The Great Remembering
In an age haunted by forgetting, contemplative practice offers a path of re-membering. Through it, we shed amnesia's veil and reawaken to the wholeness that is our birthright - our intrinsic kinship with all creation.
For too long, we have dwelled in the fog of separateness, heedlessly poisoning land and waters, rending the very matrix from which we arose. Each mindless pollution, each extraction's wound in the Earth's flesh, deepens our exile from the truth of our being.
But the contemplative way calls us back to intimacy with nature's wild holiness. To retreat not from but towards the untamed edges where forests, deserts, and the unfurling of one's inscape mirror each other in sacred reflection. To encounter anew the primordial interconnected rhythms that birthed us.
In stillness, we experience our existence as woven seamlessly into the Earth's endless sanctuary. We shed the illusion that nature is alien from our thriving, external to the core of our identity. Instead, we reconnect with the holy ground of our belonging - the blessed matrix that conceived us and continually sustains our tenuous blooming.
This homecoming unveils a blazing sight - the entire cosmos alive, pulsing with divine presence. All creatures, mountains, waters shimmering with one shared luminescence. We glimpse our isthmus role in this radiant ecology of holiness and re-member our sacred duty as Earth's contemplatives.
To nurture creation through loving presence. To gather all that has scattered into forgetfulness. With each breath, each pause of rapt beholding, we knit severed worlds back into wholeness. We become portals through which new life rushes - the undoing of amnesia, the birthing of a contemplative, Earth-cherishing humanity.
This is the Great Remembering to which we awaken. An undivided awareness where the Holy unveils itself ceaselessly as this forest, this ocean, these nested patterns of sacred ecology to which we joyfully belong. Here, now, always - for those who have eyes to see, the kindom flowers.
Find a comfortable position, sitting or lying down. Close your eyes gently and take a few deep breaths. Inhale slowly and deeply, feeling your breath fill your body. Exhale completely, releasing any tension.
Imagine yourself enveloped by a gentle fog. This fog represents a state of forgetting, a disconnection from the wholeness that is your true nature.
As you breathe deeply, feel the fog begin to clear. Contemplative practice acts as a light, illuminating the path back to remembrance.
Notice a shift in your perception. You begin to see the interconnectedness of all things. You are not separate from the Earth and its creatures, but woven into the fabric of existence.
Think about the ways humans have damaged the environment. Acknowledge the pain inflicted upon the Earth, a reflection of the disconnect from our true selves.
Now, visualize yourself moving towards a wild place – a forest, desert, or any natural environment that speaks to you. Feel the raw beauty of nature, its untamed spirit.
In this space, enter a state of stillness. Observe the surroundings – the rustling leaves, the flow of water, the intricate patterns of life. See how these mirror the inner landscape of your own being.
As you become present, a profound sense of belonging arises. You are not an outsider, but a part of the Earth's sacred tapestry.
Feel the ground beneath you, a symbol of the holy ground of your being. This is where you are rooted, where you are nurtured and supported.
With each breath, expand your awareness. See the interconnectedness of all things – the mountains, the creatures, the light shimmering on the water. Everything pulsates with life and a shared divine presence.
Realize your role as a contemplative of the Earth. Your very presence holds the power to nurture and heal. You are a bridge, reconnecting the fragmented world towards wholeness.
Imagine the act of mindful observation as weaving severed threads back together. With each moment of presence, you contribute to the undoing of amnesia, the separation that has caused so much harm.
This is the Great Remembering. It's the realization that the divine is not separate from this world, but revealed in every aspect of nature's beauty. Open your eyes to this radiance - the kingdom of wholeness is blooming all around you.
Take a few more deep breaths, integrating this sense of belonging and responsibility. When you're ready, gently open your eyes, carrying this awareness of interconnectedness out into your world.
