16 days! How cool!

Thanks to the woman who suggested at her blog that we all post for 37 days.


Back when I started this blog, I was pretty insistent that we all spend time outside. (It was summer at the time.) Now, in the DC area, we are in deep Spring. And it's vivid outside: green of many shades, cardinals passing through, robins by the metric ton, dandelions everywhere.

We forget that we're mammals. We evolved to be in the natural world. A lot of us go from car, to work, to car, to home, and barely feel the outdoor temperature. It is really important for our health -- physical, emotional, spiritual -- to spend time outdoors. Even those of us who are pressed for time can stand at the door of the car and breathe for a few minutes. Better still is a walk through a natural setting. Bloomingwriter (bloomingwriter.blogspot.com) has a post dated 16 April 2009. about Pine Grove in Nova Scotia which if anything else should convince you. Our oldest cathedrals are outdoors: think of Yosemite in the United States, a holy place if there was ever one. The Great Plains speak to our savannah heritage. My all-time favorite, still, even after Yosemite, is Rocky Mountain National Park, a few hours north of Denver.

Yes, this post is all over the place. But everywhere we travel, whether the Chesapeake Watershed or Northern California, there is holy space for us mammals to experience.

Go outdoors and breathe. Please. You'll be much better for it.

Upcoming Topics

Yes, well, I've been down for the count. The count having finished, I'm back up. I've restarted my thinking on two topics: tattoos, and the "minor" chakras in the fingers. I'll be posting soon about both.

Remember, too, that the season has changed, both astrologically and visibly. Look around you and see where you are. Remember your grounding, and put your roots down (even those of you who travel a lot can do this; as humans, our roots come with us) where you are. Feel the earth as it turns and whirls in its dance through space.

CONNECT TO THE EARTH

It’s critical at this time in our history as human beings for us to feel the Earth, to connect to the Earth. Regardless of what is going on in your life right now, five minutes outside breathing the air (I hesitate to say “fresh”, since many of us live in cities or in areas where the air is polluted) will help you be connected with the Earth.

Try this: go outside, wherever you are. Even if you are very busy, you can do this. If it has to be from a balcony, a loading dock, or on the sidewalk, so be it; but go outside. If you can be barefoot, that’s ideal. We work with ourselves however we are, though, so socks or shoes are fine if that’s what you can do. Don’t let the details keep you from doing this!

Stand up as straight as you can, putting your feet under your hips. Drop your shoulders, and close your eyes. Take a long, slow deep breath in, then out. Allow your consciousness to feel the air on your skin. Note the quality of the air: warm? Cool? Damp? Dry? Whatever you feel, note it.

Open your eyes. Where’s the sun? If it’s nighttime, is the moon out? Can you see stars? What season is it? What time of day is it – not from your watch, but from what you see? Is there wind? What direction is it coming from?

Just keep breathing. Just keep looking. Note the plants, if there are any; what do you see? Are there animals anywhere near you? Even in the depths of Manhattan, there are birds -- and more than one kind. It doesn’t matter if you can name the birds, the animals, or the plants; just note them.

We all know that our Earth is in trouble. And we need to get beyond the pain of environmental degradation to the daily pleasure that is being a part of the whole. A daily practice, a five minute practice, of simply noting where we are, goes a long way towards healing our relationship with the Earth. It keeps us aware of our connection.

We’re as much physical creatures as we are creatures of mind or creatures of Spirit. We are a unique blend. Connecting to the Earth is an essential part of keeping ourselves whole.



NB: It’s not my practice to post Sundays; but there’s an urgency to this today.