Your mind is composed of thoughts you think. These thoughts are like magnetic currents. If you think positively about some event or action, it turns out to be as you thought about it. If you harbor negative thoughts, this negativity is drawn into your life.

You attract into your life what you think about frequently. It does not mean that every thought gets materialized. Most of thoughts are weak and are not repeated long enough to gain sufficient strength. Weak thoughts, like a weak magnet, hardly have any attractive power.

You have seen how a magnet draws metal objects. A strong and big magnet draws bigger objects than a small and weak one. Magnets have another peculiar characteristic. One side of magnet draws, and other side repels.

The power of attraction is a neutral power. The magnet draws to itself everything made of iron, no matter whether it is a useful object or junk. The mind acts in same way. It attracts into your life positive and negative situations and events, according to thoughts that you think.

You can't fool Mother Nature. But she sure can fool you. What a beauty she is—wowing us with her spacious skies and purple mountains majesty, and taunting us with her tantalizing tapestries of flora, fauna and frolicking creatures. From spine-tingling glacial lakes of Alaska to heart-warming mystical canyons of Arizona, I've experienced some of her best creations. Nature and I have been very intimate. I felt I knew her secrets. Boy, was I wrong!

I admit, I only wanted her for her looks and way she makes me feel. It never occurred to me that Mother Nature has a deeper, more compassionate, protective side. I ignored her whispers that she has gifts for me—treasures more valuable than gold. And I was blind to clues she scattered on my path.

In my youth, if Mother Nature told me her wild birds could guide me back to a lost path, I'd have felt she was nutty as a squirrel. Knowing that I wouldn't listen to her, she sent a skilled sage to get her message through my thick skull. The Native American medicine man asked a simple question: "Did you know that rattlesnakes only bite "civilized" people and leave tribal people alone?" I felt "crazy" shaman had a few rattles loose in his brain. But his words were intriguing. "How could that be?" I wondered. "Why would a snake choose to bite some people and leave others alone?" His preposterous claim haunted me.

Unbeknownst to me at time, this bold assertion propelled my life into a new direction that would take me off my known map into uncharted territory. Mother Nature was luring me in. I was cat. She was nip. She was determined to get my attention!

A Helpful Hawk

My first clue to guiding, caring aspect of Mother Nature occurred when a bird led me back to a hiking trail I'd lost. I'd gotten about 50 yards off path, heading in wrong direction. Suddenly a bird screeched. Looking up, I spotted a low-flying hawk circling intently over a particular spot. An investigation was in order. When I arrived at spot he was focused on, he flew off. Wow! I found myself standing smack in middle of lost trail! My winged friend had delivered me back to my path.

Dancing with Danger

Mother Nature had just begun to rearrange my understanding about inner workings of natural world. She arranged for me to experience safety in situations that are usually hazardous for humans. To protect their offspring, wild boar usually attack people who intrude into their space. When I surprised a family of 40 wild boar with babies and they were more curious than hostile toward me. A poisonous scorpion crawled harmlessly over my foot without showing any inclination to sting. During a lengthy close encounter of wily kind, a pack of coyotes sniffed me, checked me out thoroughly, and then went nonchalantly on their way. And I stomped my foot within an inch of a nesting rattlesnake—without triggering a bite or even a rattle. Now I have confidence to walk—and even sit—peacefully within a couple feet of resting rattlesnakes.