word - The Sands of Time

There are people who claim that they can look upon the land, and the land will speak to them.

I recently got caught in a sandstorm, and particles of sand flew past my eyes.

What is the desert saying?
^{(The solution is six letters)}

Answer

It's hard to be sure with all this sand in my eyes, but I believe the desert is saying:

CACTUS

Reasoning:

Firstly, the title and the fact that the only numbers used in the grains of sand are 1 - 12, hint towards a clock face. From here, we can treat numbers as directions, such that from any given point, you just take the number given and travel according to the associated hour direction:

Then, starting at the odd grain out (the dark coloured 9), follow the path:

You have to squint a bit (because of all the sand), but it's pretty clear that the path scribes the word

CACTUS.