​'The practice of being
on a spiritual path isn't about
being the best 
meditator, or the kindest
possible person, or the
most enlightened.
The practice is about
surrendering to love
as often as possible'

​~ Gabby Bernstein The Universe has your back ~

Have you ever had an experience with a book that literally leapt off the shelf at you? I find this happens to me quite a lot, and it's remarkably uncanny just how much the book holds meaning to my current situation. This week, after the sad loss of our family dog Dexter a fortnight ago, Animals in Spirit was the book that sprung out at me, and this poem from within sang so true to me that I just have to share it. For anyone who has lost a beloved pet, or who has a special animal that they hold dear in their lives, this one is a must-read.

I absolutely love Jane Goodall - her passion for chimpanzees, animals, humans and the entire wellbeing of the planet itself is so admirable it is difficult to comprehend how one human being (now in her 80s) has managed to fit so much into one lifetime. I've been fortunate enough to help with the efforts of Jane Goodall Institute Australia recently, and just a few weeks back actually got to meet her (see my personal blogpost about this here)!! It's a memory I will never in my life forget, and one that reinforced my own life's purpose and direction.

Prior to my meeting with her I felt drawn to read one of her books called 'Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey' - it called to me not only because of my admiration for her conservation work, nor for her tremendous breakthroughs and discoveries as a primatologist, but for her spiritual experiences and journey in contemplating the deeper meaning of life. So when I picked up this book and read the opening paragraphs about her life changing and mystical visit to the Notre Dame in Paris in 1974, I was floored..

​​“We can no longer hear the voice of the rivers, the mountains, or the sea.
The trees and meadows are no longer intimate modes of spirit presence.
The world about us has become an ‘it’ rather than a ‘thou.’”
(Thomas Berry, “The Meadow Across the Creek,” in The Great Work, 17)

When Thomas Berry wrote this book almost 20 years ago he couldn't have predicted what would lie ahead....and yet in many ways this book was written as if by a prophet foreseeing the future!