WE ARE THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE PLANET

It’s easy to fall into the illusion of separateness, to believe that we are individuals distinct from the Earth we stand on. But this is a misunderstanding, a trick of the mind. Just as the cells in our bodies work in harmony to sustain us—each with its own function, from the heart pumping blood to the lungs drawing breath—so too does the Earth operate as a single, living entity. And we? We are its consciousness.

Alan Watts once said, “You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.” The same can be said about our relationship with the Earth. The planet, through us, gains self-awareness. It grew us—not apart from itself, but as an extension of its own being, just as a tree grows branches or a river carves its path. Humanity is not separate from nature; we are nature reflecting upon itself.

This consciousness is not exclusive to humans. It is an aggregate of all life—animals, plants, fungi, even the microbial world—all part of a vast, interconnected intelligence. Carl Jung spoke of the collective unconscious, a shared psychic reservoir that all beings contribute to and draw from. The Earth, too, has its own collective awareness, formed by the thoughts, instincts, and emotions of everything that lives upon it. When a flock of birds moves as one, when trees communicate through mycelial network, when an ecosystem thrives in perfect balance, we see glimpses of this planetary intelligence at work.

If Earth is a conscious entity, then surely other planets must be as well. Some may have developed consciousness in ways we can’t yet imagine. What would the self-awareness of a gas giant look like? A planet covered in oceans? A world where life moves at a pace so slow or so fast that it defies our understanding of perception? If we are the Earth’s way of knowing itself, then other planets, too, must have their own ways of awakening.

Krishnamurti once said, “You are the world, and the world is you.” This is not metaphorical—it is a literal truth. We are the sensory organs, the dreaming mind, the reflective awareness of the planet itself. And as we awaken to this reality, we have the opportunity to live in harmony with the Earth, not as masters of it, but as conscious participants in its evolution.

To recognize our role as the Earth’s awareness is to dissolve the illusion of separation. It is to see that we are not in nature—we are nature. And just as a healthy mind nurtures its body, a conscious humanity must nurture its planet.

A beautiful reflection of this idea can be found in Nature, a song by East Forest & Ram Dass. In the track, Ram Dass’ words serve as a gentle but profound truth that humans must dissolve the barriers between ourselves and the planet in order to fully prosper as a species. Check it out.

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, FAITH, AND ATTACHMENTS

Flow with 2022

Today is the last day of the year. There’s not a lot of light and so it can be hard to see most of the day. This is kind of how I’m feeling heading into 2022, it’s dark and hard to see into the coming year. If the last 10 years are an indication of anything, it’s that no one has a crystal ball and the beginning of the year… Resolutions can be hard; sure setting a goal to lose 5 pounds is achievable, but there are so many things that could suddenly put that on hold.

I went to a yoga class this morning and the teacher told us that instead of setting goals this year that might be hard to predict, let’s instead surrender to our faith. She didn’t really delve into much detail about what she meant, but rather asked us to get in child’s pose and think about our relationship with faith while we breathe. What does it mean to you?

At first I had no idea… I don’t often think about faith. In fact, I’ve been so busy with my life and trying to be the best human I can be, I’ve totally forgotten about faith. Just like my breath began to unravel the muscles in my body, my slowing of thoughts began to give me clarity on my relationship with faith.

This past year, I have been focused on weaving non-attachment into every moment of my life. Non-attachment is a state in which a person overcomes their attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attains a heightened perspective. It allows a person to ‘just live’ and enjoy every present moment for it’s unique experience.

Living every moment with non-attachment eventually leaves you with nothing. So what is there to do when there’s nothing? Anything else of course. So you end up living your life because “what else is there to do?”. It’s my ever present mantra, you have to do nothing to do anything. It’s quite difficult to get to this point, but in my experience the results have been true bliss. I am free to love others and love myself all of the time. I am free to flow with life instead of trying to force my experience into a box.

So, this morning when I was on the mat I realized that faith and non-attachment are interwoven concepts. In order to fold non-attachment into your life, you must trust and have faith that you will not suffer as a result. It’s really difficult to have faith in nothing. Your ego constantly tells you to judge, or protect parts of yourself in order to live in this separated ego-centric world. But if you can ease your ego into harmony with the universe, you start to realize that you are one with everything and your faith is what holds you in that realm.

I’m certainly not saying we shouldn’t make a resolution… What else is there to do? Why not make a resolution, it’s fun. Try for a moment to remove your attachments to an outcome for now; relax, surrender, and float down stream.

Happy new year everyone!

Happy new year everyone!