Humanity and the Earth
This first day of our gathering of Meaning in Place was a collective orientation into the topic. During the day I didn’t have the impression that we were on to something, but by the evening my sense was that this will not be a ‘normal’ gathering, but that it will take us to the depth and width of the relationship of people and place. In other words we are dealing here with the relationship of Humanity and the Earth.
From our individual stories we were telling each other in the morning one thing really stood out for me: Place has massive influence on people! It is so obvious, but at the same time so unconscious! So obvious that we don’t really notice, that it isn’t a field of study (yet). If I translate this into the bigger picture we can state: Earth has a massive influence on Humanity, so obvious, but so unconscious!
Humans Creating Meaning
This gathering is about Meaning in Place, and how to host that. That is what we humans do all the time: create meaning. And in these challenging times we try to create a meaningful life with a new story, a new meaning we have to find together, as humanity. Because meaning is life-affirming to us.
We came to realize that a meaningful life these days means to live our full potential, nothing less. It requires our attention, our time, our commitment. To say it in other words, it is a practice.
What if meaning in place is grounding the disorientation in the world? (Maria S)
Earth and Nature
Of course many stories were about nature, about a sunset, the desert, the garden in our childhood, a special tree and so on.
Some quotes:
Nature goes straight back into the heart, into some kind of innocence, into a longing. Nature connects us back into the slowness of my soul.
A powerful place is when my spirit smiles.
The gift of nature and the nature of gifts.
Isn’t the Earth giving us messages about ourselves?
Where are the farmers, the guardians? What is the form of farmers or guardians in these time?
Home and Belonging
Belonging to – or relationship with – place seems key to make life meaningful. Without this relation meaning is hard to sustain. That’s why we garden, why we gather on our stoops and create gatherings like this one here. It seems to us that we need to (re-)install a culture of belonging.
But in these times, at least for people from the West, we are not bound anymore by a specific place, a specific profession, a specific religion, a specific relation… we have the choice! To the extent that it becomes overwhelming and we have no ground to stand on anymore. Lots of young people don’t know their place anymore… this happens on a variety of levels… there is a hunger for contribution, a hunger for new meaning…
Where am I welcomed?
Where is Home?
But places are calling for stewardship, and people are calling places into being. Let’s stop waiting!
Reconnecting Earth and Humanity, People and Place
It seems to me that we named a few basic, grounding practices during our conversations throughout the day. Maybe a better name is Intentions? Because having intentions is basically a human feature. Here are some:
The Act of Making Life
So many people on this earth are behaving as tourists, sharing only a few pieces of their life with the land they live on. We noticed that birthing our children, living with our children and our extended family, burying the death, drinking the water – on and of the land – is core in the people-place relationship. Of course our relationship with food is the same story. At least we can eat local and seasonal food, it’s a fast track to relationship with place. Grow your vegetables your selves will teach you to get into an intimate relationship with place.
The Act of Witnessing
Just noticing, witnessing, without attachment to how the outcome might look like is a huge power that awakens potential, both of people and of places. It is about being fully present to the piece of land you live on, without any intention to commodifying. It is about our capacity to listen deeply what is the right timing and the right thing to do in this moment. The act of witnessing activates the resilience that is lingering underneath.
Listening to centuries of sleeping stories. Rocks hold the stories.
The potential of the land is dormant until it is listened to again.
The Art of Welcoming – Community
Stories reminded us of doors that were open, kitchens where there was time to listen, gatherings where everyone brought something to the table, employees that wants a kitchen in their office so that they could eat and chat together over lunch. There is so much potential in these simple but profound acts of creating intimacy!
Place creates the ability to be heard and seen.
Honoring and inviting the Magic
There are infinite layers of looking at reality, at place, at the world. They all exist and it is up to us which layer we call in. Devas are everywhere. Our being on the land, in the world doesn’t need to be heavy! There is light energy and magical levels everywhere.
Something in the land is craving to be enjoyed!
Meaning making together – co-create
In order to create together you first need to be conscious of your own meaning, your own ground.
Another chance in evolution
In the evening we asked the Tarot cards what was the meaning of this gathering in the context of this time in the world. That was the point I began to get a sense of the deeper meaning of our people-place relationship inquiry. The card that was to give us advice told us that there were ‘three cups’ that had been spilled and that there is still a need to grieve about the pain of what we haven’t achieved yet; all this in order to be able to look at the ‘other two cups’. Listening deeply to the message, the group that was around the table realized that we had been together in another time and now we – as human beings – were given another chance to learn about the power of creation and to live in harmony with the earth. At that other point in time we didn’t live up to our real full potential as we were caught up in so many power struggles. And there is pain to deeply recognize that. One of the challenges is to balance the power of creating with humility and respect. The non-material energies need to be recognized again and become a science, because we didn’t use them or we used them in the wrong way.
People and Place
Humanity and Earth
Power and Love