Walking in Gratitude, Becoming Worthy
"It was through her actions of reciprocity, the give and take with the land, that the original immigrant became indigenous. For all of us, becoming indigenous to a place means living as if your children's future mattered, to take care of the land as if our lives, both material and spiritual, depended on it."
~ Robin Wall Kimmerer
As I walk the Sanctuary in gratitude during this time of year, I give even more emphasis towards the Ancestors of this Land. There were several Indigenous groups who depended on this area. Though at the time of the colonizers, the Susquehannocks lived here. The largest amount of their artifacts were found a couple miles from the Sanctuary. When I first moved here, I could barely sense them. The more I work with the Land and the Nature Spirits, the stronger I feel their presence. Today as I give my prayers of gratitude to them, I receive the message that one of the best ways in which we can honor the Ancestors of this Land and make amends for the horrors is to be good Stewards to the Land. To become worthy of the gift of living here.
As I continued to walk in prayer, I could see a bigger picture. I saw how our Ancestors came to this special place looking for Sanctuary, looking for Home, for a better life. Even the Indigenous and those who came much later (like my own Ancestors) were seeking refuge. They came to this beautiful place we now call the United States of America and the Land received them. The Plants and the Animals, the Waters and the Stones, the Soil and the Mushrooms they all offered themselves so that these humans could thrive. Along the way, many forgot about reciprocity, we forgot about community, and we forgot how to live in co-creative partnership. We saw the amazing abundance that was here and became ravenous beasts grabbing every thing (even forgetting that they are living Beings) in sight and clearing vast areas (such as whole mountain tops) to find those that are not in plain sight.
Our desire for more no matter the consequences has lead us to our current situation where the water, air, and soil are poisoned. Where a large amount of our population (our community) does not have what they need to thrive, yet alone survive (be that food, home, or health). The astounding abundance is greatly dwindling. The climate is changing and as a result we face more natural disasters - fires, floods, drought.
In October, I was fortunate to attend the Bioneers’ conference. There were a number of speakers including Bill McKibben, Paul Hawkin, and Heather McTeer Toney who were focused on Climate Change. It became very clear to me that the doom and gloom stage is done. Most people recognize that things are (drastically) changing and we need to take action. How, is the biggest question. The answers to this are often driven by fear and emphasizing what we need to stop doing - stop using fossil fuels, stop buying plastic, stop using straws … which can leave one feeling depressed and overwhelmed.
I, however, am not fearful because I listen to the Plants. After all, they are great adaptors and have experienced many Earth changes. The more I listen, the more I realize that this is a great opportunity! Just like illness, dis-ease, and pain are great opportunities. They are our body telling us that something is wrong and asking us to address the issue. This time, the Earth is telling us we need to wake up, remember our role as co-creative partners, and listen. We cannot thrive without the help of Nature, fortunately, Nature wants to help. From my experience of working with Nature, life becomes more beautiful, meaningful, and magical. And when we become co-creative partners, we create something beyond what we alone could have imagined.
As I continue to offer my prayers and gratitude to the Beings and Ancestors of this Sanctuary, I offer another prayer that we become good stewards of this Land that welcomed our Ancestors. May we become a co-creative partner, remembering the Sacred Law of Reciprocity. May we be worthy of this gift.
“The Earth has intelligence and if we can align with her intelligence, we will be directed to become part of the Earth healing herself.”
~ Jolie Elan