Waking Up To Our Belonging

It is important to remember that we are a part of the web of life, and that we belong here as a part of the living and breathing earth. The false story of humanity as separate breeds imbalance and disruption. An inner awareness of our belonging to the web of life is needed in order for sustainable and lasting outer changes to be made to the way we live as a species.

What nurtures your sense of belonging to the web of life?

For me, my belonging is nurtured by noticing the daily changes that take place in my neighborhood. On my daily walks, I make it a point to visit certain trees and plants. During each visit, I notice how they have changed since the day before--a new bloom or berry, a fresh leaf unfurling that I hadn't previously noticed. The plants are always changing and creating. I pay attention to who may have made a home among the leaves and branches, and how these animals and insects are responding to the weather, the season, the time of day.
As I observe these natural cycles and shifts in the world around me, I begin to realize my own cyclical nature-- recognizing that I am also changing and creating in response to the seasons, cycles and times of day. I feel my sameness and remember that I belong here. Our suffering is rooted in our forgetting.

Now is the time to remember your own belonging, to wake up to your right place in the order of things. You are a part of the web of life.