Remembering Relationship
Last Sunday we gathered with Nukumi Selina for the second part of our conversation, Falling In Love With Earth Mother. What unfolded was a teaching and a remembering.
Nukumi began by inviting us to call in the intelligences of nature. She asked us to think of a place we love. A river. A tree. A beach. “I found myself on a cliff above the Bay of Fundy, wind in my hair, heart softening.” That simple act of remembering became a doorway. Connection begins with sincerity and willingness.
One of the most striking moments for me was when she spoke about asking the trees for help. It had never occurred to me to do that. I have loved nature. I have felt restored by it. But asking for help from trees, from water, from Earth Mother herself, felt like crossing a threshold from appreciation into relationship.
Nukumi shared her own journey of forgetting and remembering. As a child, she spoke with trees. Later, in the shock of dislocation from the forest to the inner city, she shut her heart down. In protecting herself, she also closed the doorway to wonder. Years later, she returned to the forest through a park in the inner city and made an offering.
She asked a great oak to help her remember.
Week after week, she sat with that tree. She placed her back against its trunk and felt its energy along her spine. Over time, the relationship deepened. The oak became teacher, elder, companion.
There was something profound in hearing her story. It was not mystical in a distant way. It was practical. Show up. Make an offering. Ask. Return often. This simple truth aligns with my decades of experience of consistently showing up in meditation.
Another image that stayed with me was her description of walking a labyrinth. With each step she offered love. To the Earth, I send you love and I receive your love. To the trees, I send you love and I receive your love. To the waters, I send you love and I receive your love. This morning I went outside and opened my arms offering love to the bright sunshine this morning, to the waters that are calmer today after the rolling breakers from the storm here yesterday, to the trees and the ground. Giving and receiving with each.
Reciprocity feels essential. So often we approach the natural world seeking comfort, clarity, or healing. She reminded us that relationship flows both ways. We are not meant to do this alone. We are participants in a living web.
Nukumi spoke honestly about the suffering in nature right now. Some trees are ill. Some places carry toxicity. Patience in relationship may be required and we can always offer love.
What I am left with is this: reconnection does not require grand gestures. It asks for humility and consistency. It asks for us to open our hearts again, even after they have been closed for good reasons.
We can begin where we are. We can ask for help. We can offer love. Now we remember and quietly reweave ourselves back into the web of Earth, where we have always belonged.
Nukumi Selina returns this Sunday March 1st. She would like to know your questions. What has helped you in deepening your relationship with Earth Mother? What are you curious about? What would be most helpful for her to share?
Email lynnfraserstillpoint@gmail.com with your thoughts or bring them to our Sunday free community class