The Wonder of Nature

[Willie Lumplump]

Sometimes when I read these threads I get the feeling that mystics and believers in the occult think they have all the fun. Not so. I keep a tray of seeds in my back yard, and what comes to the tray are . . . dinosaurs. I don't mean virtual dinosaurs or descendents of dinosaurs--I mean real dinosaurs, the only surviving line of that noble race that ruled the earth for 185 million years. Now, of course, we call them birds, but that doesn't change the fact that they are dinosaurs, and I never cease to awe over them whenever I look out my window.

And then there are the geese. For years I've watched the white-fronted geese fly in V formation over the Bay Area, sometimes up to several hundred birds at a time. They wing their way toward their summer or winter feeding grounds following instincts implanted countless years ago. They are wild, they are the wildest of the wild, they are the essence of wildness and wilderness, and every sighting of them still raises the hair on the back of my neck and sends chills up and down my spine. I feel at once humbled and uplifted--humbled to the level of a human being and uplifted to the level of a goose. How wonderful to be alive to witness this magnificence!

So, those of you who seek miracles in ghosts and occult visions--Don't think that you have anything on me. I've seen, and through seeing been a part of, more wonders than your spirit world could ever invent. These wonders that I'm privileged to witness are a part of me because my own heritage has made them so. The dinosaurs go back 250 million years, but that long ago my remotest ancestors were also stirring, and they and their descendents witnessed the dinosaurs' rise and fall. My ancient line saw the rise of geese and may well be here after the geese are gone, so I too am a subject worthy of awe. And so are all other human beings, although they may not know it.

[Clancy]

Write on Willie, write on!



Sometimes when I read these threads I get the feeling that mystics and believers in the occult think they have all the fun. Not so. I keep a tray of seeds in my back yard, and what comes to the tray are . . . dinosaurs. I don't mean virtual dinosaurs or descendents of dinosaurs--I mean real dinosaurs, the only surviving line of that noble race that ruled the earth for 185 million years. Now, of course, we call them birds, but that doesn't change the fact that they are dinosaurs, and I never cease to awe over them whenever I look out my window.

And then there are the geese. For years I've watched the white-fronted geese fly in V formation over the Bay Area, sometimes up to several hundred birds at a time. They wing their way toward their summer or winter feeding grounds following instincts implanted countless years ago. They are wild, they are the wildest of the wild, they are the essence of wildness and wilderness, and every sighting of them still raises the hair on the back of my neck and sends chills up and down my spine. I feel at once humbled and uplifted--humbled to the level of a human being and uplifted to the level of a goose. How wonderful to be alive to witness this magnificence!

So, those of you who seek miracles in ghosts and occult visions--Don't think that you have anything on me. I've seen, and through seeing been a part of, more wonders than your spirit world could ever invent. These wonders that I'm privileged to witness are a part of me because my own heritage has made them so. The dinosaurs go back 250 million years, but that long ago my remotest ancestors were also stirring, and they and their descendents witnessed the dinosaurs' rise and fall. My ancient line saw the rise of geese and may well be here after the geese are gone, so I too am a subject worthy of awe. And so are all other human beings, although they may not know it.

[ChristineL]

Sometimes when I read these threads I get the feeling that mystics and believers in the occult think they have all the fun. Not so. I keep a tray of seeds in my back yard, and what comes to the tray are . . . dinosaurs. I don't mean virtual dinosaurs or descendents of dinosaurs--I mean real dinosaurs, the only surviving line of that noble race that ruled the earth for 185 million years. Now, of course, we call them birds, but that doesn't change the fact that they are dinosaurs, and I never cease to awe over them whenever I look out my window.

And then there are the geese. For years I've watched the white-fronted geese fly in V formation over the Bay Area, sometimes up to several hundred birds at a time. They wing their way toward their summer or winter feeding grounds following instincts implanted countless years ago. They are wild, they are the wildest of the wild, they are the essence of wildness and wilderness, and every sighting of them still raises the hair on the back of my neck and sends chills up and down my spine. I feel at once humbled and uplifted--humbled to the level of a human being and uplifted to the level of a goose. How wonderful to be alive to witness this magnificence!

So, those of you who seek miracles in ghosts and occult visions--Don't think that you have anything on me. I've seen, and through seeing been a part of, more wonders than your spirit world could ever invent. These wonders that I'm privileged to witness are a part of me because my own heritage has made them so. The dinosaurs go back 250 million years, but that long ago my remotest ancestors were also stirring, and they and their descendents witnessed the dinosaurs' rise and fall. My ancient line saw the rise of geese and may well be here after the geese are gone, so I too am a subject worthy of awe. And so are all other human beings, although they may not know it.


I couldn't agree with you more. We supply water which we change daily to avoid mosquitoes. I take particular delight in the family of wood peckers that come to drink out of our bird baths. They first stand there turning their heads from side to side and screaming, particularly if any mountain jays are about, then drink. They continue to check for any competition. I particularly enjoy the tiny yellow bellied birds that gather in our redwoods for an hour or two beeping away. Mocking birds fascinate me as they not only imitate the vocalizations of other birds, but also those of cell phones and video games. Hawks in flight are one of the most beautiful sights.

Sometimes, at night, Racoons run around our property. We supply water to them also as their search for it, (any bit left at the bottom of saucers placed under potted plants, the last drops left at the bottom of watering cans), left a mess of knocked down plants. I've been able to watch them get their drink, wash their hands and play. Having spent most of my life in cities, I truly enjoy these miracles...they're more fun than ghosts...

[Willie Lumplump]

Having spent most of my life in cities, I truly enjoy these miracles.

Good for you! It's always a good feeling when someone shares the same profound experience.