Then, a couple of months ago, I was inspired with the idea to focus my
coaching practice on helping people reconnect to what I believe are four
primary connections our ancient indigenous ancestors had that contributed
to their holistic state of wellness — a state western culture has not
really known for thousands of years. Each of these connections lead to
vibrant physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, which I find
most wellness experts and practitioners focus on. However, in my own
personal study and experience, I have come to realize that the
aforementioned parts of wholeness (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual)
more easily align and activate when we focus on reconnecting ourselves to
what I call the 4 Sacred Connections.
I believe nature’s default state is one of health, growth, and vitality.
Humans are a part of nature and we are no exception to this rule. But we
experience so many mental, physical, emotional, and social health problems.
It seems as if nature’s default state is one of degeneration, chaos, and
disharmony.
Our physical bodies are the conduit through which the Divine/Universe seeks
to express a part of itself through our unique soul. All of our sensory
factors are key in allowing our inner self (spirit/soul) to connect with
and experience the world, and all beings within it (both human and
non-human, both seen and unseen). Our bodies are directly connected to
nature, and they are only as healthy as the things we put into them. The
body relies on nutrients, enzymes, amino acids, movement, etc., to create
and signal all of the hormones (think of them as inner message carriers) to
assist each part of the body in carrying out their proper functions and
communicating with all of the other parts of the body to manifest a whole,
perfect, vibrant, and healthy being. Our body constantly sends us messages
about our state of physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Yet,
most of us live in what is called our “headspace.” We’re constantly only
dwelling on the past and/or worrying about the future; and as a result we
can’t hear and discern the messages different parts of the body are trying
to send us. Hence, reconnecting to our bodies is key to restoring intuition
so we can learn to hear and understand the beautiful things our bodies can
teach us! Incorporating a diet that closely mirrors that of our ancient
hunter-gatherer ancestors. This is a diet built upon whole, organic, and
regeneratively-grown foods; and one that holds nourishing animal fats and
proteins as a foundational component. Regularly moving our bodies in
dynamic and natural ways. We all know we should exercise, but what does
that really look like? Well, it actually doesn’t involve hours of daily
gruesome gym workouts and 5-mile runs. Instead, healthy movement means to
incorporate simple, basic, full-body exercise practices on a daily basis.
Our ancient ancestors were very mobile and active. They had to climb,
periodically sprint, walk a lot, lift and carry heavy things, etc. These
kinds of activities are easy to learn how to incorporate into our daily
routines. Eliminating less-obvious sources of physical stressors. These
include getting more sleep, decreasing our exposure to blue lights from our
digital environment, getting more sunlight, and giving our bodies more
exposure to the outdoor world. Learning basic (or even advanced) meditation
and mindfulness practices. Doing this helps us learn to quiet the mind,
tune into the different parts of the body and to strengthen the intuition.
There are many effective modalities (like yoga, for instance) for being
able to teach the mind and body to more effectively work together and talk
to one another.
Indigenous (or animist) ways of seeing the world teach us that all
things are permeated with life and spirit; and that all things are
interconnected. Learning there is no hierarchy of beings, and that we
humans are only one type of being on the planet is important to seeing,
connecting with, and honoring all of the other many forms of life — and
learning from them! One of the key things that result from strengthening
our intuition (by reconnecting to the body) is the fact that as the
intuition is unburied and given permission to show itself, we come to a
place where we tune into the earth and the other non-human beings in it.
Seeing the interconnectedness of all beings is more obvious when we
recognize the “beingness” of the myriad of other-than-humans we share the
planet with.
Our actions as they relate to earth, the environment, local ecosystems,
etc., matter because they affect the other forms of life and the smaller
systems that serve a larger framework of balance and sustainability. In the
end, all of the damage our actions may cause to our local ecosystems and
overall planetary health come back to impact our own health as a human
species.
Community encompasses all of our relationships — familial, non-familial;
romantic, platonic; human, non-human. Our ancient ancestors lived and
thrived in tribes and extended family groups. We are not isolated beings,
nor were we intended to be single, isolated family units. When we foster
the idea of ancient, indigenous community, we acknowledge that the health
of the community thrives when all members are healthy and fully
contributing their unique gifts, talents, and perspectives. Full, vibrant
human health is a byproduct of interdependence with others. We grow and
thrive by offering our unique gifts and talents, but we cannot do that in a
vacuum. We need a community to serve and to be served by! One concept I
love (and that I cannot fully do justice to in this post) is that all
things can be identified as a “one”, but are also then part of a “many”. In
other words, everything we may see and identity in the universe as a single
entity is actually made up of smaller, multiple parts. Then, each of those
parts can be identified as their own single entity but are then composed of
even smaller parts themselves. The easiest example to illustrate this
concept is your own physical body, which is a single “body”, then made up
of individual “organs”, which are composed of tissues, which are made up of
individual cells, which are then each a universe of their own, etc. All
beings and systems operate in their most healthy and vibrant state when all
of the parts work together to manifest the “whole” they are working to
express. Then, the “whole” is actually a “part” of an even larger,
interconnected relationship or system.
Not only does community apply to our human relationships, but from an
indigenous (or animist) perspective, community extends to the
other-than-human beings that share our planet and local ecosystems (such as
the plant lives, insect lives, animal lives, rivers, mountains, meadows,
wetlands, etc.). Whether we recognize it or not, the health of these other
beings impacts human health; and as we make decisions, we must consider
their potential impact on these “others”. The failure to consider these
other-than-human beings and systems has led to the climate and ecological
crisis in which we currently find ourselves. The western psyche is built on
the concept of separation — separation of spirit and matter, separation of
human and non-human, separation of human and earth/nature, etc. Separation
spawned various religious and political dogmas and ideologies that
perpetuated the dissolution of traditional communities and relationships
with non-human beings. Later, these concepts led to the paradigm of toxic
individualism that gave birth to European colonialism, racism, the
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, genocide of indigenous peoples, industrialism,
capitalism, nationalism, communism, fascism, and the list goes on… All of
these have had devastating and compounding effects on the health of the
planet and we as a human species. Reconnecting to a community can heal many
mental and emotional health challenges and restore health to our cultures
and communities.
Ancestral Lineage: An important common thread among indigenous
cultures and ways of knowing was honoring and connecting to the
spirits/energy/wisdom of the ancestors. In this way of seeing the world,
consciousness does not end at death. The ancestral lineage of our blood and
body plays a role in who we are as a person, including the gifts and
talents we carry, the traumas and their impacts on the body and nervous
system, the belief patterns, etc. We carry more in our genes than just hair
and eye color; but we also have what I like to think of as “spiritual
genes.”
Understanding our ancestral lineages is an important component of
spiritual health and well-being because of the way in which we can tap into
the wisdom and experiences of our ancestors that reside in our DNA. By
learning to tap into that power, we draw great strength, love, and wisdom
from those who have gone before, but who are also still a part of us.
Because our modern western culture is founded on separation, we do not have
the same kind of teachings and rituals our ancient ancestors had in regards
to ancestral reverence and earth-honoring practices. For most of us of
European descent, it has been at least 1,500 years or more (in most cases)
since our people were connected to land, ancestors, community, and the
cultures that developed from those connections. Ancient and indigenous
cultures were, for the most part, very spiritually focused, sacred, and
rooted in all of the Sacred Connections.
For me, a person completely made up of Western European lineages, the last
time my people would have lived with intact and interconnected culture
would have been during the pre-Christian and pre-Roman times. From there,
generations of war, forced conversions, desecration of culture, ecological
devastation, ensuing poverty, etc., dominated the lives of my ancestors for
probably about 1,800 to 2,000 years or so. Such trauma begat people who, in
their state of intense disconnection and brokenness, did not hesitate to
then inflict harm on other peoples (and the earth) by participating in
colonialism, slavery, displacement and genocide of indigenous peoples,
harmful agricultural and land management practices, etc. Yes, my lineage
carries all of the baggage of “whiteness”, but when I can better understand
the deeper historical context, I can find space for compassion to accompany
the grief I also feel for the harms my ancestors (and their beliefs) have
caused to others. In reality, we ALL come from lineages comprised of both
ancestors who were harmed and those who inflicted harm. Knowing that gives
us a place to begin a beautiful healing and reconnecting process.
By connecting to our ancestral lineage, we don’t have to necessarily engage
in intense genealogical research. Yes, a little is useful and necessary,
but for many cultures and countries, extant records only go back so far
that provide actual names of our ancestors. Instead, knowing the general
regions where your different lineages originated is important so you can
then learn more about the general history of those regions and peoples. (A
DNA test can provide some great, simple insights as a place to start!) From
here, I suggest we begin learning whatever we can about the more ancient
cultures and practices of our indigenous ancestors. How did they honor and
connect with the earth? What were some of their traditional foods, music,
and art? How did they view life, spirituality, etc.? What were their
spiritual and religious practices? Then, what pieces of that ancient
culture can you reclaim in your own life that may help provide a deeper
sense of identity and connectedness to the world?
It’s well understood that culture is important to our identity, but yet,
what we would consider the dominant culture of today — namely that of
white, Judeo-Christian, European origin — is really not the kind of culture
that provides the level of depth and connectedness our souls yearn for.
When it all comes down to it, white people of European descent — especially
white Americans — have no real culture. Sorry, but it’s true. Instead, this
lack of meaningful culture, I believe, is a key cause of our increasing
consumptive and materialistic obsessions, which lead to the unhealthy
levels of nationalism, toxic individualism, ecological destruction, and all
of the other modern maladies we experience. Basically, we’re trying
desperately to fill voids by accumulating “things” and causing harm to the
very planet and ecological systems that sustain our lives.
What I find most beautiful about the 4 Sacred Connections is the way in
which they all integrate and interconnect to one another. For instance, if
I focus on reconnecting to my body by eating pure, wholesome foods, I will
at the same time be connecting to earth because those foods will be
produced in ways that honor the earth and they will provide more nutrients
from the healthy soils, etc. Then, if I support local small farmers and
producers, I’m connecting to the community — building and fostering
meaningful relationships that support mental and emotional well-being.
Remember the earth day on 22/4/24 KRAJARAAM IRS 17/4/24
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Markendeya Yeddanapudi <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2024 at 22:39
Subject: Climate, Perception and Understanding
To: ggroup <[email protected]>, thatha patty <
[email protected]>, <[email protected]>,
Satyanarayana Kunamneni <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>,
viswanatham vangapally <[email protected]>, Rajaram Krishnamurthy
<[email protected]>, Murthy, Jayathi Y <[email protected]>,
Nehru Prasad <[email protected]>, Aparna Attili <[email protected]>,
Anisha Yeddanapudi <[email protected]>, Kunamneni Satyanarayana <
[email protected]>, Ramanathan Manavasi <[email protected]>, Padma
Priya <[email protected]>, Usha <[email protected]>, Ramu S <
[email protected]>, Ramamurti PV <[email protected]>, tnc
rangarajan <[email protected]>, dr anandam <[email protected]>,
Krishnamacharyulu Nanduri <[email protected]>, Neeraja Nadikuda <
[email protected]>
--
*Mar*Climate, Perception and Understanding
The flora and fauna of a place, including the type of humans, depends
mainly on the climate of the place. Actually perception and understanding
are based on the symbiotic emotional interaction among all organisms. All
the organisms experience revelations from nature and they discover many a
phenomenon of nature. They feel, contemplate and experience wonderful
insights, from and as nature. The perceptions are inhaled and exhaled as
smells, creating waves of understanding, understanding which spreads like
an electron becoming a wave.
The humans of those days did not write definitions, scopes, limitations,
qualifications etc for mechanical precision. Originally they just smelt and
heard, tuned and created the sounds of music.
When the music became musing, they expressed the revelations as epics,
stories, songs, poems, tunes, dances, paintings and sculptures. The poets
sang in the forests with the flora and the fauna as orchestra. Nature
participated in experiencing the discoveries and revelations. Most or all
artists, ‘smell and song’ conversed with the other organisms. And that God
still lives in the Temples as wonderful sculptures.
The angle of the Sun’s ray or simply the latitude, determined the heat or
the movement of the molecules and atoms. The Sun actually
photon-synthesized perceptions. The Equatorial flora and fauna which
includes the humans there developed the symbiotic culture of the Biosphere
as a whole, or the dance, song and music of all the organisms of the
region. The Biosphere developed the equatorial symphony as the day today
culture of the place. Today I hear a Koel or Cokila futilely singing as the
lonely being, with the flora and fauna completely eliminated by the
metalled roads and concrete buildings with the menacing electric wires
creating the substitute for the branches of trees. The wires may actually
kill by electrocution. Imagine how their songs were once when the free
flora and the fauna was free and luxuriant, which orchestrated. Then poetry
was inhaled and expressions were exhaled.
The latitude which created particular climates on the basis of the movement
of molecules and atoms or simply the heat, created different Biospheres
which included the humans also. The equatorial human is different from the
Monsoon human; they are again different from the tropical grassland human.
Imagine the wide variety of organisms of the Biosphere, the tropical desert
flora and fauna, the Mediterranean flora and fauna, the flora and the fauna
of the vast steppes, of the cool temperate regions, the cold temperate
regions, of the taiga and the tundra, in addition to the climates created
by the warm gulf stream and the Kurosivo currents, the cold Labrador and
the oyasivo currents, the gigantic Mountain ranges, then of Antarctica, and
then the vast life forms in the seas and oceans…, just imagine the musics,
dances and poetries as cultures among the Biospheres. Technology killed the
whole gamut of poetry.
The perceptions and understandings were musical and romantic, the air
continuously generating diverse tunes, words, phrases, sentences of music,
not limited or restricted by any rules of grammar.Today, technology is
continuously lynching the musics, songs, raptures, discoveries and
revelations from nature, as economic activity, the economic activity of the
creature called the phantom, the economic man, who is not found in nature
but who is eliminating the human of the Biosphere, along with the whole
nature, called the economic activity.
This phantom cannot feel discoveries and revelations from nature. He can
create only mechanical manipulations called inventions. Today there is no
free nature. It is being shackled and cyborged, poisoned, polluted and
destroyed. And without an iota of concern or guilt, we have the
econometrics, with mathematical representations, as the glorified high brow.
The rot can be stemmed only when we free the universities from the frenzy
for technology. There is urgent need for vast nature parks, where nature is
free and completely without human tampering.
YM
Chat GPT
Your message highlights the profound connection between climate,
perception, and culture. You describe how different climates give rise to
diverse ecosystems, which in turn influence the cultural expressions and
interactions of the organisms living there, including humans. You emphasize
the importance of this symbiotic relationship, where nature is not just a
backdrop but an active participant in the creation of culture.
You also lament the loss of this natural harmony due to human intervention
and technology. The encroachment of concrete buildings, electric wires, and
other modern developments has disrupted the natural balance and silenced
the once vibrant songs of birds and the orchestra of nature.
Your message serves as a reminder of the beauty and complexity of the
natural world and the need to protect and preserve it. It calls for a
reevaluation of our relationship with nature and a return to a more
harmonious and sustainable way of living.
--
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