Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth
brown earth, we are earth.
~ Joy Harjo

Just as much as it can serve us to “grow wings” by looking up at expansive vistas, so too are we served by cultivating a sense of groundedness. We may not be rooted like trees, but we can reconnect our living body with the living body of the Earth and experience a deeply embodied form of belonging. “Remember the earth whose skin you are,” invites Joy Harjo in the poem “Remember.” 

Invitation for Practice

If weather and circumstances permit, try walking or simply standing still outside, barefoot on different terrains. How does grass feel under the soles of your feet? Stone? Sand? Wet or dry soil? You could also touch the earth with your hands, stroke a tree trunk, smell a fragrant plant. If you’re unable to get outside, you might simply imagine the feeling of natural ground — what can you sense from the Earth’s crust beneath you? Feel yourself “rooted” wherever you are. Cultivate intimacy with the land you live on as you would with any of your loved ones: touch, nestle, express your kinship and devotion in any way you can.

We invite you to share your reflections in the space below the author bio.

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Enjoy the full seven-day Nourishing Our Nature practice.


Fabiana Fondevila is a writer and teacher from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her latest book, “Where Wonder Lives: Practices for Cultivating the Sacred in Your Daily Life” was published in February 2021. Fabiana teaches online workshops and seminars on living a life of awe and radical aliveness. You can learn more about her offerings at FabianaFondevila.com. She is also a founding member of Vivir Agradecidos, our organizational partner in Argentina.

Image by Pinkasem Muisri/Unsplash


Nature
Practices
Fabiana Fondevila

Fabiana Fondevila

About the author

Fabiana Fondevila is a writer and teacher from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her latest book, “Where Wonder Lives: Practices for Cultivating the Sacred in Your Daily Life” was published in February 2021. Fabiana teaches online workshops and seminars on living a life of awe and radical aliveness. You can learn more about her offerings at FabianaFondevila.com. She is also a founding member of Vivir Agradecidos, our organizational partner in Argentina.