These are challenging times. No one would argue this point. We could focus on the insanity, violence, destruction and cruelty and drain ourselves completely or we can take a higher road and see this moment in time as a turning point, as a large opportunity to take the reins and change things on many levels. There are many things we can do.
Ask yourself what you can do in your corner of the world to improve life, to honor all people and all living things. Know that your actions will set an example and ripple out into the world.
Pick one thing that feels wrong to you; something that affects you deeply. Ruminate on ways you can affect change in policy, in laws, by speaking your heart and by the actions you choose. All of these things matter. All of these things can and will change the negative that exists into something much more positive. Refuse to settle for how things are. Decide to take some form of action.
We can choose to honor all people and all living things. We can choose to honor the Earth and take care of her 365 days a year. There is a very real reason why the Earth is behaving the way it has been. It is her response to being abused for far too long. People, the earth, the quality of our water and air are more important than money and the proverbial “bottom line.” We are now seeing, on a grand scale, the ugly truth of what happens when people are unconscious and money is put first.
Mother Earth has a strong voice and she is speaking through her actions. Now that she has more people’s attention, more people will realize that we need to listen to her. It is time to return to nature, on a regular basis. If you sit by a stream, you will see how much wisdom and peace it shares with us. Many things in nature contain wisdom. These are ancient teachings that will help heal the Earth and everything living on it.
For almost 25 years I visited a very special waterfall which felt sacred to me. One day I noticed how many different things it did and decided to write them down. I was amazed to discover that I identified 38 specific movements. For instance, water flows, sparkles, swirls, cascades, sprays, jumps, froths, ripples, eddies, pools, falls and splashes. Water also freezes, evaporates, rises as steam, floods and boils. (There is a boiling river in Peru.)
If we connect with nature deeply, we will feel part of it; not separate from it. If we bring nature into our hearts and souls, we will naturally become guardians of the earth. Honoring all people and all of nature is what will lead us down a different path. If you want to make a long-lasting difference, share these teachings with children.
I stand ready to teach these things for they already exist within me. Bringing the Sacred into Everyday Life, Living with More Balance and Honoring the Elements are some of the workshops I plan to offer.
How does one begin? Change always begins with awareness. Pay attention to everything, especially nature. This is easy to do in Vermont because nature is all around us. We are very fortunate.
There is one more thing we can do. We can raise the bar for humanity and become the highest possible version of ourselves, for our grandchildren and for the Earth.