The third element

33.  Week of November 15  Birch 3

The only thing that matters

Is the flame kindled between 

My soul and the world.

My own lived experience

A lifeline unfurled.  

Alone, the world is frozen death

Together, we live anew in each warm breath.

A human life is like a bridge between the spirit world and the material world. In that in-between space, I experience all of my life: colors, movement, light, darkness, joy, sorrow, taste, rhythm, movement, stillness, turmoil, serenity. My relationship with the world matters - and it matters for the world itself.

We encountered this idea back in August, in verse 20. In that verse we explored the idea that it is the world that gives context to our life experiences. In this verse, we meet the idea that our lived experience actually changes material reality.

Do we impose our will on nature? My landlady’s cousins have taken an interest in this house I am renting. They have an inner ideal of a nature that is very “kempt.” They ripped out the lilac because it was “too bushy” (my child and I wept), they have mowed all the plants down to nubs and scraped the ground bare, they come over to pluck stray leaves out of the birdbath. Does the natural world impose its will on humanity? Well it keeps dropping leaves in the birdbath. Random plants are now trying to grow on the bare dirt. My yard has become a battleground where it was once an ecosystem, where I used to put out offerings for the nature spirits, where there were lots of pollinators and birds and critters because there was lots of food and plant cover.

This has been hard for me, because I feel that I have not stood up for the nature spirits of this land. I do not own this land. I really can’t say or do anything if these people just decide to pave over everything. When I come out and sit and offer apologies, what I get is that it matters that I care. My tears for the lilac bush matter. By continuing to build a relationship with the world I am creating something, I am helping something to grow that can then come out in my teaching, in my creative work, in ways that I can’t imagine.

It is true that human activity has been harmful to the earth’s systems. People feel helpless and guilty, and defensive, and frightened. But that’s all one-sided. What if we checked in with the natural world more, expressed gratitude, committed to a creative partnership? It can be something as simple as noticing the trees, giving thanks for a meal. Our relationship is the third element, the vehicle for life and change and transformation.