Rituals and Traditions

Today, we considered how tradition and ritual connect us to the earth and to one another.  I thought about my weekly walk to the library with my nephew.  He is three and recognizes all the little things that are new or have changed in the two blocks it takes us to walk to the library.  He points out the worms on the sidewalk and the new color of flower in bloom at the Greek Orthodox church.  We grab our binoculars to better see the birds that cross our path.  We say hi to each and every person we meet along the way and tell them what we have seen.  This walk helps connect my nephew and myself to the world around us.  We meet the people that live in our community and we find joy and sometimes sadness in the changes we observe and experience in our neighborhood along the way, natural or otherwise.  When we skip our weekly walk, I feel less connected with my neighborhood and my nephew.

Lost 

by David Wagner

Stand still. The trees ahead and the bushes beside you

Are not lost. Wherever you are is called HERE.

And you must treat it as a powerful stranger.

The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,

I have made this place around you.

If you leave it, you may come back again,

Saying HERE.

No two trees are the same to Raven.

No two branches are the same to Wren.

If what a tree or a bush is lost on you,

You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows

Where you are. You must let it find you.

I wrote the following free flowing prose in response to hearing the poem, "Lost" by David Wagner.

  

The time is now.

Be present in this moment.

Slow down and breathe with the earth.

Be still and listen.

Become one with the world around you.