Hello Fellow Humans –
One of the pieces of wisdom I am dancing with right now is the deeper understanding that we humans actually become more human when we are in right relationship with other. Not just other humans but other beings; our more than human neighbors, our green brothers and sisters and all the aspects of landscape. Somehow we have forgotten who we are because we have withdrawn from the world around us and see ourselves as better and more than these other aspects of being. We have lost our way in so many regards because we are missing out on the reflective potency of ‘other’ and how that exchange teaches us how to be more human. It teaches us how to be right sized in any and all relationships.
We seem to think that we are the only ones with consciousness or wisdom. What hubris! We forget that we are embedded in this world and are incapable of living and growing and even dying without the inherent presence and holding of other. Brain Swimme reminds us that one of our purposes of being here is to reflect back the beauty and consciousness of the world around us; in this way we contact more of ourselves. And we also become more connected and responsible for what is us, outside of us. We are not as independent as we like to think, not at all. And this is such an important shift in being.
Most indigenous peoples understand that the key to our own soul is through cultivating our relationship with those who came before us, those that share this place and time with us, those that see and hear and feel differently from us. We all came from a place, somewhere in the world, no matter how many generations ago that understood this inherent wisdom. I invite you to explore the traditions from your personal lineages that might help you speak this language of connection and reflection and embeddedness.
“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”
~ Robin Wall Kimmerer
May we be willing to listen deeply to the wisdom beings all around us
May we open ourselves to more profound relationships with the more than human world
May we practice humility in the presence of ‘other’
May we bring blessings and presence to all we encounter
Practice Prompts:
- Pick a place in the world around you…a tree, a mountain, a creek, a potted plant…any aspect of the world around you, big or small and consciously enter into a relationship with it. Visit it daily if possible or at least weekly. Spend some time with this being…resting along side it, open to its presence and way of being in the world. Ask them to show you more of themselves and be curious how they navigate the days and nights, the seasons and the presence of other. What might you learn from them and what is it be like to deepen into relationship with them?
- Look for opportunities to shift your orientation of what it means to be human. Play with embodying shapes and movements of our more than human relations…walk like a cat, rest like a lizard, listen like a tree, etc. Be willing to try on other modes of being and see how that informs you about Life as well as your own individual life.
- Read a book or an article that opens your awareness to how humans in other parts of the world and in different circumstances than you experience life. Reach out and make contact with someone who is not in your familiar and comfortable circle and simply be in open conversation with them. Can this expand your understanding of humanness and the similarities and the differences. If you want suggested reading, please reach out to me:)
- I offer one to one sessions in person in Bend, Oregon and virtually all over the world. If you would like to learn more about my offerings please email me or schedule a free 20 minute Exploratory Session.
Live Streaming Practice Opportunities:
- Yoga for Resilience, Mondays, 10-11:30am PT, livestream through Body of Insight
- All Levels Yoga, Sundays…Feb 26, Mar 26, Apr 23, 10-11:30am PT, livestream through Two Dog Yoga
- On Demand Yoga Practices…All Levels… through Two Dog Yoga (practice with me anytime, anywhere!)
Inspirational Wisdom:
YES, THAT’S WHEN
I like my body when I’m in the woods
and i forget my body, I forget that arms
that legs, that nose. I forget that waist,
that nerve, that skin. And I aspen. I mountain.
I river. I stone. I leaf. I path. I flower.
I like when I evergreen, current and berry.
I like when I mushroom, avalanche, cliff.
And everything is yes then, and everything
new: wild iris, duff, waterfall, dew.