Celtic Gambel Knot

I love it when something really unexpected shows up...dancing outside the box I place things in, making the old, new. The unique Celtic knotwork, which revealed itself in the roots of a Gambel oak, has caused me to explore the world with child-like wonder, knowing that magic is afoot!

I’m not sure how I ever came across this beautiful design at the base of the roots of a Gambel oak. When I saw it the second time, I realized my memory had played a trick on me.  Initially I thought it was about the size of a baseball, but when I returned, it was the size of a thumbprint!  This sort of thing happens fairly often, much like when I return home to the farm and visit the places that seemed huge when I was young…only to realize they were quite small.  Perhaps there are times that I engage in the child-like presence and I’m literally seeing, and experiencing things at a different scale.  Perhaps it has nothing to do with age, as we often believe, but with the magical frame of reference, where the energy of the childhood perspective is really more than a reference point, but reality.

So, when I came across this on my trek, it was because I was intentionally slowing down and anticipating the hidden miracles since I had found some of the trumpet lichen earlier.  Now that I think about it, I couldn’t find the trumpet lichen on the next two hikes either, even though they seemed to jump out on me the day I came across them. 

And, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this on the Gambel oak before, so it changes the reality of what is possible in the universe. I like that because it makes me wonder where else I’ve thought I know all there is to know, or what I know is an absolute. This all takes me back to the initial premises - what if the child mind is actually operating in an entirely different time and spatial universe?This would also fit with the belief that time flies by as we get older. Does time somehow escape us, or is the child

Mark J. Platten

Mark J. Platten has his soul rooted in nature, in the holy and sacred communion with the earth and Cosmos. His drive lies in helping people find their passion, purpose, and path by developing the integral human and connecting them with nature. He integrates brain science, indigenous wisdom, rites/rituals/ceremonies, connection with nature, and practical application in the physical realm to become the best version of ourselves.

He is the founder of Integral Human Initiative and Integral Man Institute and helps men and women align with their highest selves through Jungian archetypes, the four subtle bodies (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual), and working with the subconscious to support our highest possibilities.

Mark’s bestselling book, The Art of Connecting With Nature, is an anthology of 22 co-authors sharing how they connect with nature through various rites, rituals, ceremonies, and practices. You can find author interviews on his YouTube channel below and information about courses, rituals, and ceremonies on his website.

He is also a contributing author for three, number-one Amazon bestselling anthologies, and an international award-winning Haiku writer.

On the academic/professional side, Mark has an MBA in Organizational Management, served seven years as an Air Force officer, taught natural resources at the collegiate level, traveled internationally for 16 years as the lead environmental specialist for a company out of London, and since 2008, has been faculty at Colorado State University.

You can connect with him on the following sites:

Websites: www.markjplatten.com
Integral Human Initiative: www.integralhumaninitiative.com
Integral Man Institute www.integralmaninstitute.com
Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/TheArtofConnectingWithNature
https://www.facebook.com/whennaturespeaks
https://www.facebook.com/IntegralManInstitute
YouTube for The Art of Connecting With Nature author interviews:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQVjtyoGFr25I8xrz2dGQ8A
YouTube for Integral Man Institute:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ-eLsxRb8wAQ2FqfRO7t4g
You can contact Mark via email at markjplatten@gmail.com

https://markjplatten.com
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