Earthday 2020
My heart goes out to this beautiful planet, the brilliance of her colors and life. I begin in gratitude and appreciation for all that is, for the waters and airs, for the land and mountains, for the medicines, plants, animals, fungi, and the vast and interwoven tapestry of which and in which, we are one.
I am struck by wild emotions and confusion, a paradox that feels unholdable. On the one side, great human suffering. This suffering has many aspects, including those sick, their loved ones unable to be with them while they transition, the great unraveling of financial resources as the world pauses, and the consequent dislocation this is causing hundreds of millions of people as they strive to find a way to both be responsible and also feed themselves.
On the other, a return of wildness. Bears and mountain lions are in the streets, walking free. A dawn chorus has returned in many urban places. The Himalayan range can be seen from north India for the first time in thirty years—entire lifetimes lived in the smog of industry.
In this dire time of human confusion, an awakening and return of earth into her lands—wild, urban, and all.
As I relayed this inner struggle to a friend last week, I was reminded of the great affiliations that transcend personal and interpersonal relations; we can be strangers in a strange land. We can let go of the incessant need to organize, control, and conquer. We can fall into that place of fear and, as Pema Chodron reminds us, stay. We humans are giants on this planet, but we are brilliant, kind, and deeply compassionate creatures too.
Earth's humans are being invited into a deep spiritual conversation, one where the current paradigm of exploitation and externalities are brought into the light, and a new way, a Great Turning, begins. But to enter this discussion, we must make the first step; we must acknowledge the truth of causality from our actions. In so doing, we will meet our fear and grief. May this too heal and mend our hearts. May this difficult and painful opportunity not be bypassed for a return to business-as-usual, but rather become the impetus for change. As is often said, change starts from within, and we can be that change we seek.
What is awakening in you now? What is unlived and reaching out as the shoot breaches the soil? What medicine is in these tears that are releasing and cleansing?
This is our call, our wake-up—not by malice or revenge, but by the very interconnectedness that is the truth of home. May we answer in reflection, tears, anguish, and honesty. May we come together in love and community, human and more-than-human, to enter a new paradigm on earth, with earth, in Earth. May this year become an Earthyear—a renewal and reconceptualization of what we need, what we don't, and how to negotiate the paradox and renewal of spring's veriditas and Life in trying times.
A final note: Alchemy of Prana is postponing our May programs. The rest of the summer programs are tentatively going forward, but may shift given local, state, and federal policies. We are actively engaging in ways to support our community, including beginning to offer private medicine walks, online Council sessions, and soon to begin Virtual DayQuest opportunities. Have an idea? Please reach out and connect.
May all beings know peace, love, and the cessation of suffering.
My love and regards,
tbird, remembering to be a gentle giant
