Squire, are troopers, over ten years old. Animals make great gurus, says Seth (of the Jane Roberts series). Whether pets or wildlife, animals have a wisdom that awes me. After the rainstorm today, which dumped a couple of inches in an hour, the sun came out, and I watched my six deer (mine because I feed them) frolic on the lawn. Birds flocked to the feeder. The stray cat I feed showed up for supper, and Coooney the racoon was looking to steal whatever food I might not be watching. Miss Nemesis has no fear, but Squire watches out for both of them--when he's not sparring through the gate with Speckles. I don't have the words or the space to describe the joy Nature exhibits after a storm. Soon a gorgeous sunset, with brilliant orange sky, appeared and vanished while I was getting chickens settled and watching over the cat while he ate his supper. I saw the racoons--at least two of them and maybe more--scouring the deck for spilled bird seed and chicken scratch grains and other treats the ants hadn't finished. Squire's tail drags when it's raining, but all the chickens love getting outside after the rain stops, just as the other animals, mosquitoes and biting sandflies do. Ain't Mother Nature grand? We human beings have the gift of the drama provided by all these actors, and we don't have to leave home to enjoy it.
katharineotto 
Seems to me your chickens and nature create some profound spiritual moments along with I dare say the nitty gritty of looking after them. Am too busy myself to have a spiritual moment but find when in Spain those times come more easily to stand and stare at the wonder of it all.
The spirituality must be interwoven with the practical, for me. A kind of “moving meditation” (when I’m in a receptive frame of mind) allows me to attend to the details while remaining aware of “cosmic connectedness”.
J. Krishnamurti claimed awareness is key to changing any undesireable behavior. I would add that awareness also enhances every endeavor.
I think this must have been open more to those living rural lives pre industrial revolution maybe hence also a religious devotion for some.
Undoubtedly, those living rural lives had nature right there to inspire and teach them.
But attending to the physical senses as they arise is possible for anyone. Smells, sounds, sensations–these come from any environment, but how many people have cut themselves off from their own body awareness (until it causes a problem)?
When I’ve lived in or visited cities, I felt closed in and uncomfortable. I crave the greenery of the countryside.
I guess a possibility but I think a lot of city life dulls the senses or overexcites!
Me, too. You said it better than I could.