Mother-Earth-Driven Politics

Mother Earth Practices for Summer, #2

Friends,

Well, we are in it, aren’t we? A friend sent me a song the other day, and I really loved it. It’s called To Be Human by Marina and here are some of the lyrics and video below if you’d like to watch it (it’s relating to violence/war so be prepared for that if you watch):

There were riots in America
Just when things were getting better
All the things I've done and seen
Still I don't know what life means

All the people living in, living in the world today
We're united by our love, we're united by our pain
All the things that I've done and I've seen
Still, I don't know, don't know what it means

All the people living in, living in the world today
We're united by our love, we're united by our pain
All the things that I've done and I've seen
Still, I don't know, don't know what it means
To be human
Still, I don't know, don't know what it means
To be human, a real human being

But even as we remember how difficult, beautiful, horrible, incredible it is to be human, let’s ground ourselves back here, back to these Mother Earth practices for the summer.

As a recap, how are we defining a practice?

Here’s what I mean by practices:

a mindset characterized by the various ways we embody relationship with Segmekwe, remembering our connection to her, recognizing how our bodies, minds and spirits connect in various ways to the lands and waters around us

And in the last post, I outlined these 5 Mother Earth Practices:

1. Practicing holistic connection

2. Letting your relationship with Mother Earth drive your politics, social dynamics & beliefs, and not the other way around

3. Grounding yourself in practices of sustainability

4. Embracing childlikeness

5. Infusing spirituality into your daily life in respectful ways through Indigenous wisdom and earth-based care

Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash

Photo by Gabriel Jimenez on Unsplash

So today, we’re at #2, letting our relationship with Mother Earth drive our politics, social lives and beliefs instead of the other way around.

I’m actually finding this to be incredibly timely, given what’s happening around the world today. I spend a lot of time sort of looking around me, quietly watching and examining people, their beliefs, their ideals, their goals, the ways they express themselves through their religions and the things they believe about others. I guess it’s why I took all those social work and psychology classes, the human mind, the human heart, the soul, it’s all deeply fascinating, isn’t it?

And the thing is, as much as we want to believe that our politics and social leanings dictate our relationship with Mother Earth, it’s actually the other way around.

I mean, think about it. Think about the way colonization has worked throughout the centuries, separating peoples from the land, desecrating Mother Earth, destroying waters, trees, and the peoples who care for them.

It’s important to separate our souls and bodies from Mother Earth for colonialism and authoritarianism to thrive.

So, how do we remain connected? We have to remember that our relationship to the earth is the thing that drives us in life.

So when we are disconnected, severed, hurting, we play that out in relationships, politics, social circles, all of it.

And when we begin to heal, when we practice care, comfort, connection with Segmekwe, we begin to live differently. It shows up in every aspect of our lives.

So, whether we want to admit it or not, our connection to the living beings around us, to Earth, our Mother, absolutely matters in the world we find ourselves navigating today.

Photo by Nikola Jovanovic on Unsplash

How are you voting this November (if you live in the US), or how are you active in local politics?

Who do you spend your time with?

What are your shopping and eating habits?

What books are you reading to educate yourself?

How are you unlearning things that no longer serve you?

What do you believe about God, The Sacred, The Divine in and around you?

Whose human rights are you fighting for?

What does it mean for you, specifically you, to use your dreams and gifts to create a better world?

Photo by Ryan Kwok on Unsplash

Photo by Tamara Gore on Unsplash

Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash

All of these questions can be answered if you follow the trail back, back, way back to yourself, to your connection with the earth.

Let’s look at climate change, for example. This is a political, social, religious, scientific issue that is also deeply divisive.

What if what we believed about climate change was driven by our tender and deep relationship with Mother Earth? What if the decisions we made were made because we love her and want what’s best for her?

Do you feel how that’s different than starting from our political stances, our religious beliefs, and saying, “Well, this is an issue that’s important, so let’s find a solution” without acknowledging relationship?

There is no solution to war, hate, genocide, climate collapse, democracy collapse, without relationship to Mother Earth.

So, we are going to start here, with our practices, with our minds and bodies.

Some journaling prompts to sit with as we examine things like our politics, social involvements, and beliefs:

1. Draw 2 circles on a piece of paper. One is to explore a life connected to Mother Earth—What is it like? What words describe it? The other circle is a life disconnected from the earth. What does that feel like, look like? When you look at those two circles, which one would you choose and why?

2. Listen to that song I shared, To Be Human, and close your eyes as you listen. When the song is over, and you’ve witnessed the world as it is, write for 10 minutes on the world as you’d like it to be. Really lean into your dreams here, expansive, universal dreams of a better world, let your imagination run wild, totally connected to Mother Earth as you do so.

3. If you’re able, go outside and lay down on the ground or sit near a window and focus on something in nature—a plant, the horizon, a nearby tree, an animal—and let your heart truly connect for at least 5 minutes, and then journal about your experience. How could this practice change you if you dedicated yourself to it?

4. What are your hopes for Mother Earth, for the peoples of the world who care for her and continue to point us toward home and love? How can you support Indigenous peoples globally through your heart, your wallet, your time?

I can’t wait to hear what you learn from these practices! Until next time.

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If you’re near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I’ll be at Nooks bookstore this Saturday for a reading of Living Resistance and Summer’s Magic! This is a special after-hours event, and I can’t wait. More info can be found on their website.

You can grab a ticket here!

This week I’m meeting with paid subscribers for a writing session. If you’d like to become a paid subscriber, you’ll get a chance to join us for future writing sessions, and in becoming a paid subscriber you’re helping me put my words into the world, which, as many of us creators have realized, is increasingly there to simply consume our words without paying us on social media and in other spaces. Thank you for showing up for me here, always.