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reality of spirit. It is not separate from the human spirit. Seeking a greater truth than the physical world reveals, you have entered this natural flow.
    —Michael J. Roads, Journey into Nature
    The land itself is Spirit incarnate. It is a manifestation of the Divine right before our eyes and under our feet. We can connect and work with the land directly because as physical beings, it is a simple and nourishing act to delve into our environmental surroundings. As all is connected in a great web of life, we are able to access anything we can possibly imagine. We can find meaning through the beauty of synchronicity and discover omens and portents in the natural world, because it is in the middleworld in which the Divine expresses through the medium of what is apparent and what can be sensed with our innate animal instincts. The land is a wisdom keeper of secrets, which can be discovered through the right channels. The efficacy of these channels depends, of course, on the preparedness and state of consciousness of the individual who is doing the divining.
    Many ancient indigenous traditions teach ways and methods of omen interpretation. These omens, signs, and portents, products of a world of synchronicity, can be found in the landscape just as much as they can be glimpsed in the heavens or seen in the tarot or the runes. One such example can be found in Ross Heaven’s brilliant account of his tutelage under one of the last remaining Welsh sin eaters in the Celtic healing traditions— The Sin Eater’s Last Confessions (Llewellyn, 2008).
    In Heaven’s book, he speaks of Adam, his Welsh sin-eating teacher, guiding him in a practical exercise called rhamanta in his wisdom tradition. Ross is directed to intuitively find three places in which he is to close his eyes, hold a question in mind, spin around three times, open his eyes, and mark the first sight as an omen. This process is repeated three times (once for every place), and the three omens are then woven together to create a story—a divinatory pattern, or theme. As Adam says, “Dream yourself into this story, and see what it tells you about your life.”
    Omenwalking
    Nature, you see, is the visible face of spirit and will reveal the truth to us. All we need do is listen and have faith in what we are told.
    —Ross Heaven, The Sin Eater’s Last Confessions (Adam’s words)
    Most of us take walks. However, a walk with a purpose is something not everyone has considered. In many indigenous societies, there are various spiritual pilgrimages that can aid the individual in discerning one’s fate, purpose, or truth/s. In many Native American cultures, these pilgrimages are sometimes called vision quests. Omenwalking is another interpretation of the concept.
    Taking an omenwalk is as simple as clearing the mind, focussing on a question/goal/purpose, and then taking a walk! Open yourself to the influence of fate/divinity and move around the world in keen consciousness; however, it doesn’t pay to be too alert. Move as if through honey or in a dream, and cultivate an attitude of innocence and wonder. Take note of everything you see and feel on your walk. Once you feel you have your answers, or at least have gained some understanding, gratefully return home (or continue the walk) and reflect on the experience. Just as with the sin eater’s technique, look for the patterns joining each “discrete” thing, and a story will unfold.
    To ground this technique in reality, I will provide a personal experience. When I lived with my mother and sister in Toowoomba, I used to go on regular walks to the local Japanese gardens. It was one of my sacred spaces—a power place. I took a walk one Ostara to bathe in the blessed newness that is spring. As I journeyed, a breeze sailed through a jacaranda tree and sent all the purple blossoms fluttering through the air—I showered in the cascade and relished it! Upon entering the gardens, I received a call from a friend of mine; we spoke about