Spiders, Bird Song, Karma.
Never Does Nature say one thing and Wisdom another.”
-Juvenal, The Sixteen Satires
At first glance this statement seems simple, obvious even. The seasons follow predictably one after the other, night follows day. All the living beings adapt to whatever hurdles nature throws our way, be it storms, solar eclipses or the earth quaking underneath us. The changes we experience of late, like increased temperatures, storms and extinctions may feel frightening and even provoke a deep sadness, but they are predictable and, in that sense wise responses to the ongoing and increasing activities of our human domination.
Yup, this is Karma. As the Yogis have taught us from ancient times: What you do, say and even think, becomes your reality. Whether conscious or not, each and every action has an equal and opposite reaction, as Newton has reminded us.
When I was teaching in Sydney last month, I was in beautiful and quiet Manly Beach. One night upon arriving back at my AirBnB, there was a very LARGE spider on my door. Now I actually love spiders and we tend to gently gather them up and take them outside when found in our home. But this guy (gal?) was huge and kind of hairy, and I wondered if his bite might be poisonous. I approached the door knob and he walked down, towards me! So we had a several-minutes-long staring match, neither of us backing down. I didn’t want to upset him—nor did I want him to bite me, or come in! Eventually I gathered up some of my 3rd chakra juice and pushed my key into the door. He scurried up to the top of the door frame, I quickly moved in and closed the door behind me. Exhaling, I looked around and he had not come in with me. Whew!
Huntsman Spider, Sydney, Australia. Photo: Annie Carpenter, SmartFLOW Yoga
Next day, I was meant to discuss Karma with the training group, so I shared my spider story. They quickly identified the spider as a basically harmless Huntsman, and kind of giggled at me. I stated, “This is Karma—I created that situation.” They responded with no’s, and what do you mean? So, I rather joyfully explained that I had asked to stay in a quiet area where I might hear the dawn chorus of the local birds (which is so extraordinary in AUS and so very different from mine in CA). And, that one cannot pick and choose which aspects of nature one wants to experience. I remember one amazing bird walk I took in a marshy area, where I was rewarded with so many beautiful sightings and songs, and, a very bloody calf from a leech! You get all of it—that which you hope for, and all that is associated with it.
We commit to Yoga practice and we get joyous movement, fuller breathing and a wondrous community. Yay! And we get ever deepening awareness of our own fears and unconscious misdeeds. We get an increasingly clear sense of what is real and lasting—which of course is the truth of impermanence. We gain the deep contentment of living in the present moment which is truly only known by realizing that this moment could be our last.
Yes, Nature is wisdom, and when we surrender to the eternal truths of Nature, we find peace in the moment and in the inevitable: This satisfying breath I take here and now, may indeed be the last.
May we all enjoy this moment, with the gorgeous bird songs and the hairy spiders too!