Yesterday, the Liminal Odyssey book club circle met to discuss Chapter Four, The Mother of (All Nations) Invention. This was the second clarion call in the book that was answered with an out-loud, "YES!" that resulted in developing and growing S.A.R.A.H. (The Spiritual And Religious Alliance for Hope) women's grassroots organization. Essential to this story and that experience is the realization that we are in constant relationship with our natural world. In fact, We Are Nature is the title of part II of this chapter, apropos to the flow of the book, with each chapter's unique skill, practice, and tool that elevated that experience and/or made sense of it.
When I discovered the source of the power that I had embodied in order to respond to this calling was grace, I was able to get out of the way, resulting in 20 years of women's shared leadership. (Happy Anniversary S.A.R.A.H.!!)
As we were discussing our own personal connection to nature, I shared that my connection to both the ocean and to rocks is profound. Another shared the connection to trees, and another- winged-ones, and so on. Then, one of the book circle participants made the point that a currency exchanges between us and nature, and we are in an exchange, a relationship with that which we focus on.
At that moment a realization opened up as if the grey clouds had parted and a bright sunbeam blinded me! Indeed! We are each made of energy, even rocks. Indeed the crashing or soft-approaching waves are informed by circumstance, just like us. Indeed a murmuration of birds in flight exchange energy with one another to support one another in a graceful manner that is also beautiful to watch. So why would we be excluded from that ecosystem? What do we have to learn from them how they thrive in their natural state? They know no other way, so we can trust there is a valuable message there.
This gave us all a moment to pause. We agreed to spend the time until our next call exploring this relationship by simply going into nature with reverence and intention to feel into that relationship. You are invited to give that a spin too!
As nueroscience has taught us, when we practice anything for about 28 days, we create new neuropathways in our mind. The more we practice that reverence and relationship, the more readily we can experience and supercharge that currency so that it evolves from being second nature to first nature.
I would love to hear your experience! Please comment below after you practiced being in relationship with any one thing in your immediate natural world. (Plant, tree, soil, inch worm, what is the first thing you come into range with. Start there!)
