Reciprocal Relationships with Nature

When we enter a natural space, what if we related the way we would to humans? We can pause and share a greeting, offer up who we are and listen to what is happening in the natural world today. We can ask a sense of permission to be present, and listen deeply to how nature responds. Perhaps there is a warm welcome, or a request to be respectful, to be aware and present. What if nature lets us know that it is not ok to enter, do we listen? Sometimes people speak of an inner sense that it does not feel right to go down a certain path and choose a different route that feels welcoming. How might our extractive and objectifying ways of treating the earth change if we listened to the earth’s guidance?

I am learning more about sharing an offering to natural spaces. Indigenous ways of being invite opening relationships or sacred rituals with a special offering. We gain so much from the land, we receive gifts of peace and beauty, restoration and mental health, and all of our primary needs of food and shelter. We can actively participate in offering back our thanks by sharing bounty from our gardens, an offering of water to thirsty plants, or an energy of awe and appreciation. These simple acts have the profound impact of guiding us back into respectful relationships with earth, and helps us remember our place in the vast web of interconnections. Stepping more into alignment also shows us how much our wider ways of being in this time are out of balance. Leaning into that discomfort and pain can be an important teacher to guide us forward.

When you find yourself filled with gratitude for the beauty of nature, let that move through you in an energy of appreciation. When we discover ourselves as gifted members of the earth, we remember our place in the vastness of life. You can step more fully into balanced and healing ways of being in this earth.