The Earth is often very misunderstood in mainstream Western society. The Earth has been raped, pillaged and ignored. We don't listen to her. She has great wisdom. Wisdom that we need to listen to. Our lives are directly connected to her. She is our source. She provides us with life. She provides us with our food, water and shelter. Why do we abuse her? We abuse her because we do not respect her. We do not honor her. Therefore, we do not honor ourselves.
A few months ago I went to a show with some friends. I had some hesitancy in going. I should of listened to my guidance and not gone. But, the conversation that happened occurred for a reason. Maybe so I could write this story and learn to stand strong in my heritage and beliefs. My friends sister picked me up for the show. She picked me up in her shiny new car. She works as a pharmacist. I do not gel with scientists because their perspective is often about proving everything. I believe you do not need to prove energy, miracles, spirits, ancestor as guides, angels or anything that is magical. I believe scientists like to disagree with me and that's fine. I was telling her about my degrees and background. I have a Sociology undergraduate degree and a Master's degree that is environmentally related. She said, "Oh you're one of those tree huggers?" I was instantly offended. Does she know my heritage, I thought? I replied, "I am not a tree hugger I have Ojibway Native American heritage." Then my friend, her sister, went onto explain in depth that I was Native American. It is good that she did because again people think that Native Americans don't exist and if they do then they live on reservations. So the conversation continued and I was in the backseat of the car. The windows were down and it was hard to talk through the wind and all the traffic around us. Anyway, I was highly offended that I was called a treehugger. Yes, I do hug trees and yes I love the Akki.
I love the Akki because she is life to me. Pharmaceutical company shiny car bruhaha lifestyle ain't my thing. I have always longed for the simple life on the land. Talk about discrimination in a world that requires you have two degrees, a white picket fence, two cars that can't be too old or have rust and have the perfect job. People who live a simple life and live for the Akki are often discriminated against because they are not shiny, plastic or a consumerist. They don't fit in to the corporate toxic mold of the slave factory worker. Sorry, that life is not for everyone. I prefer to live a little more on the edge. I prefer that if I have to move, which I have done often in the past few years, that I can pack my stuff into my car and go! I prefer to dedicate my life to the Akki. I long for the when the industrial consumerist dust settles, people wake up and come to their senses about the rat race. That in the end the Akki only cares how you walk gently, lightly, listen to her and honor her. All of us do not do this now. Despite a "failing economy" people are still lining up to buy things in excess, to wrack up debt and buy something because they think they "deserve" it. They aren't listening to patterns of the Akki. They aren't listening to the birds, watching their patterns, their migration and way of life. They aren't touching the land and healing her. They drive fast over her. Speeding, doing drugs, drinking alcohol, throwing plastic on her and dumping toxins onto her.
I may hug trees, talk to animals, listen to birds, feel the Earth energy in my whole being and give thanks to her. I do this because of my heritage. I do this because there aren't many people that do this. I do this because my heart is aligned when I am with the Earth. I do this because my soul is aligned when I am with the Earth. I do this because this is my life.
Dabandendamowin Akki - Respect the Earth
*these pictures are from my garden: chard, kale, salad greens*
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Check out these posts today by women bloggers...
Read - Color An Indian: The Struggles of An Anti-Racist Parent by Renee at Womanist Musings.
At Feministing - Submit You Work - Call For Submissions: What Made You A Feminist?
Look at this cartoon depicting a female suicide bomber holding a lit bomb next to the Statue of Liberty on Muslimah Media Watch. Read the about the analysis of sexism, racism, and Islamophobia in this post.
10 voices speak:
Wow. I definitely can see how you were offended. I would have been too. You know what we have truly abused the earth tremendously.It does speak to us ( Globalwarming, Hurricane Katrina/Ike, etc.) I feel the same way. I can easily live a simple life. I'm not into flashy. Everything that I buy comes off a sales rack. I never buy anything full price and I'm proud to say that. I always say that if I was to hit the lotto tomorrow I'd go out and by a brand new hybrid Honda or Toyota and be totally SATISFIED.......
I am glad you are into living a simple life too. The more people the better! There are many approaches to living a simple life too. You don't have to rid yourself of all your material possessions. But, 'living simply so that others may live simply' is a great motto to live by. I feel we are reducing suffering on our planet by living simple lives.
And I would love a hybrid by the way, hehe!
I would have been offended too.
Also, I find when I am down hugging a tree restores some much needed peace and grounding. Trees have a way of taking the negative energy and replacing it w/ a warm positive feeling. Not the same I get when Superior washes my pain away...but you get it.
Man, sometimes I miss Michigan. We have the ocean, but the trees are too small for hugging.
Trees have great energy. I feel that they are some of the most evolved beings. They live such simple lives. They only need the land and sun to stay alive. Look how much we think we need to stay alive here!
Yes, Michigan trees are great! When I first moved back to Michigan two years ago I was in awe of how tall and glorious the trees are here. In Colorado they are so incredibly short because there is no water! There is nothing like trees in Michigan!
It really bothers me when I hear of people in the biological sciences behaving like that. Some people treat science as their own personal religion. What they seem not to understand is that science is not meant to explain everything. Some things are beyond what science can account for.
It is true that science is not meant to explain everything. I don't like that science wants to dissect every single aspect of existence.
thanks for checking me out. I am honored. Your blog is inspirational and your words ageless. I like to get lost here.
R
Thank you, I am glad you like to get lost here... peace.
As healers we find that we speak similar language even if it is across space and time.
i can't stand to see a tree cut down...it pained me, even when i was young.
we should all honor and respect our mother. it's amazing to me that that's still so difficult for people to understand.
peace
ms.bliss.honeycomb - I love your name by the way! Yes, it pains me too to see a tree cut down. It also even pains me to see someone throw a cigarette butt out of their car window.
It is the most challenging task for humans to love the Earth. It only shows us how much hate we have for ourselves and our communities that we created. The Mother will show us the greatest lesson in loving ourselves and her in time.
Inawendiwin!
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