I don’t have the perfect explanation for it–perhaps not one at all, but I am convinced from personal experiences that we can make connections with places on the Earth that begin to feel like relationships. Somehow, the energy that we are and the energy of the Earth located in one spot become acquainted with one another. “Acquainted” is rooted in the Latin word that means “to become well-known.” I am suggesting that certain spots on the Earth and we can become very well-known to one another.
Certainly a favorite beach or mountain resort can become one of these spots, but so can a backyard, a spot under a particularly old tree, a location in a favorite park. The spot could be a bird bath and a small gardenia bush that have both been neglected for years except that we visit it somewhere in “the city” because we first met it as children.
Do you know a spot like this on the Earth? I knew a spot like this in the woods behind the house of my childhood. A subdivision ultimately scraped that spot away, so that it no longer exists as I knew it. As a child, I found this giant pine tree which stood over a flat rock. I would sit on the rock with my back against the tree and look out over a small stream. That place in the woods became my friend. I have no other language for it.. That spot taught me to look for others, and over my life I have found them.
Why does any of this matter? We are one with The Garden of this Earth whether we know it or not. Many people living in the modern world have never had this kind of connection with the Earth. The disconnection that results does real harm to who we each are. In the loss of our true selves by disconnection from the earth, we find other things, often addictions or at least distractions, to fill the ensuing emptiness.
It’s not too late to find such a spot. Today, where and when can you go outside and just look around? Where, this next weekend, can you go for a longer walk in a park or the woods? This relationship we have with the living Garden of the Earth is vital. We need Her, and She needs us.
Bob Patrick
I am not a big outdoors person, and am called more to water than woods. Yet, there are some places where the Earth clearly wants to communicate with us and make Herself known. Over the years we have had the opportunity to visit several volcanoes and geothermal areas. At Kīlauea, it would have been impossible for me to deny the presence of Pele. At other locations, it felt like I was witnessing Gaia actively involved in the ongoing process of creation. My intellectual side can try to deny the magic of these places, but my soul cannot.
” My intellectual side can try to deny the magic of these places, but my soul cannot.”
Beautifully stated, June. Thank you for sharing your experiences.