Nature is constantly communicating with us, giving us signs of the presence of the divine in our lives. To uplift our mind, we only need to slow down and be aware of the miracles in the everyday things we experience.

In this article are two stories of moments of inspiration through nature. The first comes from my friend, Tanya Freedman, a best-selling author and artist; the second is my own marvelous experience of seeing divine signs every day.

Here’s Tanya’s story…

Direct communication from the divine

Joy is abundant all around us if we only seek it and take off our muddy blinkers. Compassion, kindness and joy are within our grasp when we truly open our hearts to seeing, embracing and living with joy.

Despite the many tribulations we may experience throughout our lives, I believe in miracles. We can make a difference in our own world, our own family and community by first being truly grateful and finding positivity in ourselves and in the world.

The more I’m open to asking questions and seeing miracles from God, the more I see them every day, everywhere; large and small.

I believe that God is compassionate and has a great sense of humour. I enjoy the unexpected little gifts that keep me inspired and being open to any of his messages.

Here is an example of a little inspirational miracle in nature that I once witnessed…

When my husband and I moved out of Toronto to settle in a quiet secluded home surrounded by forests almost two years ago, I was filled with incredible gratitude which overflowed with genuine childlike joy. As a visual artist, vibrant colours, tastes and smells resonate with me. Nature revives me.

As autumn brings the colder winds, covering the deep wood floors with golden and red leaves, the deer — sometimes just a handful, sometimes ten or more at a time — slowly graze on the remaining hidden greenery in complete silence broken only by bird song and cracking of twigs under their hooves.

At the beginning I marvelled at how close they were, only 30-40 feet away from our windows.

Hardly daring to breathe I would pick up my binoculars and feast my eyes on these amazing calm creatures with their furry coats the same shade of brown and mossy grey as the thick tree trunks.

I cannot imagine ever tiring of seeing the gift of them when I look out of the windows.

In the summer, the young creatures spring about full of vigour and confidence and then lay down and relax in the dappled shade. Their coats are a vibrant russet red and their bushy tails pristine white.

Once, I saw a small deer accompanied by another that was a bit bigger. I watched them for almost an hour before they set off to the pond to our right.

But as one facing me grazed unaware it was being watched and admired, I smiled and said softly, “God, I know you’re there and I thank you so much for this yet another amazing gift. Please would you make that deer look up at me.”

I was smiling to myself and just then the deer looked up at me and nodded. It was a very clear nod, and it nodded again. And again.”

I laughed softly with joy, and thanked God again for his great sense of humour. As if he was reminding me that this is the least he can do with all his powers of creating us and the world.

I could imagine him chuckling as if saying, “Enjoy every moment and if you think this is a miracle, then imagine how beautiful your life can be with even more prayer and total believe and faith in me.”

Seeing OM in nature

Sometimes nature provides us with unmistakably clear communication from the divine, as in Tanya’s beautiful story above. And sometimes, the divine reassures us of its benevolent presence  through what we see in nature.

Here’s my story…

Many years ago when my son, Arun was about four, we were outside in the springtime, enjoying the sunshine and the freshly-bloomed flowers in the garden.

I held his little hand and Ied him around the garden beds, pointing out the colours of the flowers and how beautiful they looked. I encouraged him to gently touch the flowers and notice their fragrance. He was delighted and showed it in the big smile he had on his face.

I then asked him to look up to the sky and notice the clouds and how cheerful they appeared on the backdrop of a perfect blue sky. He looked up in wonder.

I kneeled down to his eye level and said, “You know Sweetie, when we look at the beautiful clouds and sky, or the colourful flowers, it helps us to remember God. God talks to us through them.” He was listening intently; he stopped blinking and stared into the distance. I could see he was taking it all in.

Soon, it was time to go to his pre-school program. I picked him up and put him in his child seat in the middle of the back seat of the car and started driving.

As I approached a busy traffic intersection, the lights turned red. The cars in front of me slowed down as they approached the stop line. I inched forward slowly, following behind the cars. I kept my eyes and focus on the traffic, waiting for the signals to turn green.

Just then, Arun, who had a clear view of the sky through the windshield, cried out excitedly, “Mom! Look there’s an OM in the sky!”

Stunned at his words, I looked up into the sky and sure enough there was an OM in the sky!

Some clouds had formed into a perfect OM symbol in the sky ahead. (OM is a Sanskrit symbol for the supreme cause of the universe)

Awestruck at what I was seeing, I wanted to keep looking, but unfortunately, the lights turned green and the cars ahead of me started to move. I had to put my attention on the road and so only managed to get a fleeting glimpse of the OM.

“Wow!” I thought. “What an auspicious sign to actually see an OM in the sky.”

Ever since that day, I look into the clouds in the sky and often see OM’s.

Most surprising and delightful are the OM’s in everyday things around the house such as kitchen spills, laundry stains, vegetables that I cook and even in dirt that I sweep up,

Take a look at these (divine) eggplants!

In May 2020, the clearest and longest-lasting OM appeared right in my backyard.

I looked out my bedroom window and noticed that the branches of the spruce tree had formed into a large and magnificent OM.

Amazingly, it’s still visible as I write this, more than a year later.

A Divine Universe

Vedanta, the spiritual science of life explains that there is only one divine presence in all things and beings in the universe.  Not only is it in all, it also expresses as all.

Nature provides us with the clearest demonstration of this truth and also the highest inspiration. A sincere desire and an open mind are all that is needed to gain a personal experience of this.

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