Let Gaia speak: give Earth a voice in your project
A Legend from Summer Camp Dragon Dreaming and Possibility Management in french Pyrenees.
One of the first things that comes to mind when I think of Summer Camp “Giving Body and Roots to our Dreams” is Connection to the Earth. The topic came up when we were determining Songlines¹ and snowball goals. It was clear that Connecting to the Earth was obviously the second priority after the program we had to concoct on D-Day, for the residency outing.
One of the most common fears in the group, and one that came up again and again in connection with the messages delivered by Nature, was the fear of projecting our world onto the world around us: “What if I were the one telling myself stories about what the Earth is telling me? This legitimate concern — the fear of slipping between the real and the imaginary — can be the starting point of our investigations rather than the end: so I suggested we take it into account and immerse ourselves in nature to begin with.
We left on Thursday for Gourgue d’Asque, also known as “the little Amazon”, probably because of its mysterious and profoundly energetic nature. It’s a place where I’ve observed some very special energetic phenomena and had the impression of being “all over the world”, such is the diversity and power of life manifested in the forms, the diversity of species and the surprises that can await us at every turn: spotted salamanders emerging? Springs appearing beneath the rocks? Magnificent bathing spots? A certain excitement was palpable within the group, and a fierce desire to experiment was present as our day out approached.
Top start. We decide to leave in silence, despite the number of visitors to the site. I remember judging people in the past who didn’t answer me when I said “hello”: now I’m their exact mirror, and this time I’m the one who doesn’t say anything. Ordinary politeness has given way to experimentation. What happens when we are silent? The desire to communicate is different, our attention is different: all focused on the green of the moss and foliage, the grey of the rocks, the sounds of our walk and the pebbles crunching under our shoes.
Breathing.
The mountain trembles. Rocks emerge from between the trees. Panic-stricken fear for some running upstream. I stay and watch. I’m convinced there’s a message in this, so I pick up the pace as the fall is uncertain and coming our way. At a distance, the other part of the group had slowed down upstream. Maude says : “My body told me to slow down and I decided to listen to it”. “I was really scared,” says Ludivine, trying to calm down and breathe.
What did Gaia mean by this rock fall? “Why do you prioritize money over connection to the earth?” is the first thought that flies through my mind, still galvanized by the fear of the falling rocks. The energy flows through me at a high level, and clarity emerges in this message: it’s not me who’s making it up. The phrase comes up: “neither below nor above, but part of the ecosystem”, followed by “we’ve forgotten that we’re part of the ecosystem because we’ve decimated our biggest predators, yet we’re still mortal and interdependent on this ecosystem”.
Two people in the group have developed a clearer ability to connect with and receive messages from the Earth. By working on our intuition, by spending time experimenting over many years, we’ve developed a 6th sense: the muscle of our intuition vis-à-vis the natural elements. One of these tools, extremely simple, is to ask ourselves the question “What were you thinking just before you came across that animal or saw that sign?”. Clearly, before the rocks fell, I was thinking about money and the summer camp economy, because this is a subject that human groups can tend to relegate to the background because of resistance to modern culture’s irresponsible use of it for wealth-grabbing, egocentric or speculative purposes. The message is clear to me, as it is to Ludivine, who is still breathing, her heart throbbing from her run and her fear. “Nature is there to put you back on the right path“ is the message she picks up, in the sense of ”do now what’s important for you, not what’s urgent“ and ”it’s now, it’s your life”.
We resume our walk, shaken for some, revived for others, I have the impression that this “ordeal” has opened us up more, that we look with sharper, more precise eyes. We set off in search of a place to bathe in the river. As a group, we’ve decided it’s okay to bathe naked together. After a moment’s hesitation and the discovery that what is usually a very generous stream has almost dried up, we turn back and eventually find a basin to bathe in. There are a few passers-by on the other side, but our desire to taste the water is stronger. Strangely enough, the flow of passers-by stopped while we were bathing.
The water is cold, but that doesn’t stop us from tasting it, like a source of vitality that revives us and brings us closer together. The presence of our nakedness and this powerful, vibrant nature touches me, touches us: a feeling of fullness, of connection, of truth is palpable in our eyes, and the agility of our gestures, the gentleness of our movements is a consequence.
We head back to the parking lot to return to our cars. And we propose our intimate game created by Ludivine and myself: “What does potatoes feel?” Interaction begins, and the first card drawn for Gaïa is “How do you feel right now, with your 4 feelings: anger, fear, sadness and joy? Once again my body ‘clicks’ and points out Gaia’s anger that we Europeans spend more time doing accounting and business plans instead of being with the ferns, plants and trees. I’m angry too, but in a separate, distinct way: I hear her anger and feel angry about it.
On the way back, the discussion with Maude connects me to what Gaia is glad about: my project! She will testify through the mouths of our multiple companions that Gaïa has joy that we create projects that support ecology and that she is represented and alive through our projects. “But why really?” Maude’s questions bring me back to more precision every time: I’m doing my project for the Love of play and sincerity. I want to welcome people who want to play with sincerity to my Permaculture café in Bagnères de Bigorre.
On the way back to the car, a certain calm set in despite the side door that couldn’t open and the climbing of the front seats to sit down. As I chatted with my fellow passengers and pondered the questions posed to the Earth, the impression of equanimity emerged, along with sadness that humans were disconnected from Gaia and fear that she wasn’t listening and would have to express herself more forcefully, even if it meant shaking us up.
L’Autel en honneur à Gaïa was born of this first encounter at Gourgue d’Asque and the immersion that followed in the evening as we returned to Le Mélilot.
Another form of immersion, through the senses, is proposed.
We set off again, one blindfolded, the other guiding him as we descended into the forest, after a centering and grounding meditation guided by Paloma. The descent into the forest was carried out in silence, so that each of us could pick up in our own way the code of trust imprinted by the other’s hand on our shoulder, with gentle pressure giving direction.
The bursts of laughter, the unexpected, the invitation to taste nature with all 5 senses recreates an ineffable, unspeakable, subtle, real bond. Karin and Julien, still blindfolded, spray each other laughing. Karin’s hand meets another’s, as if wondering “whose is it? Many tasted raspberries, smelled flowers, touched leaves and tree bark, all the while getting used to a new balance with their eyes closed. There’s a kind of fulgurance that gives the connection to Nature something uncontrollable, immanent, real beyond the real. Reawakening our senses at the expense of sight, which tends to take up 80% of our attention, is one of the first steps.
Something unexpected happens on the way: a sheep gets stuck in the fence. Time to take care of the animal, and the walk resumes with murmurs and questions. The sound of the drum beckons us to the ‘Phénix’ space, named for its circle built around the fire. An intimate space, dedicated to relationships, which will ultimately serve to enliven our inner fire for Nature and Gaia.
Paloma reads us her text, inspired by her moments of connection and meditation with the place. “ … “. Inspired by Bùto, the Japanese art of disappearing into nature, and my connection to Auroville, as well as Mira Alfassa’s texts, regularly speaking to plants, animals and minerals, the whole world can be seen as “one communicating organ”, and joins certain Buddhist philosophies of “equanimity” (everything is right in the moment) and aboriginal cultures of “everything is interconnected, intertwined”.
The invitation is to disappear into nature. To leave and let ourselves be absorbed by nature. Unlike the focus of concentration, we use the focus (the energy body in Possibility Management) to dilute ourselves. “And what if you became nature?” says ‘The Mother’, as the Auroville Indians call her, in reference to her capacity to embrace Unconditional Love in action. The phrase comes back to me : “And if all your attention, all your presence were absorbed by a state of adoration of nature”.
Disappearance.
As I set up the fire, I testify to my difficulty in overcoming my emotional anger at finding myself faced with the uncontrollable: the forces of nature through the ewe trapped in the fence and my partner’s ability to be directive. The bonds we’ve forged upstream have a lot to do with this: I open up spontaneously to Paloma, expressing my pain at being under the expectation that “something bad is going to happen” or “that I’ve made a mistake”. “What do you need?” she asks. “I’m fine with making a fire. Touching twigs, getting back in touch with my physical body, with matter brings me back”. Click’ goes my energy body: it’s time to make fire for those who will reappear from the forest².
The physical body is fully utilized: I’m in touch with my sensations, listening to my beating heart, my muscular tensions and relaxations, the position of my skeleton.
The Mental Body is at the service of action or placidity: I’m not in the stories I tell myself, I’m thinking in relation to an action, whether it’s writing this article or calculating my next step, it’s connected to a Necessity to act.
The Emotional Body lets me feel the world, what I want, what I don’t want, why I feel anger, sadness, fear and joy.
The Energetic Body is focus, clarity, presence, precision of concentration, 100% here with its attention.
Connection to this Archetypal Body occurs once all the other bodies are open and connected: I feel fully invested in the mission entrusted to me. This state of full connection to all that surrounds me can be perceived in some incredibly lively animals. Have you ever observed the speed of the lizard? The lightning speed of a bird? The strange presence of the salamander?
Our enforested³ guests join us, following their instincts and the sound of the drum. The circle is open: we invite the intuitions gathered from each of them as they ‘disappear’.
A second obstacle looms in the silence: “Is Gaia’s message strong enough to be heard? I still remember the Mother’s message on this subject: “Everyone will be able to say ‘oh, this statement isn’t strong enough for me to prioritize it”.
If “everyone sees noon at his own door”, it’s unlikely in Western society that messages from the earth will be heard. And I’m not even talking about the sociopaths in power, disconnected from all common sense and with their heads buried in their business plans.
So it’s more than necessary to make room for the importance of the message itself, by sharing it. Did you imagine that messages from the Earth could nourish and embellish your project? That’s the plan we’ve made.
The 3rd obstacle on the horizon: the temptation to remain in the known and avoid the experience of the present moment. As the silence set in, the 3rd social taboo of Western society came back to my door: “no! silence is embarrassing”.
I think we’d bonded too much for that to happen. We had bonded enough. The silence was there. However, a tension persisted, pushing us to go further. The desire to bring in the inspiration of shamanism during this moment for Paloma and the desire to connect to our invented field for this event leads us both to say “no” one after the other. Like guardians of space, ready to defend it. A new, deeper silence emerges.
This final joust for silence has reached its goal. Despite the desire to fill the void, silence persists. A kind of indescribable sweetness flows through me. The embers gradually fade in intensity. That evening, I experienced a rare moment of plenitude and serenity. To have tasted such intimacy in a group after 7 days was a delicious moment of grace that I’ll never forget: a little like rain after a heatwave, a lull after a whirlwind, a space-time out of time.
‘Letting Gaia speak’ was celebrated the following day with the erection of an altar in her favor, as well as moments of silence again shared on the way out.
¹A ‘Songline’ is a sung itinerary in Australian Aboriginal culture, initiated by the ancestor of each tribe in the time of dream and creation, which enabled him to find his way. It is handed down from generation to generation. Each family has its own distinct song, so they can be recognized from one another. Only members of the same family sing this song. It is with this song that they find their bearings in space. The song also recounts the life of the ancestor in the original time of creation. “Aboriginal creation myths speak of legendary totemic beings who roamed the entire continent in the time of the dream. And it was by singing the names of everything they came across along the way — birds, animals, plants, rocks, waterholes — that they brought the world into existence “ (Summary and quotation marks from Bruce Chatwin’s Song of the Tracks). It’s also a way of life for a project, allowing us to remember and not forget any element, while leaving a creative, non-linear or unexpected part in the process, so as to leave room for the living.
See the article “Creating collectively” below for more information on ‘Songlines’ and the Karrabirdt process.
²In Possibility Management, there is the 5 bodies distinction, with which the aborigines, where the inspiration for Permaculture and Dragon’s Dreaming comes from, are much more familiar. In “Mutant message down under”, Marlo Morgan talks about the ability of human beings, starting from nothing, to feel their way through the desert without starving. Unexpectedly, a tribe heads out, their senses alert and present, celebrating the discovery of long-awaited water. The practice of connecting with your archetypal body, also defined by a psychologist as ‘Flow’ in work teams or within yourself. Also some novels of Orson Scott Card depict other states of consciousness, like the encounter with the people of the Eartn Treason. These are interesting novels to get aquainted to.
³Term used in Baptiste Morizot’s book “Sur la piste animale”, which refers to the action of retreating into the forest for the Quebecers. The term is extended here to cover the whole action of disappearing into the wild.