Part of the Journeys Into the Mirror Series
We begin with the five elements of nature—water, wind, earth, fire and the void. These are the simple building blocks of creation. When all else fails, we return again to the simple basics. When we can find no entry point into the experience life places on our doorstep, these five elements give us at least five entry points.
The earth is our home, but how frequently are we aware of the earth beneath our feet? Since we go to the store or restaurant rather than tilling the earth with our own hands to produce our food, we forget and disconnect.
I grew up on a farm and so grew up with the earth as well as on the earth. I remember the smell of the freshly plowed fields as well as the steam rising in the morning after a rain. I remember how the soil caked on the potatoes and how hard it held the roots of the weeds I was hoeing. I remember my father letting the soil fall through his fingers as he “listened” to what was needed for the crops to grow strong.
But I did not really feel the earth to be my home until I spent one night in a nest of branches under a big old pine tree. I was participating in a weeklong adventure and one night we were sent out into the fields and forest to make our own shelter and spend the night. We only took with us the clothes we wore and a knife in our pocket. Many stories could be written about that night but what matters most is that I was cradled by the earth and I felt utterly at home. I heard the earth speak to me as mother, as lover and as an eternally wise grandmother. There was no separation between her and me.
Earth- A Mirror for Self-Reflection
What follows is an invitation to look into the mirror of self-reflection using the element of Earth.
I have described woman as a reflection of this element. Experience yourself within the element by engaging in simple interactions or meditations.
And then you are given space to journal, to express, to reflect on your experience with this element. You are invited to journey into the mirror as a process of self-discovery.
This stands alone. It can take you into a simple experience of your “self” at a deeper level of being you. And it can be accomplished in a fifteen-minute break in your busy day of doing your everyday life. It is an opportunity to hear the call to “Look!” You are invited to feel and know your “self” as a part of the Everything.
Women are like Earth
Mysterious in form
Complex in structure
Birthing new life
Changing, cycling and recycling
Returning to balance again and again
Yet never, ever the same
Go outside and lie down on your belly.
Turn your head so that your left ear is on the ground.
Take three deep breaths—let your belly push into the earth as you inhale and pull into yourself as you exhale.
Relax and drop your awareness down into the earth.
Feel the earth.
Probe the depths of the earth.
Sense how your belly resonates with the belly of the earth.
Still your mind and simply feel this connection.
You might even “hear” the earth speak to you.
Listen to the earth beneath and hear the earth within you.
You may wish to journal:
I am Earth. I am…….
Excerpted from “Journey’s into the Mirror” written by Janneke Koole
#DTMMS #DeerTribe #Heal #Change #Grow #SharingKnowledgeThatWorks
