Nature speaks - listen carefully
THE NATURE OF US
I wonder if the Ground has anything to say? I wonder if the ground is listening to what is said? — YOUNG CHIEF, of the Cayuses Tribe
(upon signing over their lands to the U.S. government, in 1855)
In indigenous, oral cultures, nature itself is articulate, it speaks. The human voice in an oral culture is always to some extent participant with the voices of wolves, wind and waves — participant, that is, with the encompassing discourse of the animate earth. There is no element of the resonant landscape that is definitively void of expressive resonance and power: any movement may be a gesture, any sound may be a voice, a meaningful utterance. David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous
I have come too far not to feel all this. From trees being cut for power lines and better views, to mining, wind mills, solar farms and wars, I wonder what the Earth is feeling. We blithely appropriate the sacred land — and all land is sacred — for whatever we need; we forget the older wisdom that is embedded within the land. The land and trees, the waters and air, are all part of our community.
In the realm of indigenous poetry, the land becomes a character, a living entity that cradles and nurtures its people. https://poemverse.org/indigenous-poems-about-land/
Take, for instance, the following breathtaking poem by Joy Harjo, a prominent Native American poet and musician:
Remember
Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star's stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun's birth at dawn, that is the
strongest point of time. Remember sundown
and the giving away to night.
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath.
You are evidence of her life, and her mother's, and hers.
Remember your father. He is your life, also.
Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth
brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too.
Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the
origin of this universe.
Remember you are all people and all people
are you.
Remember you are this universe and this
universe is you.
Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Remember language comes from this.
Remember the dance language is, that life is.
Remember.
In this mesmerizing piece, Harjo calls upon her readers to remember their deep connection to the land, the stars, and the cycles of life. By acknowledging that "we are earth," she emphasizes the profound interdependence between humans and nature, urging us to listen to the voices of the plants, trees, and winds, as they hold the stories of the universe. https://poemverse.org/indigenous-poems-about-land/
John O’Donohue, in Anam Cara, a book of Celtic Wisdom, writes of the land:
The silence of the landscape conceals vast presence. Place is not simply location. A place is a profound individuality. Its surface texture of grass and stone is blessed by rain, wind, and light. With complete attention, land celebrates the liturgy of the seasons, giving itself unreservedly to the passion of the goddess. The shape of a landscape is an ancient and silent form of consciousness. Mountains are huge contemplatives. Rivers and streams offer voice, they are the tears of the earth’s joy and despair. . . .
Civilization has tamed place. Ground is leveled to build homes and cities. Left to itself the curvature of the landscape invites presence and the loyalty of stillness. In the distraction of the traveler and the temporary, its ancient thereness goes unnoticed. Humans only know the passing night. Below the surface of landscape the earth lives in the eternal night, the dark and ancient cradle of all origins.
When a landscape is allowed its natural curves and trees, we feel the earth. Her natural beauty radiates. Look carefully. We are drawn in, to deeper layers of ourselves — beyond words, beneath the surface.
Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it. Roald Dahl
I remember and celebrate my wordless connections with the trees that sheltered me throughout my life. Here are two essays from the past that highlight the profound impact of trees in our lives.
This one is a look at trees that have had personal meaning for me in my life:
It may be a wild week, take refuge in all that is real and alive, holding us in earth and sky.
Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Sabrina
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Sabrina Page, MA in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness
You can reach me at sabrinapage@earthlink.net.
I help you focus on the deep knowing of your body, aligned with the earth and all life - embodiment - to support you in living life fully, freely, and fluidly, intertwined with nature.
I offer an embodied approach to movement, the body, and consciousness. We may utilize movement, touch, voice, sound and mind to explore.
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i wish Her much happiness in my presence and stead...as i listen and She spills forth...
Definitely the best advice for the days ahead… all of them. ❤️