Welcome to the Wild Graces Sacred Earth, Sacred Self Blog . Here we will explore how humanity has come to such a dangerous disconnect with Earth’s other-than-human beings…winds, land forms, plants, waters, animals. We will feel-into artistic experiences, meditations and earth practices that can bring us into direct relationship with the living earth. Thereby, we help to heal ourselves and bring healing forces into the world.
Blog #1 How Did We get Into This Deadly Mess?
Where did humanity’s deadly disconnect with Earth as a sentient living being begin? When did we choose the paradigm of dominance-over rather than united-with?
Let’s begin by looking at research about ancient as well as current hunter-gatherer societies, people who continue to live in intimate relationship with land, waters, animals and plants. In this way we can discover essential worldviews and qualities of being these people generally share, across the globe and through time. We will compare these worldviews, and the ways of being human that they engender, with current Western values.
Paradise as Abundance and Generosity
The origin stories of ancient cultures often sing of the abundance and generosity of Earth, the sacredness of all her plant and animal creatures. They speak of Gift as a guiding principle. Listen, on this thread’s video, to the story of Star Woman, the origin story of the Potawatomi people. Listen for the underlying principles of generosity and gift.
We learn here that at the beginning of this world compassion, generosity, service and care were foundational principles of life, as we see in the animal’s response to Star Woman. In Star Woman we see the same generosity and care; she has carried seeds from the other world and in gratitude for the animals’ beneficence, she shares these seeds from the Tree of Life with the new land. Life proliferates.
But how does this ancient story apply in the 21st century? Current research shows us that stories are psycho-active; stories help inform and shape the individual and collective psyche. This in turn drives individual as well as collective behavior. This story and other similar origin stories create generous social structures: a sense of abundance and gift. Pair this with deep knowledge of, relationship with and responsibility for the land and her beings ~ all these qualities of being, accompanied by the felt-sense of the Sacred, are foundational in earth-based cultures.
Let’s pause, now, and ask ourself “How does abundance and generosity arrive in my life? Do I recognize it, bow to its grace, and give gratitude that it arrives free like birdsong?” Let’s wake each morning with this intention: to notice the grace of generosity in all the small ways it arrives. I look forward to being with you again soon, to continue our exploration of Sacred Earth, Sacred Self together!