Arguably the most powerful force we'll ever encounter, Mother Earth fiercely reminds us of her unending power and presence in ways sometimes slow and persistent, and other times eruptive and volatile. From earthquakes and floods to hurricanes and landslides, the force of nature provides us with the backdrop for our existence. The winding, meandering stream created by centuries of resistance and erosion and the fields of smoldering volcanic rock slowly turning into fertile soil demonstrate correlations and similarities to our personal journeys.

If we view the Earth as our external environment, our bodies serve as vehicles to move around the planet. We're born into circumstance with a body of certain height, coloring, abilities, and so forth. We're born into these bodies to walk on the Earth and experience the gift of life. Like Mother Earth, our physical existence goes through personal evolutions of slow and persistent change, as well as volatile reactions to the world around us. The slow growth of bone, muscle, and tissue occur over time, while the quick responses to life are experienced in the sneeze or the itch or the sting. With the Earth as our macrocosm, the microcosm of our physical bodies undergoes transformation and sustains us for the duration of our lifetimes.

Give Birth to Your New Self

Mother Earth both confers and terminates life in a state of constant movement. From the brief lifespan of a sparrow to an epic glacial drift, our planet evolves in the glorious cycles of ebb and flow, growth and decomposition. Our attitudes toward death may change if we learn from our earthly examples in a state of never-ending birth. While the death of wildlife may appear finite, nature in turn gives birth to other creatures in the cycle. If an eagle swoops down to catch its prey, the prey gives its life as the nourishment for new life to come.