Celebrating the Living Earth

THOUGHTS ABOUT NATURE, CONNECTION AND HOW TECHNOLOGY FITS IN

As I write, the sun with it’s soft young light sparkles on the incoming waters. The saltwater river before me brings the sea to us here 12 miles up stream from the rocky coastline. What a juxtaposition this image provides between the deep power of the expansive ocean and the tidal mud flats and tree-lined winding shoreline of the river carrying the same salt water of the open ocean up to us here. It’s odd to me, this feeling – to experience the tides and see the seaweed and yet not smell salt air or hear crashing waves on sand or stone. It's a strange place that invites curiosity. Seals, horseshoe crabs, great blue herons, bald eagles, mallards, Canada geese, herring gulls, laughing gulls, loons, crows, snowy egrets,... all maintaining the natural balance of things and contributing so much beauty to this place where the sea extends like fingers reaching up into the forested land.

One of the reasons I write in this descriptive style is to help you stay connected to the land, sea and sky, not only in your immediate surroundings, but also on a larger more global scale. If I am connecting with the trees in my yard I can then appreciate the trees in far off places. These blogs are one way I help keep your soft, receptive humanness nourished and connected to the Earth, an earth that exists beyond modern technology, that offers us a way of being that only exists within these intimate exchanges we have with the natural world.

To tech or not to tech? What a challenging question!

As A.I. infiltrates our lives and modern technology shapes progress with new tools, apps, and must-have gadgets, it becomes even more imperative that we turn our gaze towards the natural beauty around us, to actively choose an in-person, firsthand experience of the natural world. I believe that for us to survive as a species and to support the beings of nature around us, it’s imperative that we hold onto these dynamic and fundamental experiences we have with the natural world – bare feet on the ground and our natural senses engaged.

Modern technology, when incorporated into our lives in a carefully considered and thoughtful manner, offers us amazing tools that can be utilized in incredible ways that serve to connect us, rather than further ingrain us in “separation sickness”*.

I recognize this is a charged topic. There’s a time and a place for technology. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge this for here I am using a computer and the World Wide Web to share this blog post with you. Who hasn’t enjoyed watching a nature program on TV or flown over Hawaii’s volcanos or the Great Barrier Reef on a big IMAX screen and not been inspired and exhilarated by the experience? And, most of us would probably feel a bit lost if we couldn’t “Google” to find answers to our questions.

These experiences made possible with modern technological advances help connect us by showing us things most of us may never have the chance to experience or learn about. They inspire us to conserve, to support and to share nature. And, in the case of eye glasses, prosthetics and wheel chairs, modern technology brings us closer to nature. But, if I’m given the option of wearing a device that will show me the stars, I might think twice, for to me (and I’m fortunate to live somewhere I can do this) I can simply walk outside and look up. There they are! A vast dark expanse sparkling with millions…trillions of stars! I’m able to see the stars with my own personal "technology"… my eyes, brain and heart!

The fact that my eyes, brain and heart are bringing me an embodied experience of the natural world around me is what nourishes me. It’s a firsthand account, one that literally feeds my cells, communicates to my heart and rewires my brain for awe, beauty, grace, reverence, and mystery...all directly received from Nature herself. Pure bliss! And, what's not always acknowledged...I connect with the Spirits of Place, too. It's in these moments that I strengthen a sense of community with the world around me. This is key. It's all about relationship and connection. The famous quote by Senegales poet and environmentalist, Baba Dioum sums it up perfectly:

"In the end we will only conserve what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."

Put another way, when we spend time in a pure and uninfluenced way with Nature, where all artificial barriers to the truth and presence of the moment and the place are removed, we will be taught by the place itself and from this will grow true understanding and a vibrant, powerful reverence and love.

There’s a gentleness to this February light, to this river scene before me. You can feel its warmth on your face and the hope it brings, yet you know the sharp cold will return soon and the clouds will snuff out the light. The birds provide companionship and inspire one to become emboldened to the shifting energies of this time of year. “If they can do it, I can do it”, I say to myself. The snow shovel, boots and warm woolen clothes remain close at hand. Yet, despite the cold, I am filled with joy to feel the lengthening days and I, too, keep this "joie de vivre" close to remind myself that the sun is getting stronger, the Earth will soon become softer, and the promise of Spring’s renewal is on its way.

Upcoming Opportunity to Deepen into Your Earth-Heart Life using Divination!

As you can see I feel passionately about this. Technology can be addicting, tempting us with its shininess, and it can be wonderful and nourishing, too. I love, and am grateful for, how it enhances my life. But, I also recognize how important it is for my health and wellbeing that I keep a deep, visceral connection with the Earth alive within me, free of modern technology, where my experience isn't influenced by outside forces, but is pure and unadulterated.

If you feel the same way, I invite you to share your thoughts with me. And stay tuned, I’m working on ways you can join me in strengthening your connection to Earth this spring. Hint…it combines divination, journaling, and community with some geomantic wisdom thrown in, too.

Thank you for loving the Earth. What an incredibly beautiful planet we live on!

Wishing you all a blessed Imbolc!

I’ll be in touch soon with ways you can deepen your Earth-Heart-inspired life.