I’ve been known to regularly hug trees, talk to flowers, and take 30 minutes to make my 15 minute walk to work in the morning because I’m snapping photos, touching leaves + blooms + snails + just standing in the sunshine or rain or snow to soak it up. There is just something about the medicine of the earth that brings me back to who I am, whispers deep truth to me, and gives me a sense of oneness with the cosmos. And while that sounds all abstract + untouchable, it is the magic of the earth that actually grounds me into the reality of everyday life.
It’s no secret that I believe in living with the seasons. And it is how I have been very consciously working to live my life for the past 2 two years. As the seasons change, not only to I appreciate them, but I find mystery, magic, and truth in each season. To be frank, I think that the story of the seasons is a direct reflection of the story of our lives. The cyclical phases that we encounter each year as we revolve around the sun are exactly the phases that we travel through throughout our life. And that is exactly how I find a way to ground myself in the middle of everyday, regular life.
But there’s even more rhythm to nature than just the seasons. There is also the rhythm of the moon, moving through her phases each month. And the rhythm of the day from sunset to sunrise to sunset again. It’s easy to observe the cycles of nature. The cycle of birth -life-death-rebirth.
The thing is, we don’t have to just observe these magical cycles that reveal so much. We are physically a part of it. Our lives are also cyclical. The aging process moves us through the same cycles as the seasons. We live our days in tune with the sun + moon. Women experience a monthly release + grow + shed cycle. Spiritually, we also grow + transform through experiences as we are called, go out, and return. Raising our awareness + our consciousness with each cycle of growth. No, we are not simply observes of nature. We are one with her. And we are on the earth to manifest + become just as the forests, flowers, birds, seas, and sun + moon.
But, what’s the point of it all? Is it just to acknowledge what is occurring? To see it + feel it + appreciate the phases of growth + change? To be aware that it is happening? To accept that this is life? Is that all? I mean, technically, that is enough. Because that’s pretty damn amazing. And many of us experience life in this way. Observing, accepting, living, passing through the cycles again + again, seeing the beauty + the pain of it all.
Today’s Midsummer Rituals card reminds me that it’s not just about watching the seasons as they change, but about sinking into the truth of the medicine of the earth: that the earth + all of her ancient ancestors have much to give to us, much to teach us, and are here to support us. The mysteries + magic of the earth help to make the abstract real + concrete. From the peace of a breeze flowing through the leaves in our backyard to the lapping of the waves on the shore to the cool, dark earth beneath our bare feet to the cacophony of songs of birds + the vibrant colors of flowers.
I find something much deeper in the medicine of the earth. I feel that there is something much more possible, if we let ourselves drop into it. A way to bring much deeper meaning and a sense of sacredness to our everyday lives. To live in rhythm with nature, in tune with the seasons, is to know that we are part of something much greater, to know that we are not alone, to know that we have a purpose, and to know that, even if we don’t understand it all (life, that is), somehow we are each a bridge between the cosmos + the earth. We are vessels to be used… with our feet firmly rooted in the earth, in complete physical unity + harmony with her. And our intuition + spirit filled with the mystery + magic up in the heavens. All of which meet in our heart, in our soul. Pulling up the mystery of the earth + pulling down the consciousness of the heavens. Divine + human. Spiritual beings having a physical experience.
We are the meeting place of the grounded mysteries of the earth + the cosmic consciousness of the heavens. Here to embody all of the secrets + magic + possibilities right in the middle of our own lives. Just as the birds of the air + the trees of the forest + the fishes of the sea, we are meant to simply be who we are. Co-creators of peace, justice, harmony, beauty, love, and meaning- For the sake of the world.
We are here to let our lives be used in our own unique ways. To share our own unique message from our soul. To live from our own truth. To embrace who we are + embody our soul. The thing is, we don’t always know how. Or we feel alone in it all. So we look for support.
Which leads me right back to the earth. The medicine of the earth is the hope we need, I believe. All we need to do is look to her to remember what it’s all about. The cycles. The growth, The change. The storms. The beauty. And the calling to simply be who we are. To not try to har. To live slowly. To let the processes come. To trust the unfolding. To bloom when we are ready. To let go when it is time to release + move on. To accept the paradox of life + death + dark + light. To understand the balance in it all. To know that there is a bigger picture, a greater purpose, a deeper energy. To live wild + free. To find the sacred in every single day. And to feel that our lives are purposeful.
That is the medicine of the earth that my soul seeks.
xoxo. liz.
