Grateful Gathering

(Feel free to bring your lunch. You are also welcome to leave early if you need to get back to work.)

Theme Eleven: Belonging At Home in Nature

Feeling inextricably connected yet small in relationship with the natural world can lead us swiftly to a sense of the sacred. ~ Kristi Nelson

Summary
The natural world is one of the most resplendent and consistent sources of generosity in our lives — whether we experience it directly moment-to-moment or not. When we allow ourselves to tune in and pay attention, our Earth is perpetually nourishing and providing for us, sustaining life and offering its abundant gifts with a breathtaking and consistent flourish. We are fed, literally and figuratively, by the Earth’s offerings every day. All manner of things born of the Earth can awaken us to perspective. All manner of moments in Nature can offer us gratitude for life’s preciousness and remind us of our fragile and powerful bonds of connection.

Resources

Media
Falling in Love with the Earth: An Invitation to Healing and Connection (2:30): This reflection by ANGL’s executive director Kristi Nelson invites us to consider our deep and inextricable connection to the community of Earth and how we might honor and celebrate this mutual belonging. https://gratefulness.org/blog/falling-in-love-with-the-earth-an-invitation-to-healing-and-connection

O Gaia (6:30): In this essay, Br David suggests that we might address our environmental concerns by cultivating more depth in our lives through the rootedness that comes with a heart-centered commitment to the local world around us and through the play that comes with our storied human identity as gardeners and poets. https://gratefulness.org/resource/david-steindl-rast-gaia-poetry-intuition-nature/

Poem
Thank You by Ross Gay https://gratefulness.org/resource/thank-you/

Practice
Mother Earth Practice: This practice by John Bell and inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh invites us to express gratitude, regrets, and apologies to the Earth. https://gratefulness.org/resource/mother-earth-practice/

Additional Resources
Returning the Gift (6:00): In this essay, Robin Wall Kimmerer calls us to cultivate a more grateful relationship with the Earth by practicing reciprocity for the many gifts it bestows. https://gratefulness.org/resource/returning-the-gift/

Behold (3:20): This video by Katie Teague sparks a sense of belonging with nature through lyrical meditation and inspiring time-lapse photography filmed within 20 miles of Ashland, Oregon, the filmmaker’s home. https://gratefulness.org/resource/behold/

Pale Blue Dot (3:26): In this video, Carl Sagan inspires humility and gratitude as he reflects on the Earth’s place in the cosmos, our place in the world, and our responsibility to cherish and care for it. https://gratefulness.org/resource/pale-blue-dot-carl-sagan/

Question for Reflection and Discussion

• What kinds of feelings, thoughts, and sensations tend to arise in you when you are present to nature?
• What opportunities do you have throughout the day to pause and tune in to the natural world? How might you increase these opportunities?
• What kinds of reminders help you to have a more grateful perspective on nature and its many gifts?
• How does the natural world offer you a more grateful perspective?
• When you see yourself — and all of life — as inextricably connected to the natural world, what opportunities do you feel moved to explore?
• How might honoring the aliveness, fragility, and gifts of nature invite you to act differently in the world? What might it inspire?

This event is free.

Facilitated by Karin Cross.