I have a strong relationship with the world around me and the multi-verse of reality. I call it a relationship because it is interactive and mutually supportive. While the sun and moon do not need me to admire their beauty to exist, I do need them, and like a child who relies on their parents for survival, I am thankful and appreciative for the care they provide. The trees, insects, animals, rivers, rocks, and fae beings do however rely to a certain extent on how we interact with them. If I am neglectful and thoughtless my actions may very likely cause them harm, if I am thinking of their needs as well as my own and supportive I help them to thrive, which is not only necessary for their survival but my own!
One of the problems facing our modern society is a feeling of disconnect from the world around us. We are jaded; our minds overloaded by the constant stimulus of our high-tech world, many of us have given up trying, simply choosing to exist with a click-click-click, scroll through life mindset. This feeling of being lost is like sitting in an eternal waiting room in which all we do is flip through trash magazines nursing our anxiety as we become more and more exhausted by the wait, and for what? What are we waiting for? We are waiting to live!
If I counted up all the wasted minutes I have spent looking at something stupid online or watching a movie I didn't even really pay attention to it would most likely make me seriously consider going cold-turkey from technology, and I consider myself to have a healthy relationship with the electronic world. This glut of digital input has become more all-encompassing since we were all put into our boxes due to the pandemic. While this time of seclusion has been necessary it has also brought to the attention of many of us how disconnected we are from life. We did not incarnate to watch Netflix and scroll Facebook. We came here to experience living!
I've been thinking about co-creation a lot lately, how we co-create the life we are living and how to make changes in our lives we must first believe it possible. This is what stumps most people, they don't even know where to start. Many of us want to have a deeper experience of living but do not know what steps to take to do so, which is why many seek out religion; they are looking for guidance, seeking a road map to existence. But we are living in a different world one in which having knowledge available to us at the click of our fingers we struggle with the dogma of religion, seeing the pieces that just simply aren't logical and in seeing such we cannot allow ourselves to accept the philosophy.
Spirituality and religion differ in the fact that religion comes with a set of rules agreed upon by the founders that are often required in full if you are to be part of the flock. In general, such things are not bad and many find solace in having 'mom & dad' tell them what to do and how they should see the world. Spirituality gives us insight and asks us to seek personal experiences ourselves, giving us permission to question the higher-power and the ability to develop a personal relationship. Again it is not for everyone, as spirituality requires us to become explorers in our own lives. Neither one is good nor bad, and many find they mix the two together in their own cocktail of universal understanding. But it's my thought that if you found your way here to my writings you lean more toward wanting a personal relationship of your own with the divine and the universe you call home.
The word sacred refers to something we hold in reverence, give honor and respect to, and often see as holy. The world is sacred to me, the unknown realm of spirit is sacred to me, and the multiverse of soul incarnations are sacred to me.
I take time for the sacred every day, even if it's as simple as standing outside for ten minutes on a cold January morning letting the sunshine on my face. At that moment I close my eyes and breathe deep, as I connect with my senses and become fully present. I do not reserve time with the sacred for big rituals and ours of devotion, I connect to the sacred when I hear a crow caw from the forest behind my house, responding by saying "I hear you Crow, and good morning to you!". Whether the crow is really cawing at me does not really matter, I am most certainly cawing at it.
I set up altars in the woods that are both beautiful and magical, always with offerings for both the elemental spirits and the woodland creatures who may need a little help getting through winter. I sprinkle offerings of sweet herbs and incense on my fire and thank it for the warmth it offers to my body and soul. I dip my fingers into the water and snow and anoint my third-eye, crown, and heart as I connect to the spirit of water. I recognize the ways the universe is communicating with me and I speak back. While some may think it silly or strange, these little interactions with the living world are far more beneficial for us than the endless hours we waste on entertaining ourselves.
It is never too late to start a personal relationship with the universe, and you need no one's permission or instructions to do so. Now in this time when more than ever people are searching, try looking at the beauty that surrounds you. Take a few moments to savor your coffee instead of drinking it down like rocket-fuel. Close your eyes and feel the sunlight shining on your face before you walk into the office in the morning, shut off the computer and spend sometimes looking at all the amazing things you have collected over the years, enjoy the life you have manifested, and remember we are here to live! My suggestion is to live your life as if everything you do has the possibility of connecting you more deeply to yourself and the world, live sacredly!
spreading love-
salicrow
ps-those of you looking for a good primer to creating a sacred relationship with the elemental world may want to check out my year-long online course 'The Elements of Magic'.