In the Desert, Rainfall Cleanses the Soul

I live in the desert. The Sonoran Desert to be precise. Where I live we receive only about 7 inches of rain each year so it goes without saying that rainfall has a more profound effect on one’s psyche than it may in other parts of the vast world. I’ve been here for over 30 years now, and I still am drawn to venture out of my warm home and into the cool raindrops for a solo hike in the desert. It’s something really special here to walk among the desert dwellers and feel their powerful energy as they welcome Mother Earth’s refreshing cleanse. You can almost hear the root systems sucking in the fresh cold water. You can almost see the leaves opening as if waking from a long slumber and stretching their limbs.

One of the more distinct scents I will always appreciate is the smell of wet Creosote bushes giving the desert such a pungent scent. I mentioned this in one of my recent Adventurer videos.

Quail chirp in the underbrush, Jackrabbits scurry upon my approach, and little Cactus Wrens announce my presence, passing on the message from tree to tree to their neighbors.

It is early morning and I am bundled up and walking about in the drizzle. It is deafeningly quiet. On the eastern horizon, the sun is starting to rise. It’s casting a bright auburn ray of light like a sharp dagger straight into my soul. The rains begin to subside. This is my favorite natural experience.

Early morning after rainfall with bright, sun rays dancing on the wet ground reflecting off dewdrops dripping from every leaf, like millions of tiny diamonds glittering about.

The rains have washed away the settled dust, cleared away the trapped insects from the webs spanning from limb to limb of the Palo Verde. Tadpoles swim about in the pools of water that have collected in the sandy washes. Life is renewed. I sit upon a pile of dark Basalt rock and Shale. I grip the wet Shale rocks in my hand and notice how the rains have weakened their steadfast grip to the Earth. The layers fall away and crumble in my hand. Nothing is permanent. All but the energy itself that forms into texture and mass eventually falls away and returns to the dust of this land.

I reflect on my life in a way I have not in some time as I gaze straight into the sunlight. The rays feed my soul giving me the nourishment I need for ‘me’. I’ve been down this road before many times, finding myself alone in a desolate canyon with its sheer walls and cool green floor or, sitting at the top of a mountain peak, eyes closed and witnessing the Earth ‘breathing’. Have you ever witnessed such a thing? You have to look closely, pay attention, and get in tune.

I’ve found myself connected many times to this world in a way you just can’t experience any other way than to submerge yourself right into its depths…completely alone.

The solitude is unlike any other release and to do so right after a desert rain is to experience the intricacies of this magnificent place, to open up to the living, breathing, harmonious system in which we have been given the ‘opportunity’ to experience.

My friends, experience it. Don’t miss your opportunity to discover the rest of the harmony that is your world. Use it as an opportunity to reflect and discover what rings true for you and you alone.

Bring yourself closer to your true home, the place within your own mind that connects you to the source…the rest of the universe and beyond. Allow the experience to cleanse your soul and enrich your view of the world.

Then, release what is limiting your view. Give yourself to the elements and embrace the gift that they return to you.