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I pulled into the parking lot of the nature preserve I hike every week.
Before I got out of the car, I looked to my left and saw him.
The Tortoise.
They are abundant here, gopher tortoises.
They aggressively chomp grass with facial expressions of timeless rage and fistfight anticipations, yet when you pass by, they often retreat into their shell.
Because… you never know.
I love these creatures.
Yet this one was doing something I’d never seen before.
It was 6 PM and 79 degrees. The tortoise, head raised, stared directly into the Sun.
I observed this for at least a minute straight.
The tortoise never unfixed its gaze.
What did it know?
Was it praying to God?
Was it absorbing the veil between UVB and UVA rays as the sun would soon begin to set?
Was it getting some sort of information?
Was it out here just in reverence?
It certainly understood something we humans have mostly forgotten.
It knew where its life force (and source) came from.
I think now’s a good a time as any to say this:
We are not meant to live indoors with artificial lights.
It has direct ties to chronic illness, yet you sound conspiratorial to the “modern” propaganda possessed mind if you point out:
Absorbing UVA and UVB rays from the sun regulates our endocrine system, produces hormones like Vitamin D, aids in the rejuvenation and recovery of our cells, and regulates emotions.
Breathing fresh air, physically connecting with the electric pulse of the Earth without the blockade of rubber soled shoes or concrete, witnessing the magnificent orchestra of life and understanding we ARE Nature is necessary for our health.
The above mentioned is part of what it is to be human, and ALIVE.
It’s a wonder why more do not question the effects of living in a synthetic environment on the human organism.
The “modern” propaganda possessed brain finds it conspiratorial when you say:
Breathing dead, chemically treated, dust mite and mold spore infested recycled air from sealed archaic HVAC systems is bad for your health — if you are what you eat, you certainly are what you breathe.
Blue light (screens) and EMFs are catastrophic for our health and have been linked to disease, including autoimmune and psychiatric disorders. I wonder if CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) is just a sane reaction to an insane society?
Viewing ourselves as separate from Nature has created a spiritual crisis, a connection crisis, a lack-of-reverence crisis, and a crisis on the planet. Imagine the arrogance it takes to engage in GeoEngineering, or to develop housing complexes and shopping malls over wetlands.
Let them eat cake?
The tortoise here reminds me the solution has been here all along. It is only we who have become blind and lost.
Nature is the answer.
Remembering that we are not separate from Nature is the answer.
All this racket of thought aside…
The tortoise was so beautifully harmonized with the world… it was such a tremendous sight to see.
I went to try and capture this scene on my phone, but the tortoise wouldn’t have it.
He tucked back into his shell, rummaged around a bit, then bolted back into his burrow, with tufts of dirt flying behind him.
So, I had to write the story instead.. of this beautiful, beautiful tortoise.
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It’s kind of rough up here in the frozen north. There are several months where going outside is…less than pleasant.
I see them everywhere when I come to Florida. The softshell turtles in all the ponds are fun too.