Kinship Relationship With Mother Earth
“What can transform the basic nature of the acorn into the spiritual awareness of the grove? It is its chrysopoeia, its metamorphosis, its evolution from self-interest to collective flourishing.” Dr Yuria Celidwen
“By observing our reactions without attachment, we can evolve beyond personal limitations and align more harmoniously with the flow of life, shifting from individual struggles to an expansive understanding of our role in the universe. ” Michael Singer, author of The Untethered Soul
Colonization: a breach in relationship with Earth
These reflections highlight some of the dynamics of colonization and are from the perspective of a white settler whose Scottish ancestors fled the British around the time of the Highland Clearances. Indigenous people, and folks whose ancestors were forcibly brought to North America through slavery have a different experience of colonization.
Many of the beliefs and actions of settlers were based in the fight for physical survival. Through colonizing Turtle Island, we used a variety of justifications for the harm we caused, including the religious proclamation of "Terra Nullius" (Empty Land).
European settlers and legal systems interpreted lands inhabited by Indigenous peoples as "empty" if the inhabitants were not Christian, did not practice European-style agriculture, or did not have a centralized government recognized by European legal traditions.
This legal fiction justified the seizure of Indigenous lands under the assumption that Indigenous societies did not hold legitimate sovereignty over their territories.
White settlers appropriated the land, prioritizing the exploitation of natural resources over Indigenous land stewardship (which they did not recognize). Settler extractivism has led to large-scale deforestation, soil depletion, and biodiversity loss globally. Indigenous communities have consistently resisted extractivist projects, advocating for land rights and environmental protection.
Colonization required a viewpoint that the land and its people are an enemy to be controlled, tamed and conquered. The survival of white settlers took precedence. There are many ways colonization created a disconnection in our relationships, including with the environment. We couldn’t afford to acknowledge the humanity of Indigenous people and the devastating impact of our push for survival on the land and its people.
White settlers are not living on the lands of our ancestors.
We lost the millenia of ancestral reverence and trust in the land (and people). In this abrupt breach, we lost our historical connections and continuity of wisdom and traditions from elder generations. The elders who moved to North America were occupied with survival.
The impact of this disruption combined with fear and a survival focus contributed to a profound disconnection that has flowed through to current generations.
How can we develop a relationship with what we see as an enemy who we fear and needs to be conquered? This disconnection and adversarial relationship is relevant to the disconnection we feel from ourselves, our bodies, “other” people, and the natural world.
“Of all the dangers we face, from climate chaos to nuclear war, none is so great as the deadening of our response.” Joanna Macy, environmental activist
Kin relationality is an antidote to othering and separateness.
“This is a path to sustainable collective well-being growing from seeds of reverence, respect, and responsibility.
Understanding the natural patterns of chaos and order in life contributes to a sense of belonging. It helps integrate personal experience within the ecosystem. The result is an identity rooted in belonging and relationality, a network of connections infused with reverence, wonder, accountability and a feeling of sacred relationships.
The obligation then spreads to our environmental community, anchored in a duty to protect interdependent ecosystems.” Dr Yuria Celidwen
Layers Of Connection Practice
This can be a visualization, a body memory, and/or a present moment experience if you have access to nature.
Imagine you are sitting on Mother Earth, your bare feet touching the soil. Notice the touch of air on your skin, the warmth of the sun, the aromas and scent of flowers and plants, the sound of gently moving water nearby, and birds in the trees.
Let yourself relax into the moment with soft nourishing breaths. Soak in the feeling of being here. Look around and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Let awareness of your body and senses move to the background and become aware of the energy field of your body and earth. Allow your mind to be still as you explore the subtle energy in and around you.
Sense the boundary between your body, and the earth and air. Now let go of sense perceptions and focus on the unity in the energy field itself.
Become aware of the sensation and movement of breath in your body. Is this a well established relationship? Are you generally aware of your breath, it’s subtle rhythms and patterns? What does breath signal to your nervous system?
Become aware of the sensation and movement of air around your body. Recall your history with both strong and gentle, welcome and unwelcome movements of air. Notice your memories/thoughts and nervous system responses of fear and safety.
Now let go of thoughts and sense perceptions, body and breath. Focus on the unity in the energy field itself of your body, Earth, space.
Bring your awareness back to your breath and physical body. Notice the energy flow within and around your body.
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"We are our world knowing itself. We can relinquish our separateness. We can come home again—and participate in our world in a richer, more responsible and poignantly beautiful way than before, in our infancy."
"Once we know that we belong to the living body of Earth, then we're already home." Joanna Macy
Join us Sundays in our free community class to explore and connect.
Details for Sunday class here. Details for daily 8AM Eastern practice here. Latest Insight Timer Lives here.