We speak often about the importance of a connection with the other-than-human world, and this is it. Seeing, studying, witnessing another being. Recognizing that it, too, has intelligence and soul. Different than mine, but equally essential and worthy of awe and respect. This means, of course, that my existence (and yours) is also essential, and worthy of awe and respect.

At the IEI, we believe one of the most powerful ways to align with our soul’s gifts is through self-designed ceremony. When we connect with something larger than ourselves, we bring in the holy and renew our connection with the more than human world. Through deep listening, we hear whispers from our guides and feel the heartbeat of our ancestors living in us. With the sacred offering of our attention, we receive messages from the Earth about what we can do to strengthen planetary diversity and remember our interconnectedness and belonging.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been suggesting that, you find a way, even if for only the briefest of moments, to forget what things are called, and instead see what they are.

Of course, this is easier said than done. It requires that we slow down and gather our attention, directing our presence into the moment. In our fast-paced, distraction-riddled world, this can seem nearly impossible.

Just remember, you can start small…

Every time the faculty of The Verdant Collective gets together to craft an offering, we find that no matter the specific content, our intention ultimately comes back to one thing.

BELONGING

One thing we have in common is that the four of us have parts that were painfully rejected by family, friends, institutions, and beyond. Oh my goodness how we’ve wanted to feel loved and held by those who simply couldn’t! We’ve shared stories with each other about moments of despair when we felt too broken or too weird to ever be really welcome in this world.

In our world of busy-ness and sound bytes we tend to rush from one thing to the next, shoveling things into our bodies and minds, rarely giving ourselves the time and space to actually taste and metabolize what we are taking in. And we want you to be able to take this in. It’s quite possible that your life actually depends on it.

One way to begin to chip away at the roots of body image is to begin to ask yourself questions as you dress and adorn your body: Who is this for? Am I wearing this for me? For you? To fit into the dominant culture? Am I wearing this because I’m supposed to? Because it’s what is expected of me? Or, because it’s what I actually want to be wearing?