If
we surrended
To
earth’s intelligence
We
could rise up rooted, like trees
(from
Book of Hours, II, 16 by Rainer Maria Rilke)
In
this series of exploring how we reset and resource – how beautiful is it to
turn to the nonhuman world and ‘take things to the land’?
When
we ‘take things to the land’, we are in nature and consciously and intuitively
engage with its mystery. The dilemma we
are facing, the dreams we want to manifest, the answers we seek – all can be
aided by a conversation with mother earth.
Rocks, trees, ants, birds, the moon and the stars…the natural world is
full of good listeners – and sage wisdom.
Going to the desert, the mountains, the sea and the plains to seek
connection to ourselves, others and the earth is a fundamental part of our human
story.
Yet
many of us have become disconnected with this part of ourselves, out of
alignment with the interrelationship with nature and detached from our inner
voice, the voice through which the natural world speaks to us. However if we
can turn up in its presence with an open mind and heart, we have an opportunity
to reset and resource. We are reminded
of the interconnectivity of things. We
gain new perspectives. If we are
prepared to pay attention to what is revealed to us by nature, signs and
symbols of our inner journey will be reflected back to us. So we go out, with an intention, a question,
an idea and we notice what happens. The
raven that circles us, the scar in the tree trunk, the insects busying, the
breeze that whispers…nature is a mirror to our soul.
Similarly,
we can have those conversations that are difficult to have in person. Many share a similar fate, when I say my Dad
died suddenly from a heart attack and that I never got to say goodbye. What works for me is to ‘take it to the land’,
where I have those missed/missing conversations. Instead of Dad, I talk to a rock – which
makes me smile as Dad was indeed a man of few words.
Those
ancestors we never met, the family member that dies suddenly, the lover that
goes without a goodbye, the boss that drives us crazy, the distant friend – we can have any conversation we need to without
the person in question. We have them
with the universe at large. Arguably, our dog, cat or hamster can be that
perfect stand-in.
As
founders of the School of Lost Borders, an organization which has helped me
develop my nature based coaching, write “the
exercise of intuitive cognition – one of humankind’s greatest gifts – begins
with the exercise of respecting and listening to our inner voice. If we cannot
value our own inherent wisdom, the bird and the moon will have nothing to
reveal to us”.
Conversations
with the natural world are significant for us personally and collectively. As
Mediation teacher and author, Tara Brach offers “thinking is not the pinnacle of our human potential”. The complexity and scale of the issues that
face us are so immense, to not sit in presence and partnership with nature will
surely forever limit our evolution. How
can any real transformative conversation on the Sustainability Development
Goals take place within four walls? What
different conversations and different outcomes would result if the UN sat and
conversed in and with nature in a deep way?.
Or for that matter, our own executive board or team?
“If you are not
already convinced of this, put it to the test. Ask the wind a question about
your own destiny. If you hold your
attention steadily on the subject, the wind will answer. Then you must be
willing to accept the answer, even if it seems inconsequential, or “what I
already know”.
Notes:
- Check out School
of Lost Borders www.schooloflostborders.org
- Founders of
School of Lost Borders: Foster, S.
and Little, S , 1984, The Trail to The Sacred Mountain, A Vision Fast
Handbook For Adults, Lost Borders
Press (3rd last and last paragraph quotes from pg 51)
- Tara Brach https://www.tarabrach.com/from-head-to-heart/
- If you are
interested in this perspective, I love Bill Plotkin’s books https://animas.org/books/book-ordering-information/
- Photo own
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