SINKING into the EARTH

The earth as a metaphor, a reality really, is a huge thing for us to wrap our head around as we mature and seek to understand life. The earth is laying things at our feet constantly and it is up to us to figure out what to do with those things. Whether we fear them, embrace them, use them wisely, run from them, stomp on them, or whatever we do. And of course, those things may be healthy or unhealthy. They may things we can shape into beneficial things and they may things that will not allow us to do any such thing. This is a larger discussion of our relationship to the earth, for now we will talk about a specific part of our relationship to the earth.

In a perfect world, in accord with our evolution, we start as seeds, we grow and strengthen through adversity. Then we pop our heads out and realize that all of that work might just be able to be leveraged into becoming some version of our selves that can be rewarding. We can bask out in the sun a little, so to speak. We strengthen, but this time it is not a strengthening from climbing from the bottom. We are strengthening what is most valuable in us, our wisdom and position in the world and hopefully, we grow into a mature something, whatever that is we are meant to become.

Now this is all predicated on an organic path which maybe 50 percent of us follow. Most of us have to find our way to proper positions. And many of us have to reinvent our selves in life maybe several times before we uncover the best of us. Not a purely organic process, but a very human one. This requires we re associate our selves with the earth. Another cause of this discussion is that even planted in a proper position our roots can be weak, or perhaps toxic. Unexpected challenges can also put any one into a weak position relative to life.

Whenever our position seems weak, our roots, or our internal will and resolve, we can find our selves sinking into the earth. This is something we can even associate with death, as this is a bit what age does. Gravity increasingly gets the best of us. And we slow down, eventually we are in a bed waiting as our body sinks into what will reclaim our physical lives. The earth. This is rather dramatic, although a reality for all of us. There are lesser versions of this, but they can be a powerful cause for us to fear. Are we being reclaimed? How far down is gravity taking us? Are we going to sink to the bottom? Can anyone help us? Will they?Whenever our position seems weak, our roots, or our internal will and resolve, we can find our selves sinking into the earth. This is something we can even associate with death, as this is a bit what age does. Gravity increasingly gets the best of us. And we slow down, eventually we are in a bed waiting as our body sinks into what will reclaim our physical lives. The earth. This is rather dramatic, although a reality for all of us. There are lesser versions of this, but they can be a powerful cause for us to fear. Are we being reclaimed? How far down is gravity taking us? Are we going to sink to the bottom? Can anyone help us? Will they? ind its way into us. We cannot stay still forever, no. But we must allow our selves to receive this gift. It may come and go, and often does, but at least we know. The way forward is never panic. It is following the path. Listening to the heart. If the mind touched by the divine and heart are connected, the path will be correct. What we see and feel will be correct, but the heart must feel complete. full, not desperate or questioning itself.

Like it or not, all things in life are processes. We should never give way to gravity of life is asking us to sit up and be strong. But there are times when all we can do is surrender to gravity. It is not an option. If our position is strong, our roots are strong, we often avoid sinking into the earth. We just fall a bit, there is a sense of regression but nothing to get excited about, especially if we have lived long enough to be able to respect the natural expansion and contraction of life.

IT CAN SEEM COLD AND CRUEL BENEATH THE EARTH. BUT IT IS NOT OUR ENEMY. IT IS OUR HUMBLE HOST CAPABLE OF NOURISHING THE BEST OR WORST OF US. WE SINK AND CAN REDISCOVER WHAT WE FEAR MOST ABOUT THE EARTH. YET WE CANNOT FORGET IT IS ALSO WHAT LIFTS OUT OF ITS SHADOWS.

If we reach a point where we start to feel like we are truly going under ground, into the darkness of our past the under belly of life, we are being called to investigate some things. For one, our roots. This is love and connections. What is it that keeps us upright and above ground. Have we invested wisely in these things? Do we have self worth issues? Are we sabotaging our own ability to build a wise and strong foundation? And lastly, have we wisely understood what it is that we are nourishing above ground? Or, have we in some way misunderstood or misled our selves as to the wisest version of our selves? Or perhaps our roots are fine and understanding is fine, but we have struggled in reaching out, creating the branches, building the bridges we need to stay upright and above ground.

In this, we need to remember the earth is not our enemy. What causes us to sink is not the earth. Even if we are standing in quick sand, somehow we got there. Some we we weren’t paying attention, or some series of events led us there. Yes, the earth can be cruel, quick sand is certain a testimony to that. But it is our savior even if we are sinking into it. To this, there are many types of work we can do in life. We could apply this to all of the elements that define us. Metal work. Our ability to organize our business and create structure to our life. Wood work. Our ability to push forward and grow when life asks this of us. Water work. Our ability to contain our visions and imagination and them purposeful. Fire work. The ability to calm and focus our passion and excitement. And then earth work. The ability to wisely acquire and use resources. To know how to wisely nourish our selves. To become fearless of the shadowy nature of what lies underground and focus on what we are meant to become and trust in our ability to nourish that path.

So, what we are getting at here is that the earth is a place of forging. Forging is essentially two things. One is something that happens to something that has not yet taken shape. That is something that must be forged. And then we have a thing that has taken shape but it must be honed and strengthened. One could argue this process is a result of all the influences of the elements, and this can be true as the earth is a bucket for them all, but the earth is where this work really gets done. When we sink into the earth, it can feel natural, a part of the flow of the times. When it doesn’t, it can freak us out, or make us feel like we are descending into depression. Perhaps a crisis of some sort, health or financial. It is hard to do focused work when we are falling or being sucked down. It is usually a survival thing. But we always land on the earth, even if we feel we have been pulled under. It is time, once again for our earth work. And something we need to do when we have such work to do is to find ways to bring joy to that work. We need to make our earth work less miserable because what we do beneath the earth sets the energy for what we are to become. To work “underground” with joy is to nourish our path with joy. It is to increase the likelihood that we can pop back out from under the earth with joy on a path that can sustain joy.

I can’t lie. It is powerful to sink into the earth. And sometimes look back and see it was a silly thing we did to our self. It happens. I have this to me dismay more than once. When we come from a past where we feel unloved, we can sink into the cold of the earth feeling like we are going home, seeking comfort of a familiar cold and shadowy place. This too, happens. The earth heals, if we allow it to. If we let go of our fears and connections to the past. This can be a painful healing. It can be a healing that happens in what we feel to be our loneliness and despair and we can ask, why heal? The answer is to reconnect to the earth. What lies below the earth can only perceive it as cold and cruel. Dark with little to offer, even a hopeless place. In youth it is organic to be rising from under the earth. In age is a cruel return to an old, cold reality. We are not worms. We are people. We must rise. We do not have to tower over anything. There is wisdom to a simple blade of grass, The greatest wisdom is that it has risen above ground. When we rise, we suddenly see the gift of the earth again. It is out to nourish us if we are pay attention. If we ask for what we need and show up ready to be strong, even if that takes some time. What pulls us down is not the earth. It is gravity and gravity is ever present. So, love the earth beneath your feet, even if gravity is pulling you downward. It is the earth that holds the very things you need to become a thing that gravity can affect but not discourage or destroy.

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