By C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, LCSW, DCSW
Co-Editor
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Walking in the park recently, I listened to the Royal River. From the recent spring rains, it was roaring powerfully along its destined journey to the Atlantic Ocean. The rushing water freed my thoughts and I found myself reflecting on a conversation I recently had with a friend. He had decided to spend more time with a relative who was a Catholic priest in his nineties. Our friend has been trained in the sciencies and his high-adrenalin profession left little time for any sort of soul-searching exploration. On the other hand, the priest had spent many years of his life studying philosophy. As our friend spent time with the priest, his curious nature and affection for this wise man led him to ask many questions. One of the ones he asked the elderly man was, "How do you pray? "The priest answered him thoughtfully and with a warm smile. “I open my heart to The Presence....”
People refer to the The Presence or the Divine with many names. God, Goddess, Great Mystery, Mother /Father God, Beloved, All That Is, Christ Consciousness, Buddah Consciousness, Allah, Mother Earth are just a very few. But, how do we open our hearts to it?
In her book, Earth Spirit Living, Bringing Heaven and Nature into Your Home, Ann Marie Holmes offers us one perspective. She states, "The key to living successfully through these (times on the Earth) is to continually open to our sensory, intuitive experience with the Earth.” She goes on to remind us that “Tribal leaders of earth-savvy indigenous groups and ancient spiritual traditions around the world, including the Hopi, Tibetans, Mayans, the Lakota, Africans, and Australians, have expressed a common theme in recent decades. (they have said that) the earth is at a turning point where we may see tremendous changes in our physical and social reality. Across the board, in their own various ways, they are urging the people of the world to develop their sensitivity to the life force in plants, animals, water, rocks, soil, and other earth energies around them.”
Earth-based spiritualities have always affirmed that spirit is in all forms of life and available to communicate with us, offering guidance, healing and renewal. They offer us Presence.
In our healing practice we hear many stories from people who share the overwhelming burdens of illness, disharmonies in relationships and frustrations about being "stuck" on their life journey. What many of these peoples' stories hold in common is an uncertainty about how they can open their heart to The Presence for insight and encouragement. Yet more and more we are also hearing people say things like, “on my way to this session a red-tail hawk followed me along side my car after I asked spirit for help.” What we support people to recognize is that this attention to the natural world is a part of opening their heart to the Presence!
One client shared a story about being preoccupied by his sorrows while driving. He took a wrong turn that led him far out of his way in an unfamiliar and more rural area. He came upon a large buck standing in the middle of the road looking directly at him. It watched him for some time until it sauntered away. As it happens, this man's animal spirit ally happens to be a buck. The appearance of the animal reminded him that The Presence of Spirit was with him--literally in the world. This gave him the encouragement to continue healing the old wounds that were interfering with his life moving forward. This same man has found that when aloneness has him in its grip of isolation, he heads down to a favorite place on the coast where the sunset also reminds him of his connectedness to others and the natural world.
Our dear friend’s husband had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. In our graduate class she was following the assignment to share her story to whatever form in the natural world to which she was guided. A large, glacial irratic called her attention. In the recent logging that was done as part of forest management for that land, a large hemlock tree had fallen down on this boulder cutting a piece out of its top. It created a place for her to sit to tell her story. Surounded by its newly jagged edges, she tearfully poured out her grief about her life dreams being shattered. After thirty years of marriage to her dear one, she could not imagine wanting to go on living following his transition.
She was not surprised to experience the rock listening openly to her sorrow, for she was deeply connected to the earth and has spent many years of her life passionately in service to Her. Eventually, wth her tears spent, she was able to hear the rock communicate with her. It reminded her that some things don’t grow back and can never be the same again. It also told her that when things are broken they become vulnerable to more damage and fragmentation. Through her tears she heard the rock tell her that the path to reclaim wholeness is to remain true to her core self. This included her grief, fear, joy, love and dreams. The rock advised her to be open to a new shape, to find a different form of wholeness. The rock went even further in sharing its wisdom. It shared that the intention to stay in life and be open to a new form of wholeness requires more than choice. It requires a commitment for this new life to manifest.
In getting permission for me to include her experience in this column, my friend reports that to this day, the message from the rock reminds her of The Presence that sustains her. It helps her each day as she and her husband participate in the ending of their shared life. She knows that she can trust that the same Presence will support her when it is her time to explore a new way of being whole.
The above stories describe a rural setting for this connection. What about finding The Presence when one lives and works in an urban area? One snowy winter, we were facilitating a workshop in Montreal, Canada. Our program was being held seven stories up in an old Masonic building. We asked the partcipants to create a small offering with a slice of bread, some morsels from their lunch, fruit and nuts. Our instructions were for them to go outside and find a tree. They were to leave their offering in the spirit of gratitude from their heart. Each participant carried their little gift for the trees down the elevator and onto the street. As they returned, their faces revealed that connection had been made, communication had been established. The trees reponded to being appreciated and in turn gave them each a heartening spirit gift in return.
The Earth and her non-human inhabitants always know they are connected. It is we human beings who forget and need to remember. We can do this by simply choosing to be open to The Presence. It is that which is within. It is that which surrounds us and it is that which is limitless in its desire for Wholeness.
How do we encourage our experience of connectedness with the Presence? Ann Holmes in Earth Spirit Living, offers two practical ways for us to consider becoming more connected as an intentional part of our lives. She explains that everyone has “body radar” which she speaks about it in this way, “The combination of your sensory system and your intuition together compose your body radar. Body radar refers to your body’s ability to function as an energy instrument that determimes, detects, and responds to energy fields in your surroundings.”
A simple way to practice your body radar can be done while waiting for the traffic light to change or a while waiting for a delayed appointment. Observe the closest tree, plant, bird, or other life form in the natural world. What energy do you become aware of emanating from that species? Once you notice it, send it a "thank you" for simply being there. While doing this, let yourself remember that each of you is an expression of the Diviine and that you are irrevocably connected. This connection allows communication. What are you communicating to each other?
Planning your garden can also be a circumstance where you can use your body radar. Use it to perceive what the spirits of place suggest is the best location for each vegetable or flower. When planning to build a new home or addition, use your body radar to connect with the energy of the spirits of the land to ask for their permission. Is there a water source on your land or do you pass some body of water on your way to work? Invite your body radar to support you to become aware of the different vibrations, expressions of the water. You can even do this at a fountain. When you thank the water for its gits to you, how does your body, which is mostly water, respond?
For many years, we have been practicing our body radar to sense the presence of birds along the highways when we are traveling. The act of paying attention and counting the birds we see adds both joy and anticipation to even a mundane trip. During migrations times, we have counted as many as one hundred hawks on a trip and acknowledging them strengthens our experience of being connected to not only to the winged ones, but to the All.
Ann Holmes suggests a second practical way to deepen our experience of The Presence. She uses the terms ceremony and ritual interchangeably “as a way of pausing to contact a deeper dimension of life.” Rituals can be very simple and take very little time to prepare. We have a bench in our yard that was created from a tree struck by lightning. Since we were grateful that it fell within inches--instead of on--our house while we were away, it has become our offering bench. It is one of the places we offer our gratitude. When we return from a teaching trip or workshop, we place offerings of nuts, fruit or flowers to say "thank you" to the Spirits for a good experieince. We include ourselves, our students, the Earth and our Spirit Allies in our gratitude. Having a special place for this expression is a delight. Look for a tree or other feature in your yard that can become your special gratitude offering place. Give thanks there as often as works best for you.
Sometimes, we take an offering of flowers to the ocean. We release them into the waves asking that the ocean carry our prayers of gratitude for all the abundance in our lives. In times when fears about the future creep into our consciousness, we create a simple ritual with flowers, candy, honey and other “goodies” wrapped in paper. This gets burned in our wood stove to release the prayers through the smoke. We do this with sincere gratitude for all that we hold dear in our lives and with an affirmation that what we need is already being manifested. Ritual is a powerful way to shift our emotions from despair to hope, from a feeling of lack to an awareness of plenty. The ways that you can do this are many. Find your own personal way to honor, respect and thank the Spirts of your land and neighborhood.
Many indigenous cultures make offerings to their Spirits before the abundace comes to them in some form. They are being grateful that their needs are already being met, even when it isn't yet apparent. We in this culture, sometimes place our requests before our Spirit Helpers and much too quickly pull our energy back because what we have requested does not appear soon enough. In this case, our Spirit Helpers who are helping to manifest something, tell us that our retraction into fear or doubt interrupts the flow.
Spontaneous riituals and ancient ceremonies handed down by our ancestors provide creative ways for us to continue strengthening our trust in the partnership between us and The Presence. By honoring our body radar and connecting with the natural world around us we can have a daily, convenient way to continue evolving our experience of The Presence. It is our birth right as well as a life-long journey!
-Allie
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Note: For more information on Earth Spirit Living by Ann Marie Holmes see this month’s Shamama Bear Review.--Editors.
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