Finding Our Place in Nature

Finding Our Place in Nature

"Did you hear what the fish said,
Floundering among the reeds? --
Nature's wiser than learning."
   ___ fourteenth-century Welsh verse (CM)


   In the Celtic and world folk traditions, reminders of this important fact emerge time and again in stories that tell of speaking animals. All young heroes and heroines who are sent out on the road of adventure eventually encounter animal allies who speak to them of deeper wisdoms than those they received at school. These encounters require that the young person treat the animal with respect, share her goods or food with the animal, and listen and act upon the animal's wisdom. The characters who do these things emerge unscathed; the ones who neglect to respect, share, or listen lose their way and fall prey to dangers. It is for this reason that so many spiritual traditions regard animals as their wisdom-keepers: animals are respentatives of the oral, living world of nature -- beings who know the implications and responsibilities of their belonging and guardianship.

  All people now living have the responsibility of relearning the wisdom of nature, directly from nature: from the trees and hills, the birds and streams, the animals and fields, the fish and seas. Wherever we are, there is an older wisdom singing, which keeps the world in harmony. When we can join in that singing, we will begin to find our true place in nature and be at one with our brothers and sisters beings.

"Be present with a being of nature; be present to it spirit to spirit. What is the wisdom of nature about the plan that is currently brooding in your heart? How does this differ from the received wisdom of your society, friends, advisers?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]

I feel compelled to give some sort of comment on this particular celtic essay this morning.... It speaks to me of the environmental damage that is happening all around us and yet we continue to let to go on.  OK, I know that those who would read a blog like do not intentionally ignore environmental issues but yet often we feel like 'what can we do?'  One thing we can be more aware of our own habits of existing on the planet.  While we don't necessarily have to go out on the streets and shout the message of environmental issues we can try to set an example to those around us by trying to practice ecology in our lives.  There are so many things we can be doing that will make a step in the right direction - do I need to list them yet again here?
S.