Human beings have a deep connection with all life on the planet, even if we're not consciously aware of it. Find out all about that intimate connection, how human beings can cause great harm or give help to all life on the planet, and how we can connect in ways that benefit the planet and life on it.
Do you remember the last time you were outside? How did it feel? Were you annoyed because you didn't like the temperature, or did you feel a deep feeling of kinship with the environment? Our modern lives with interiors that have perfect climate control have made a lot of people feel divorced from the planet itself. We may not feel a connection with other species, with people who are different from us, or with trees and plant life in nature. When we walk upon the earth, we might feel that it is just cold dead dirt that we don't want to have on our bodies. Other people feel that the earth is their home and that human beings are just another part of the ecosystem the same as birds, rocks, and even the very air we breathe itself. Join SpiritualBlossom to explore this intimate connection we have with creation and how you can connect if you haven’t already.
What is Nature?
Merriam-Webster online defines nature as “ The external world in its entirety.” Wikipedia says it is “ The ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life.” They point out that even though human beings are a part of nature, people are described as either at odds, or completely separate and superior to nature. Because many of us buy our food from a store and use electricity for heating and cooling, rather than farming for ourselves or chopping our own wood to stay warm with fire, we are not always consciously aware of how much nature dictates our survival. Read about the earth elements of the zodiac here: What are Earth Signs on the Zodiac?
We go into our houses or apartments, closing the door to nature, and we consider ourselves to live in a world separate from all of that, but we don't. Beneath the ground at the very foundation of our houses, countless insects, rodents, and other creatures burrow in the ground. In the sky above us, countless birds soar. In the woodlands, prairies, and deserts surrounding our houses, countless animals live. As we go about our business as humans, we might ride in an automobile to a store or an office, to work or shop for things that we need, and then go straight home moving from building to building, seemingly never interacting with the outside world. All in the world exists whether we know it or not.
Are Humans Greater Than Nature?
Human beings often consider themselves greater than the rest of creation, because many people’s religion states human beings were created in the image of their god by their god. Others rationalize that humans are superior to all other life in the universe because we talk, build machines, and can use more different tools and technology than any other species known to us. Are we better, though? We are surrounded by other creatures but may embrace solitude. Read about solitude here: Embracing the Joy of Solitary Time
Human beings create more pollution than any other lifeform, require the help of more species to survive, and we eat almost every other living thing. We wage wars that kill more people and other lifeforms than any other species, and we are considered to overpopulate the planet to the point of stripping its natural resources to the breaking point. Some experts estimate that if human beings continue the way we are, by 2050, human civilization is going to crumble. Deforestation of the rainforests, the melting of ice sheets, and lethal heating up of the planet is caused by one species only- humans. Read more about what the experts are saying here: Human Civilization Will Crumble by 2050 If We Don't Stop Climate Change Now, New Paper Claims | Live Science
Are We All One?
Clearly humans are not exactly the same as beings like jellyfish or trees, however, we live on the same planet. It is estimated that about 500 vertebrate species have become extinct in the last 100 years, and human society was said to have caused that. Between overpopulation of the human species taking more resources from other animals, pollution, and so many human beings pushing other species out of their natural habitat, a lot of species just could not cope and ceased to exist. Some would say that human beings have not suffered because of this. However, consider something for a moment. We are dependent upon plants and animals for the food that we eat. Not only do we mine stone, clay, and metals out of the earth to build our homes, but we use trees to build our homes. The more animals and plants that go extinct, the less we will have to eat and build our homes with. Because we are so reliant upon so many other species for so much of our survival, we really are linked with other species. One species many cannot live without is cats. Read about the magic of black cats here: The Magic and Superstitions of Black Cats
Although we are not all members of the same species, while we're living on the same planet, our survival is linked with the survival of other species. Human beings can't even get by without members of other nations and cultures. A lot of people want their country to be self-sufficient, but trade with other nations has been around for countless years. The mound builders of North America somehow made it to South America to get mica which was found in archaeological digs. Ancient Rome traded with people all around the world. Even the early American settlers who came from Europe couldn't get by without spices, fabrics, and furniture from other parts of the world. Human beings are united with other human beings and members of other species because we all need one another to survive and thrive.
How Humans Are Connected
Just how are we connected to nature? Since so many of us today live our lives in climate-controlled buildings and earn money to buy our necessities instead of producing them ourselves, how are we still connected? Human beings affect everything, and everything affects us in multiple ways.
We Affect Everything
To give an idea of how human beings affect the planet and other species, consider what happens when an area is being developed but it has previously been nothing but nature. Beneath the soil live countless species. Moles, ants, different species of bees that live underground, for example. Rabbits will eat the foliage that grows, birds may hunt small animals that live amidst the grass, and many small and large creatures including deer will cool themselves on hot days in the tall grass, sheltering from the scorching rays of the sun. If there is fresh water, different animals will come and drink water, refreshing themselves, and numerous kinds of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans will live in the water. Birds, raccoons, frogs, and various insects will flock to any trees on the land, making their homes there. Read about the spiritual meaning of birds here: The Spiritual Symbolism of Birds
When human beings take a piece of this land and clear it to farm or build homes, every last animal that lives there will be displaced. When humans walk through a metro park area, even if they stay on the paths, if they litter, dropping plastic garbage on the trail, animals can crawl in and suffocate or injure themselves. Humans aren't all destructive though, injured birds can be rescued and nursed back to health at wildlife centers before they are released into the wild again, where they can live happy lives once more. Countless people leave out birdseed for birds in the winter time when food is scarce, and feral cats born in the wild are rescued by many humans, where they live long happy lives and the safety of human homes.
Everything Affects Us
We're not the only ones that affect things. Everything affects us. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the earth. It was the 4th most powerful Atlantic hurricane to hit the contiguous United States. It cost $125 billion in damage all around the Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Cuba, some northeastern United States areas, and parts of eastern Canada. It killed over 1800 people, and destroyed countless homes. 80% of the city of New Orleans was underwater and millions of people were displaced. There was nothing that anybody could do to prevent this serious devastation. Human beings are just as affected by the earth as the earth and all life upon it is affected by human beings. Read about the Zodiac elements of water here: What are Water Signs?
It is true that we can leave a place that is devastated by horrible weather conditions, but we cannot leave the planet. Pollution of the soil can ruin farming, taking away a crucial food source for your family. Droughts well keep rain from watering the fields, and starvation can happen. Forest fires can destroy homes for humans and animals alike, and extreme cold can shut down power and jeopardize lives. We affect the earth very powerfully, but the earth is more powerful than human beings. Without the earth and the environment, we would have no air to breathe, no water to drink, no food to eat, and no planet to live on. When things go wrong with our ecosystem we can suffer or die. Read about an ancient holiday that memorializes the dead, Samhain:All About Samhain
How to Connect with Nature
Although we already have an undeniable connection with nature, becoming consciously aware of that through deliberately connecting can strengthen your feeling of kinship with the planet and all life on it. There are three very simple ways that you can do that. First, you can pledge to live a life where you harmonize with nature, and secondly you can do your best to take care of nature instead of harming it. One way to get that entire mindset started is to do a meditation so that you may become more aware.
Harmonize with Nature
Harmonizing with nature means that you live as a part of nature as opposed to living in opposition with it. That doesn't mean that you should dig a hole in the ground instead of living in a house or that you should walk everywhere you go instead of using modern transportation. It just means that you can reduce the amount of harm that you create with your lifestyle. Instead of using disposable plastics, buy only things with reusable packaging. Use as little electricity as possible and use things like LED light bulbs to reduce the amount of pollution that you create. Instead of driving separately to an event, carpool with your friends and family. Instead of flying out of the country for every vacation, do things locally every so often to reduce the amount of fossil fuels burned on airplanes. Even if you just do small things you can make a big difference to harmonize.
Take Care of Nature
Taking care of nature can be just as simple as harmonizing with nature. Add a water feature in your garden so that animals can have fresh clean water to drink. Make sure that any broken glass that you throw away is wrapped securely so that an animal will not cut itself on it if it's digging through trash. Use non-toxic and sustainable paints and building materials as much as possible. Instead of throwing away things that you no longer want, donate them to thrift stores or give them away to people who can use them, thus reducing how much goes into the landfills. Pledge to do one thing for the earth like doing a trash cleanup in your local natural areas or giving up a toxic substance like spray paint. Small things can make a big difference when you pledge to take care of the earth.
Nature Meditation
A simple meditation to help you see how all life is connected will begin in nature. Sit comfortably on the ground in a natural area, even your own garden. Close your eyes and feel your body supported by the earth and breathe in the smell of the fresh air, inhaling deeply. Visualize the trees absorbing carbon dioxide and pumping out oxygen, making you aware of how the planet makes you breathe. Visualize a tiny seed in the ground. Visualize rain permeating the soil, soaking the seed so that it sprouts and then grows into a large plant. Visualize yourself eating food that comes from this plant and how it creates the very body you have. Visualize rain flowing into the fresh bodies of water. Then visualize yourself drinking that water. The air, the food we eat, and the water we drink all come from the earth. These things build the very bodies that we have and create the very life that we have. Never forget this undeniable connection that you have with everything on earth.
Everything in creation is interconnected. Whatever happens to the planet happens to all of us. Each of us has great power to create changes and with that power comes great responsibility. Our connection with nature is already there. We just have to be aware of us. Harmonizing and caring for nature is the perfect way to experience that intimate connection, but a deep meditation, focusing on the reality of that connection is the way to start. We can help creation, or we can harm it. May we always help, never harm, and always be graciously aware of the powerful connection we have with everything in nature.
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About the Author: Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own Magical Path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for Mysticsense and SpiritualBlossom, and she writes for The Green Egg Magazine and PaganPages.Org emag.
