Unraveling the Patriarchy Through Communion with Gaia
Unraveling the Patriarchy Through Communion with Gaia
By Sophia Solomonson with additions from Eliza
Communion with nature is a practice that feeds my health on all levels.
The natural wonders of Gaia pull me out of space and time. Here I merge with the subtle realms, my heart opens, and my inner landscape becomes one of equanimity. Walking in reciprocity with the natural world is where I am reignited with unconditional love.
A couple of years ago I chose to move back to Michigan after living in Colorado for most of my adult life. It goes without saying that nature is a bit different in the Detroit area than the mountains of Boulder. However, Michigan is a spirited land with many delights that are found at every turn with a lens looking for Her beauty.
The Great Lakes hold the most wonder of this lovely Peninsula; and while I am fortunate enough to spend time with them, those visits are reserved for special occasions at this juncture in my existence.
My daily dose of Mama Gaia is characterized by long walks through the giant oaks of my neighborhood. While I grieve the privilege of instantaneous relief that the medicine of the Rocky Mountains offer so generously, the flat lands remind me how personable and lively the urban trees and shrubs are here.
This return to my home-state is an opportunity to reroot while also branching out. The wounded ancestry I once ran from for healing is now calling me home to build a solid foundation. I am restoring in who I am and what I incarnated for within my birth land.
Some of my earliest friends were these trees and bushes. These grounded plants are ready to play and console at any time. They are available to meet me where I am at emotionally.
I develop unique relationships with each plant on my neighborhood walks. Some crack me up everytime I see them! Others pull me in and hug me, even when I am so upset I do not want to be touched. Some are the stoic protectors of our land and offer a place to purge. These trees are my well healed friends and family.
I laugh with them, I cry to them. I dance with the sounds of their leaves. I lean into them for support and to share love.
My local trees open me in such a way that the programs of the wounded, the illness of the patriarchy instilled in my childhood, falls away. I am safe to express, safe to be a spectrum of emotion, safe to be magical, intuitive, and beautiful.
What would seem like a meek arborscape in comparison to the mountains has reignited my communion with the plant realm in a holy way. There is much to be said about ancestral lands and the unique ways they can hold us.
The more I open to the powerhouse of this urban landscaping, to the plant queendom here that clearly holds so much space for so many, I can uproot the wounds of the patriarical belief system. I can remind myself of the power of the unseen feminine; and not silence my body, while I forge a path for further expansion and exploration.
Featured Art: Lori Menna
Blog Art: Kate Bedell