Retreat for the Earth

Today is my new moon retreat day, a chance to spend time alone with my inner guide. 

A retreat (even a short one) needs some definition or it is just a vacation: I want to broaden my inner experience and gain clarity. I need open-mindedness and a little discipline in order to maximize my effort. The most important components to arrange are solitude, silence, and simplicity. I will do less talking, less business, and more personal thought and action. 

My theme today is Depth: What is my Truth, and what are my intentions? I'm seeking clarity for how to proceed on my Earth-Quaker path - what are my next steps? 

Agenda:

1. Root reading

2. Plant beets

3. Depth walk

4. A forest visit

5. Share an Earth circle and a land acknowledgement

1. Root reading:

I'm reading again from "Root and Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self," by Becca Piastrelli (2021). I started this book last December, then got distracted. Today I went back to her introduction, which is titled What We Long For.

Becca says, "It is important to allow ourselves to wander within our daydreams of another way of being. Dreams where the earth reveals the spaces our souls crave, where ancient wisdom comes alive and where we know, above all, that we belong. ... Our bodies are still seduced by the rhythms of the land. Our hearts quietly plea for the village to support us through life's rites of passage. Our spirits dance at the thought of circling around the hearth fires and telling our stories. Everything within us longs to know our place in the world."

The theme of this book is that we are unrooted and untethered; we long for connection to the land, to our ancestors, our community, and to a deeper sense of self. She talks about all the ways modern life disconnects us from each other and our land, and how that has led to a "very real hole of loneliness". 

This quote speaks to my condition:

"We have forgotten our indigeneity ... Most of us are descended from lands that we do not live on and are no longer in contact with. Many of us feel a lack of culture or heritage that our ancestors once knew and leaned on to mark the turning of the years and to get through hard times." 

Becca reminds us to look to our own "tattered threads" of culture and remember where we come from, rather than borrowing from other traditions.

2. Plant beets:

Still harvesting my spring beets.

The beet (Beta vulgaris) is descended from the sea beet, a wild seashore plant growing around the Mediterranean and along the coasts of Europe and North Africa. The native sea beet was primarily eaten for its leaves rather than its root, which was like a skinny carrot.

Beets are a year round crop. I make two plantings each year, now and again in the spring, for an all season harvest. Beets grow well with onions and garlic, lettuce, radishes, strong-scented herbs, and the cabbage family. Don't plant them near to pole beans, field mustard, or chard. Beet leaves are composed of 25% magnesiums, so be sure to compost any you don't eat.

Beets prefer to be planted in moist soil that has reached 50°F.  They may be planted in the spring or fall, as long as the air temperature stays below 75°F and they are kept from drying out, but need 9 weeks to mature before a hard frost hits: I've put off planting beets because of the severe heat we had this month, and I'm gambling that our frost will also be delayed, but I did finally plant them this week, and covered the area with burlap to keep it cool and moist.

3. Depth Walk:

I will practice this walking meditation as often as possible, the next few weeks, as I focus on depth and my life path.

 

1. Savor: Name out everything that is wonderful about my life on this day and in this moment. Continue this for 1-2 blocks. 

 

2. Discern: Turn a corner, and bring attention to my path. Where is it leading me today? What are my top priorities and how can I meet them with determination? Continue this for 1-2 blocks.

 

3. Empathize: Turn a corner, and focus on my tender heart. Send loving thoughts to my neighbors, my family, my community, the world, and plan how I will connect with them today. Continue this for 1-2 blocks. 

 

4. Commit: Turn the last corner, and speak a prayer out loud - “Spirit of the Universe, Give me Light to fulfill my purpose right now: to love and serve my family,  my community, and the Earth, lead a simple life of integrity, and be a creative force."

4. A forest visit:

A friend and I plan to take her new electric car for a spin to the woods today. My plan is to walk my Depth walk, take photos, and sit in silence in the woods.

I will ask myself: How can I better communicate my longings for unity with the earth? What are practices I can share, and in what venue? What is the spark of creativity in me ready to ignite? 

 

5. Share an Earth Circle and a land acknowledgement:

I am clear that I need my community of Friends to walk this Earth-Quaker path with me, and I'm grateful for the ways that is happening. I feel supported, and I feel energy building!

Some of us have been gathering periodically to worship outdoors, for unity with the earth. Last year I wrote this land acknowledgement to read, and I plan to read it again tomorrow morning (if the smoke allows us to meet):

Today we worship on this land, and with this land. I acknowledge this area’s first people - the Kalapuya - and their descendants, and recognize that this is the land they have lived, hunted, and fished on for thousands of years. 

 

I recognize and acknowledge that this is the land where bear and deer lived and foraged, and countless other animals, fish, and birds. And before them, the woolly mammoths and saber tooth tigers. I recognize and acknowledge the sun, the rain, the volcanos, and all of the weather effects that have shaped this land.

 

I recognize and acknowledge that even now animals, birds, and insects make this land their home, and the trees and plants we can see, as well as the ones we can't see - all the microbes and fungi that make the soil whole and healthy.

 

This acknowledgement is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we reside on, and also my sorrow for the genocide and removal of the indigenous people, and the ongoing racism and discrimination they have suffered. I express gratitude for the gifts from nature - our food, clothing, homes all come from the bounty that Creation provides. And I also feel grief for the loss of species and ecosystems, and feel remorse for my share of the responsibility for those losses.

 

But today I remember that I am a part of nature, not separate from it. I am here now on this land and claim it as my home. Even as I feel remorse, I also feel satisfaction in my life, and openness to growing ever more deeply connected to the Earth and all of nature. I hold that the Earth and every part of it is a living being, a spiritual being. I seek unity with nature, and so I invite all of Creation to worship here with us today.

 

We gather outdoors so that the passing breeze, the songs of birds, and the dropping leaves can be part of our circle, and we will leave some physical space between us to be inviting. I ask that we open and connect to the energies of the earth and the sky, and that you listen with more than your ears - listen for the Voice that speaks not only in words. Listen for the communication flowing between God and Creation.