By Brandon Alter:
This may seem obvious, but no matter where in the world you are, the spirits of the land are trying to connect with you. I’m constantly learning and relearning this lesson.
As a city dweller, it’s so easy to fall into the story that I’m cut off from the natural world, that I have to escape to Joshua Tree or Machu Picchu to feel connected to Mother Earth. But there’s an olive tree in my backyard. There are birds chirping every morning when I wake up. And even if I were on a space station or stuck in a jail cell, wouldn’t I still have my body? Isn’t my breath still a portal to connect with the natural world?
Spoiler alert, yes it is.
Connecting with nature doesn’t have to be a big show. You don’t need 30,000-foot mountains, or ancient ruins, or even a beautiful view. You just need to be quiet and feel the air around you, or touch the ground on which you stand.
Take a few moments today and open yourself up to connecting with this beautiful world more deeply than you have before. It can be with the flowers in your kitchen; it can be listening to the crow sitting on the telephone wire; it can be just putting your bare feet in the dirt and wiggling your toes around.
Often enough, my most profound connections to PachaMama are the humblest and the simplest.
Wherever you are, nature is calling. Let me know what you find!