This week's archetype and tarot about the Mother and Three of Pentacles (see post here) was all about nourishment and collaboration. When I wrote the post, I’d been thinking mostly about humans nourishing and collaborating with one another. But we also are in relationship with many types of non-human beings, so I began to wonder how we might be in collaborative nourishment with these ones too. As I spent some time thinking about this, it brought to mind something I had read in a book a few years back. I found the book on a shelf, dusted it off, and found this quote:
I loved this post, thank you for writing it. It resonated so completely with the way of being that keeps me happy and vibrant on planet earth. I've had a practice for years of singing to the water, and it is one of the most nourishing things I do for myself. It's also my main form of activism, because I believe it helps heal water and that's a main purpose for me. I go to creek nearby, I say hello,I bring some filtered, ionized water, sometimes a flower from my garden or a stone as an offering. Then I sing--whatever comes to mind, sometimes the water tells me what it wants to hear. Sometimes I bring my ukelele. The wind always comes to say hello, which I love! Then I sit and listen to what the water has to tell me. Like the whales and the the trees when I listen to them, it always says something wonderful. A few times I've received a short story or a poem. This practice has opened me up to so many other psychic and intuitive practices, it's sort of amazing when I think about it. It's a very simple practice, but it's been life changing and spirit lifting!
I don't think I can add anything more to what has already been said. I like the distinction you made between transactional giving and reciprocity. Just that reminder - to think about things that have come into my life as gifts - makes me feel instantly abundant and overflowing with joy.
"Step into the morning sun and let its rays nourish every cell in your being. Then, speak aloud to it sweet honeyed words of love. As you let your food nourish your body and mind, speak shining words of praise to it. Step barefoot onto the mountain, letting its beauty seep into your soul while you sing to it the poem of your heart. It need not be more complicated than that."
I've made a special note of this. I'm not great at expressing out loud. Something for me to work on!
Thank you, Safar! ❤️ I was never good at expressing out loud either. It's definitely something I've had to practice (and still there are times when I catch myself sending silent thoughts instead). But when I speak aloud is when I most clearly see the world speaking back. It's been a worthwhile practice for me. I hope it brings you as much fulfillment as it has me.
I am very touched by this post Jenna! Moving beyond transactional based giving and receiving, into nourishment, reciprocity and collaboration. I am so with you on this! You mentioned your ancestor that came to you with others, as a group, this brought forward an experience I had with an ancestor. They came as a group of ancestors. I called forth AN ancestor, but the group is what showed up. That just now hit home with me as you explained your encounter. "The paradigm that people lived in was based on an understanding of the self as part of a whole. The whole was what mattered." This just brought my experience deeper. Of course, it was a collaboration, a family. One being many parts. Yes, today we are very “self”, “individual” orientated. How powerful to be taught by our ancestors. Thank you for this.
Thank you, Julie! I so deeply love that I can now picture your face saying these words to me. 🤗❤️ How wonderful that a group of ancestors came through for you too! We'll have to visit again so I can get the full story. One of the most beautiful things I learn from the ancestors (over and over again) is how fluid and changeable mindset/worldview/perspective/consciousness has always been.
Wonderful post, Jenna, this reminds me of a book I read recently (what was it called? ugh!) that also talked about resources as gifts, and how returning a portion (the first salmon caught, for example) lead to a powerful recognition of the material world not as a commodity or resource or capital, but a part of us that we can honor rather than exploit... Powerful stuff! ❤️🔥
What stood out for me is the following sentence: "In this ancestor’s time, consciousness was expressed in a collective way. The individual perspective simply didn’t exist, at least not in a way we would recognize now."
It reminds me of the Medicine Teachings I have been connected to for a number of years in the past. The ancestors also play a big part in Native American Medicine, of course, and it is also rooted in a collective way of living in the world with 'all our relations', including Grandfather Sky and so on...
After receiving the gift which was to become my own 'contemporary Medicine' I asked myself a very similar question to yours: How do we apply these ancient indigenous principles to contemporary life?
The answer I received from my guides was that in the same way our ancestors were in harmony with their external environment within collective consciousness, we must learn to take care of our internal environment within individual consciousness.
This may sound and appear self-centred at first, but it is only from our own centre that we can restore balance, harmony and inner and outer peace. Re-connecting, remembering, reconciling our internal environment enables us to heal both the inner and the outer. In the process, giving and receiving become one, we recognise our one-ness with all living beings, human and more-than-human.
Oh, yes, Veronika, I love this! Especially this: "The answer I received from my guides was that in the same way our ancestors were in harmony with their external environment within collective consciousness, we must learn to take care of our internal environment within individual consciousness." I agree completely. Because I try not to make my posts too long, I actually removed a whole section I'd written about how I believe that this more individual perspective we have now is actually a good thing, and that the way forward (towards the more relational way) isn't about getting rid of the individual perspective, or simply a return to the old ways. Rather, I believe it's about bringing the old ways through the Mental structure into a more integrated present. Just as you say here, part of that would mean having a healthy individual ecology/consciousness. Thank you SO much for calling attention to this! ❤️❤️❤️
I'm glad you said that! I was hesitating to write this because I didn't want to barge in, changing the subject... And I totally understand the issue of not making the posts too long. I do (or try) the same.
I'm very much looking forward to your writing about the individual perspective, because I find it so rarely in other people's work. (It's usually about detachment from yourself and zooming off straight into enlightenment...) So I'm really inspired to hear that you have come to the same conclusion via a different root. 💖🙏 💖🙏💖🙏
Absolutely beautiful. What a stunning ancestor connection, It seems Germany/central Europe 40000 years ago had nondual approaches not unlike Buddhistic teachings? Mind blowing.
And I so relate with forgetting what I wrote before. I reread and wouldn’t recognise my words if they weren’t signed with my name. Why is that.. do you think it comes from a flow state when we almost channel and are so present that the exact words are forgotten after? Because the core message is always there, just needs a reminder sometimes to come into the forefront again :)
I think that might be exactly what happens to me too, Laura! Like the writing comes through me from something greater. I recently read through a trilogy I wrote to get it ready for 2nd edition and was absolutely astonished by the process. There was very little I remembered about any of it, and I also discovered that I thought it was pretty darn good. 🤗 But it feels like I can hardly take credit for writing it. If I was the one who wrote it, surely I'd remember it, right? Lol.
Haha exactly!!! I know the feeling of re reading and thinking „ouh that’s profound“ or „wow so eloquently put, what an insight“ and I’m like, Joe can I not remember this? The better my writing the more I forget haha. It’s as if there is only so much brain capacity and embodiment for certain things but as a researcher and educator I probably write about too many things I can understand but can’t hold in my head constantly
It’s fascinating that he told you not to underestimate the power of human speech, that wasn’t what I was expecting! The message is quite simple, isn’t it? Yet we make it so much more complex.
Thank you Jenna for this beautifully written piece.
Thank you, Donna! 🤗 It really is simple. And I tend to use my voice for so many things other than gratitude and reciprocity, so this was a wonderful reminder for me.
I love this, Jenna! This is so moving and illuminating. You know, it might be hard to conceptualize gratitude: what do I need to do, say thank you? Until some time ago it struck me that being unhappy is a way of showing lack of gratitude, like a guest who grumbles about the meal you’ve offered them. Yes, feeling the joy of the sunshine and saying something bak to express it is such a simple but powerful way of manifesting gratitude.
To answer your question, a lot of what I write on Substack is driven by my love for the home I have found, and by the wonder I feel at how good life has been to me.
❤️❤️❤️ such wisdom, Zoe, thank you! I'm really touched by this idea of being happy as a way of living gratitude. To me this frames happiness less like something I'm trying for, or hoping for, or waiting for, and instead it becomes a sacred responsibility. This is amazing! And I love that your substack writing is a reflection of that. Thank you so much for putting such goodness into the world!
I loved this post, thank you for writing it. It resonated so completely with the way of being that keeps me happy and vibrant on planet earth. I've had a practice for years of singing to the water, and it is one of the most nourishing things I do for myself. It's also my main form of activism, because I believe it helps heal water and that's a main purpose for me. I go to creek nearby, I say hello,I bring some filtered, ionized water, sometimes a flower from my garden or a stone as an offering. Then I sing--whatever comes to mind, sometimes the water tells me what it wants to hear. Sometimes I bring my ukelele. The wind always comes to say hello, which I love! Then I sit and listen to what the water has to tell me. Like the whales and the the trees when I listen to them, it always says something wonderful. A few times I've received a short story or a poem. This practice has opened me up to so many other psychic and intuitive practices, it's sort of amazing when I think about it. It's a very simple practice, but it's been life changing and spirit lifting!
I don't think I can add anything more to what has already been said. I like the distinction you made between transactional giving and reciprocity. Just that reminder - to think about things that have come into my life as gifts - makes me feel instantly abundant and overflowing with joy.
"Step into the morning sun and let its rays nourish every cell in your being. Then, speak aloud to it sweet honeyed words of love. As you let your food nourish your body and mind, speak shining words of praise to it. Step barefoot onto the mountain, letting its beauty seep into your soul while you sing to it the poem of your heart. It need not be more complicated than that."
I've made a special note of this. I'm not great at expressing out loud. Something for me to work on!
Thank you, Safar! ❤️ I was never good at expressing out loud either. It's definitely something I've had to practice (and still there are times when I catch myself sending silent thoughts instead). But when I speak aloud is when I most clearly see the world speaking back. It's been a worthwhile practice for me. I hope it brings you as much fulfillment as it has me.
I am very touched by this post Jenna! Moving beyond transactional based giving and receiving, into nourishment, reciprocity and collaboration. I am so with you on this! You mentioned your ancestor that came to you with others, as a group, this brought forward an experience I had with an ancestor. They came as a group of ancestors. I called forth AN ancestor, but the group is what showed up. That just now hit home with me as you explained your encounter. "The paradigm that people lived in was based on an understanding of the self as part of a whole. The whole was what mattered." This just brought my experience deeper. Of course, it was a collaboration, a family. One being many parts. Yes, today we are very “self”, “individual” orientated. How powerful to be taught by our ancestors. Thank you for this.
Thank you, Julie! I so deeply love that I can now picture your face saying these words to me. 🤗❤️ How wonderful that a group of ancestors came through for you too! We'll have to visit again so I can get the full story. One of the most beautiful things I learn from the ancestors (over and over again) is how fluid and changeable mindset/worldview/perspective/consciousness has always been.
Wonderful post, Jenna, this reminds me of a book I read recently (what was it called? ugh!) that also talked about resources as gifts, and how returning a portion (the first salmon caught, for example) lead to a powerful recognition of the material world not as a commodity or resource or capital, but a part of us that we can honor rather than exploit... Powerful stuff! ❤️🔥
Thank you, Troy! That sounds like it might have been Braiding Sweetgrass, but if it wasn't then I highly recommend it. I think you'd love that book.
Beautiful post Jenna. Thank you. 💕🙏
What stood out for me is the following sentence: "In this ancestor’s time, consciousness was expressed in a collective way. The individual perspective simply didn’t exist, at least not in a way we would recognize now."
It reminds me of the Medicine Teachings I have been connected to for a number of years in the past. The ancestors also play a big part in Native American Medicine, of course, and it is also rooted in a collective way of living in the world with 'all our relations', including Grandfather Sky and so on...
After receiving the gift which was to become my own 'contemporary Medicine' I asked myself a very similar question to yours: How do we apply these ancient indigenous principles to contemporary life?
The answer I received from my guides was that in the same way our ancestors were in harmony with their external environment within collective consciousness, we must learn to take care of our internal environment within individual consciousness.
This may sound and appear self-centred at first, but it is only from our own centre that we can restore balance, harmony and inner and outer peace. Re-connecting, remembering, reconciling our internal environment enables us to heal both the inner and the outer. In the process, giving and receiving become one, we recognise our one-ness with all living beings, human and more-than-human.
Oh, yes, Veronika, I love this! Especially this: "The answer I received from my guides was that in the same way our ancestors were in harmony with their external environment within collective consciousness, we must learn to take care of our internal environment within individual consciousness." I agree completely. Because I try not to make my posts too long, I actually removed a whole section I'd written about how I believe that this more individual perspective we have now is actually a good thing, and that the way forward (towards the more relational way) isn't about getting rid of the individual perspective, or simply a return to the old ways. Rather, I believe it's about bringing the old ways through the Mental structure into a more integrated present. Just as you say here, part of that would mean having a healthy individual ecology/consciousness. Thank you SO much for calling attention to this! ❤️❤️❤️
I'm glad you said that! I was hesitating to write this because I didn't want to barge in, changing the subject... And I totally understand the issue of not making the posts too long. I do (or try) the same.
I'm very much looking forward to your writing about the individual perspective, because I find it so rarely in other people's work. (It's usually about detachment from yourself and zooming off straight into enlightenment...) So I'm really inspired to hear that you have come to the same conclusion via a different root. 💖🙏 💖🙏💖🙏
You definitely didn't barge in at all! I welcome all of your comments, Veronika. I love your perspective on all of this. ❤️
Absolutely beautiful. What a stunning ancestor connection, It seems Germany/central Europe 40000 years ago had nondual approaches not unlike Buddhistic teachings? Mind blowing.
And I so relate with forgetting what I wrote before. I reread and wouldn’t recognise my words if they weren’t signed with my name. Why is that.. do you think it comes from a flow state when we almost channel and are so present that the exact words are forgotten after? Because the core message is always there, just needs a reminder sometimes to come into the forefront again :)
I think that might be exactly what happens to me too, Laura! Like the writing comes through me from something greater. I recently read through a trilogy I wrote to get it ready for 2nd edition and was absolutely astonished by the process. There was very little I remembered about any of it, and I also discovered that I thought it was pretty darn good. 🤗 But it feels like I can hardly take credit for writing it. If I was the one who wrote it, surely I'd remember it, right? Lol.
Haha exactly!!! I know the feeling of re reading and thinking „ouh that’s profound“ or „wow so eloquently put, what an insight“ and I’m like, Joe can I not remember this? The better my writing the more I forget haha. It’s as if there is only so much brain capacity and embodiment for certain things but as a researcher and educator I probably write about too many things I can understand but can’t hold in my head constantly
It’s fascinating that he told you not to underestimate the power of human speech, that wasn’t what I was expecting! The message is quite simple, isn’t it? Yet we make it so much more complex.
Thank you Jenna for this beautifully written piece.
Thank you, Donna! 🤗 It really is simple. And I tend to use my voice for so many things other than gratitude and reciprocity, so this was a wonderful reminder for me.
I love this, Jenna! This is so moving and illuminating. You know, it might be hard to conceptualize gratitude: what do I need to do, say thank you? Until some time ago it struck me that being unhappy is a way of showing lack of gratitude, like a guest who grumbles about the meal you’ve offered them. Yes, feeling the joy of the sunshine and saying something bak to express it is such a simple but powerful way of manifesting gratitude.
To answer your question, a lot of what I write on Substack is driven by my love for the home I have found, and by the wonder I feel at how good life has been to me.
❤️❤️❤️ such wisdom, Zoe, thank you! I'm really touched by this idea of being happy as a way of living gratitude. To me this frames happiness less like something I'm trying for, or hoping for, or waiting for, and instead it becomes a sacred responsibility. This is amazing! And I love that your substack writing is a reflection of that. Thank you so much for putting such goodness into the world!