Earthy Vibrations

Earthy Vibrations….



….



I don’t know why I decided to walk across the Nullarbor Plain;



it was the late seventies, I was 17 years old



and it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time;



I had spent the seventies traveling with my parents



and had circumnavigated Australia a number of times,



the bush was no stranger to me,



so traveling on to major capital cities such as Adelaide or Melbourne



had felt like the scarier option.



I did not know much about cities or city life then



and although the Nullarbor route also led to a city



it was smaller and more colonial;



at least back then it was more colonial,



these days it’s a bustling city, port and international gateway.



Spreading along the beautiful west coast



Perth is the capital of Western Australia,



one of our more remote and vaster states.



There was no real reason for heading to Perth



other than the way offered a quieter path



and it was not until I had spent a few days



and nights walking and camping



that I began to notice subtle changes were taking place,



mostly within myself.



….



I noticed that my soul seemed calmer and quieter,



that the bottled-up tension and hostilities



were dissipating with each step;



my mind was less chaotic and more observant.



My surroundings slowly changed



with each unwavering footfall that echoed on the road



and I began to see more clearly; almost too clearly.



I thought I could see and feel a faint humming luminance



vibrating around each tree and plant,



often merging and overlapping



to form new colors and vibrations.



I had experienced something like this once before



when camped on the edge of a desert;



the undulating sand-ripples caused by an ever-present wind



hypnotized and bewitched me…



I fancied I heard the heartbeat of the very earth itself,



the red desert sand seemed to glow like fire.



*



I walked through the long silent days and into each night



medicated by nature’s soft soothing melody;



birds followed my path dipping and darting from tree to tree



swooping high into the sky in the open patches that broke up the bush.



When I stepped over their invisible border they would turn back



skimming through branches with practiced ease



and other birds would take up the role



of guide or guardian.….



….



At night the sky was silky and soft,



as dark and shiny as ebony and brilliantly lit;



a warm breeze ruffled the trees



and created currents of dust that eddied around tree trunks



and swirled through the bare patches.



I wasn’t scared; I didn’t think there was anything to be frightened of,



so I slept soundly under the cover of night



and woke each morning to a dazzling new dawn.



….



I discovered a lot about my blossoming young self on that long walk;



I learnt that I actually didn’t mind my own company;



that silence didn’t have to be filled,



rather it should be respected and fostered and listened to;



I learnt that trees have a life energy of their own



and that the earth resonates with hushed vibrations.



I felt at home.



More at home in a sleeping bag on the dirt



then I ever felt, in the years that followed



when I shared a city with a million others.



….



When I knew that I was close to the sea



I veered off the road,



picking my way through stubby bush and stunted trees.



I heard and smelt and felt the ocean



long before I reached the rocky cliff that dropped into the broiling waves.



With surprising nerve, for I do have a slight fear of heights,



I approached the edge of the cliff;



far below powerful waves thundered onto large smooth boulders,



spraying up and raining back down with a regular surging backwash.



The earth shivered with delight.



That night the moon seemed to be ringed with a soft saffron nimbus



of incandescent light that skimmed across the ocean like a beacon.



It was a bright night;



good for traveling,



but I felt captivated and did not want to leave.



The leaves murmured a soft lullaby,



accompanied by the deeper rumble of the rhythmic waves



as they crashed onto the rocks far below,



I closed my eyes and fell into a deep and peaceful sleep



with the moon as my nightlight and the stars my guardians.



sharonlee©