When I was a child, I loved running through the woods behind my house. I often pretended to be a Native American tracker, hunting for game or following enemy footprints. One day when I was about 9, I came across something I couldn’t make sense of. I ran into the house to get my older sister and later that day, when my cousins were visiting, we all went into the woods to look at this strange phenomenon.

What I showed them were bird tracks leading to a tree that was about 18 inches in diameter. As the tracks got closer, they gradually got wider until they went to opposite sides of the tree – one foot on either side of the tree. On the other side, the prints came gradually back together.

My logical brain still has no clue what to make of this. Did this bird somehow split and walk half of its body on either side of the tree? What other explanation could there be?

But, I assume my journey into metaphysics began there . . . in the woods. . . at that tree.

Maybe my whole spiritual exploration has been an attempt to answer the questions of an 9-year-old child standing in the woods confused by what life presented.

In that exploration, I have found that we are more than our bodies – that physical reality doesn’t always show up the way we expect. Even science tells us that reality isn’t as fixed as it appears – that things can shift between form and possibility.

When we move through life with the awareness that there is more to life than meets the eye, we become open to infinite possibilities. We let go of ideas instilled in us in our formative years, and sense that there are deeper layers to our existence. There is feeling, experiencing, and being in the moment aware of Presence as unlimited – aware of Presence as the essence of life.

We always stand on the edge of infinite possibility. In a single breath, the blink of an eye, everything can change if we are open to what might be, conscious that everything is Energy.

In that space, we remember that body, mind, and spirit are one. In that state of mind, we remember that we are one with the Earth, fire, water, and wind. We know that we are brothers and sisters with the fauna and the flora. We see our oneness with our neighbors, and everyone on the Earth. We remember are one with all that is.

But we often forget.

We don’t stand in that space of knowing for long and we easily fall back into the illusion of separation. We see the body as merely a physical structure, separate from all other bodies. Held long enough, that hardens and we develop an “us against them” mentality. And our bodies suffer for it.

Many Indigenous teachings tell us that the Earth is our Mother. Whenever we feel wounded or disconnected, we can return to the Mother and be held in her bosom, nurtured by her love and returned to wholeness – return to our inner unity.

Up Coming Events

To support our remembering, I invite you to join me at Unity Village for an Earth Day Return to the Mother ceremony. We will gather on Friday, April 24 at 6 PM. I will open the space by smudging the participants and calling in the spirits of the place. You will walk the path embraced by Reiki and come out to an Aura Bath as you depart.

Also, if you feel called to additional healing work, you are welcome to join the monthly Reiki Circle, held on the second Saturday of each month. The next date is April 11. In this space, you will receive the energy of a Reiki crystal, share energy with others, and extend that healing out into the world.

SoulBody Integration