How Nature Can Inspire an Inner Retreat
The media has spoken (loud and clear). And so has Nature — but have we listened?
Every action generates a reaction. So where does this story of the corona virus begin? The im(media)te answer — this goes two months back when the threshold of wild bacteria crossed over from animals to humans, opening the gateway for an uncontrollable virus to spread. Yet the deeper answer to uncover the root cause of epidemics like this one in the past and inevitable future remains less obvious — it’s not something mainstream media generally talks about. That said, we can learn from Nature herself.
What Can We Learn From the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Global health expert Alanna Shaikh gave a powerful and important TED talk recently. In it, she bring us into this deeper story:
Alanna Shaikh during her TED Talk, “Coronavirus Is Our Future”
“Human choices are driving us into a position where we’ll see more outbreaks. Part of this is due to climate change and how a warming climate makes us more hospitable to viruses and bacteria. But it’s also about the way we’re pushing into the wild spaces on our planet…Human beings come into contact with wild life populations that they’ve never come into contact with before, and those populations have new kinds of diseases. Stuff we’re not ready for. As long as we make our remote places less remote, outbreaks will keep coming.”
As we know, Nature always seeks balance and stasis. When left to its own devices, the intelligence of Nature finds a way back to wholeness with effortless ease. When disrupted, we see the symptoms of dis-ease play out in subtle and sometimes more powerful ways (case in point: the virus).
Finding Freedom in Solitude
As we observe Nature right now, we see pollution lifting in the countries most affected. According to the LA Times, NASA and the European Space Agency satellites have reported massive drops in air pollution concentration in China and Italy (source).The lungs of our Earth are finding space to breathe again. Our carbon footprint has significantly reduced as we reorganize ourselves away from industry and production in the physical world and travel within.
If we are part of Nature herself, it is possible to shed new light on this situation — as one of undesirable confinement to one of desirable solitude (for now). With a conscious reframe, we can choose to see the parallel of a cleaner carbon footprint in our external world with a cleaner mental footprint in our internal world. Withdrawing from busyness as we discover the inner limitless reserves of stillness and resourcefulness already inside. Seekers across multiple spiritual traditions have sought out this exact solitude for greater understanding of self beyond the constructs of ego and attachments. If we were to drop into the space of solitude, what teachings from Nature would come through for us?
In this time of crisis, we find it valuable to remember that suffering can also be our greatest teacher. And like all things, this too shall pass. Instead of playing the blame game, dwelling on the uncontrollable or resisting what has presented itself, we turn to the wisest teacher of all.
Start Your Inner Retreat
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Our guiding principle at Ocean comes down to this — connect to the elements of Nature within as she is our greatest guide. Inspired by an eco conscious ethos, we strive for cooperation with Nature in every situation possible, treating animals with respect and minimizing our carbon footprint when appropriate. With our proximity to the sea, we think about water in particular and often — her changing tides with the days, weeks and seasons. Her universal ancestry and symbolism across cultures and times.
The water of the womb in which we enter the world.
The water that takes up seventy perfect of our body.
The water that mirrors our creativity and pleasure.
As we all retreat into solitude, we invite you to connect to the elements of Nature within. Not an easy task, but one that will flow into something far greater in the future. We welcome the famous excerpt by Lao Tzu in his classical text, the “Tao Te Ching (The Way)”:
“Water is open to change. Depending on the temperature, it can be a liquid, solid or gas. Depending on the medium it’s in, it can be a teapot, a cup or a flower vase. In fact, it’s water’s ability to adapt and change and remain flexible that made it so enduring through the ages, despite all the changes in the environment.”
If you were to embody water, what would you do in the time of Corona? Other than washing your hands of unwanted germs from the virus, what new beginnings could you welcome into your world? Close your eyes and allow your inner water reserves to flow far and wide here.
Your inner retreat is yours to create. For some, this may be a new exercise altogether. For others, this may already have been your daily practice in yoga, meditation, dance, journaling, cooking, running, and the list goes on and on. In this time of collective stillness, extract the hopes and dreams, shadows and secrets that have been buried for far too long. Sweep the cobwebs off your callings and give them space to be seen, understood and accepted fully. Much like physical exercise, we can exercise a new muscle into existence. The muscle of stillness, the muscle of the spirit.
Our thoughts and loving energies go out to all sentient beings that are affected in this moment of crisis, we feel for you and our planet. Let’s remember that this too shall with time. While we’re here, let’s create waves of gratitude for what we already have.
Love,
Ocean
