Namaste
Yesterday
was a beautiful day here in NYC. Breezy, not too humid, and the
temperature was in the lower 80's. A perfect summer day. My never ending
to do list stared accusingly at me, as if to say "hey, where to you
think you're going? There's tons of things to be done!" Not today! There
was no way I was going to stay indoors working when the weather was so
wonderful outside. No matter how much work I had to do!
I
have been feeling very disconnected from nature, from the earth itself.
I've encapsulated myself in this cage of concrete and steel that I live
and work in, completely disregarding the needs of my body. It isn't just my soul that craves the contact with earth, my body does so as well. To quote my mentor Laura Emily:
"Earth:
More and more science is beginning to validate that without physical
connection between our skin and earth (as well as sunlight), we suffer.
Illness, anxiety, depression, lack of focus, struggles with sleeping,
and a general feeling of emptiness is amplified when we do not connect
physically with the earth. The body requires negative ions to ‘chill
out’ so to speak- these negative ions are plentiful at the coast line,
on the tips of evergreens in forests, and waterfalls. We don’t associate
these areas with a sense of peace for nothing!
Peace happens at a
cellular level- are we enabling this? Or have we detached ourselves
into a plastic shelter from morning to night, completely forgetting the
flesh and bones we are made of."
How
many of us suffer from one or some or all of the symptoms above? To
counteract it, we usually resort to pills. Are you depressed, struggle
with anxiety? No problem, here, have a Prozac, everything will be just
fine if you take one happy pill everyday. Can't sleep? Take an Ambien,
you'll sleep like a baby. Not focusing? Here we go, Ritalin will solve
all your problems. The list goes on. While I'm not proposing that people
should stop whatever treatments they are under, I am saying that
perhaps we should try and commit to spending some time in nature, in
direct contact with the earth on a daily basis. That's what holistic
living is all about. Mind, body, and soul.
Yesterday proved
to me how much I needed to feel the cool, moist earth under my feet, to
just lay quietly under a tree and listen to the sounds of birds, the
wind, water, insects. How desperately my body as well as my soul
was asking for that. I have been so unfocused lately, so stressed out,
so very on the edge, that I have not been able to succeed in meditating
properly, let alone having a completely fulfilling shamanic journey for
quite awhile. Try as I might, I couldn't quiet the incessant chatter
inside my mind, and was always left with a deep frustration at not being
able to relax that would dictate the rest of my day.
At
Central Park, after a couple of hours of just laying under a tree and
feeling the earth beneath my body and in direct contact with my skin, I
started to feel not only a profound sense of peace, but also radiant
happiness. I felt vibrant, energized. I felt alive! I was just plain
giggly!
Right there, surrounded by the sounds of
children playing all around me and a baseball game happening just a few
feet from where I was, I felt connected to the spirit of the tree I was
laying under, and the tree whispered softly into my heart "this is the
perfect time to meet Eagle". All month I've been trying to meet her, but
to no avail. I had my iPod with me, I start playing my favorite
shamanic drumming track and off I went, to the Lower World, to meet with
Eagle and get the message I know she had been trying to give me for
weeks. But I was unable to connect with her, despite the quiet of my
"steel cage", all the preparations, all the smudging, all my crystals,
and oils, and incense. The perfect "this" and the precise "that". No,
that is not what I needed. The missing component was the most important
of all; Mother Nature. Amidst the noisy kids and ball players, I was
able to reach the Lower World in just a few seconds! This was quite
possibly the most powerful journey I've ever had in all my years of
journeying. The message was loud and clear. Both from my spirit guides
during the journey and from my body, showing me that what I really
really needed was to connect with Earth. Be one with Nature. Allow Gaia
to embrace me completely.
I
felt renewed, inspired, rejuvenated, with a happiness and sheer joy
that I haven't felt in a very long time, and the absolute certainty that
I am on the right track. My mission in life became crystal clear. I was
completely imbued with a sense of purpose. I was at peace, spiritually,
psychologically and at a cellular level. I'm sure that being properly
hydrated contributed immensely to this experience :) I am on day 4 of
the water challenge after all.
As I was leaving the park, I
came across this little fella. He was hiding at first, but then he
walked right up to me, stared me straight in the eye for a few seconds,
turned around and walked away. Duck medicine. Yes, I got the message, believe me, I did!
For
those of you lucky enough to live close to nature, don't take it for
granted, that is more precious than you realize. And for the rest of
us, city dwellers, whose only opportunity to feel close to the Earth
are in city parks, well, let's make a real effort to make that
connection a part of our daily lifes! After how I felt yesterday, I
don't want to miss a single opportunity to do it again. Go outside and
play!
Love and bright blessings,
Jade
