How can we recognize our sacred relationship with life?

Last week, I invited you to recognize and nurture your sacred relationship with life. For those of you who may have felt a bit lost by that invitation, here’s a brief guided journey to experience the sacredness for yourself. Take five minutes now to read through the rest of this newsletter, one line at a time, slowly. 

Sit in a comfortable place and take a deep breath. Chest expands, belly relaxes. 

Feel your feet resting on the floor or wherever they may be. Notice the sensations at the bottom of the feet where they touch the surface. Just notice what you feel (hot, cold, tingle) without changing anything. 

Rub the tips of your fingertips until you feel the texture of your skin in each fingertip. Now expand your attention to your entire body and feel the body that you reside within. 

Fully arrive into the present moment and take in another deep breath. 

Realize the gift of this breath that gives us life. Realize every breath as unique and each moment we get to live as unique. It has never happened before and it will never happen again.

Realize that this very moment is all we will ever have. Our whole experience of life is in this very moment, not the remembered past and not the imagined future. It’s all happening here and now.

Recognize that each and every form of life - plants, animals, insects - is an expression of the universal force - each having inherent value and purpose in the large web of life on Earth whether or not we consider them useful for ourselves.

Remember the inherent beauty of this planet we’ve been gifted. The beautiful morning and evening sunsets, the beauty of the crashing waves at sea, the beauty of each and every smiling flower you come across, the beauty of the birds flying around us daily, the strength of the mountains we’re surrounded by and the lush rivers and streams that feed our lands. They are all a gift of life.  

Realize where we are and who we are. We are creatures on a living planet amongst one of two trillions known galaxies around us. Our very existence is magical and awe inspiring to say the least. How did we get here? Hardly a soul knows.

Realize that though the universe is infinite, our planet is finite and has a finite number of resources to support healthy life. A finite planet cannot support infinite economic growth and our growing demand for ‘more’ without a responsible and reciprocal relationship. We must learn to create prosperity within planetary boundaries.

Realize your interdependence with life. I am because we are. As a person, you do not exist on your own. You are connected to your family. To your neighborhood. To everyone in your community. To nature itself through the relationship of breathable air, drinkable water and fertile land. Without our lives being embedded amongst other lives of all species and within the life giving sustenance of our planet, human life would not be possible.

Recognize the beauty in life again. Take a deep breath in and out in gratitude for the gift of life that we get to live.

What do you know about the sacredness of life for yourself ?

- Nitin