WE ARE NATURE

If you look up the word nature in a dictionary, you’ll see that one definition is ‘all the plants, animals, and physical features on the Earth, as well as its forces and processes.’ You’ll also see that this definition doesn’t just omit humans, it specifically states that we’re not part of nature. That we’re separate from it. Is it any wonder, then, that so many of us feel so disconnected? And that humanity has caused so much harm to this planet rather than seeing ourselves as an extension of it?

I believe that this is the real separation that so many of us feel, from the Earth itself and thus from ourselves and each other. I believe that humanity’s separation from the Earth as our Mother – from Her seasons, cyclic ways, and ever‑changing state – has caused so many of the problems that we face on this planet today. And that when we see the divine as a man in the sky rather than woven into the Earth, this separation becomes even more evident.

I believe that now more than ever we need to see the sacred in all things. To notice the breathtaking beauty that’s all around us. To see the sacred in the trees, the flowers, the plants, and the stones as well as within ourselves and each other. To weave the soul back into our everyday lives.

If we track it back far enough, we’ll all find Earth‑based indigenous traditions in our ancestry. Wise ones who tended the land and showed reverence for the sacred woven through it all. And despite the tragic harm caused by colonialism and patriarchy, there are still indigenous wisdom keepers (living and past) who hold this thread and sing us on. May we protect, support, and revere them. May we listen deeply to their song.

The plants, trees, flowers, and stones also carry on this lost wisdom. Through working with the plants, such as the rose, we can return to the Earth and reach back to our ancestors – the ones who didn’t forget. And when we do, there’s a possibility we’ll discover that they too are singing us on.

For a majority of us, the ties with the ancient Earth traditions of our ancestors have been severed by colonialism and the invasions of the Church. Worship of the Earth as a living Goddess and Great Mother became forbidden, and in many cases, forgotten.

Reverence for the sacredness of the feminine and the Earth became dormant due to persecution and silencing. In many parts of the world, healers, shamans, medicine people, midwives, and those who worked with the plants to heal were persecuted and their wisdom work forbidden. Tragically, some lineages have been lost, but in the plants, they echo on.

Still, after all this time and all the harm done, nature cradles, heals, and calls us to return to Her. The trees, the stones, the plants, the flowers… now more than ever, nature is calling for us to remember Her and weave the sacred back into our everyday lives. I believe that She’s showing us how to be human and thrive on planet Earth every moment of every day.

The rose is one of many plants that are singing us to return to ourselves, each other, and the Earth before it’s too late – for us, not for Her. May we hear, embrace, and heed Her call.