Worshipping Nature Through Our Own Bodies :: Part 1: Dancing With the Elements
One of the great wisdoms of ancient East Asian medicine is the tenet to live in accordance with the rhythms of Nature. Without context, this statement sounds somewhat dry and prescriptive, cliché, or abstract. But when put into practice, it is utterly juicy, sensual, and worshipful.
Because Nature is not only around us, but actually IS us, this way of life is about sensitivity, creativity, and improvisation, not following a rulebook written by someone else.
It’s about feeling the swirling of Yin, Yang, and Qi directly, like the trees, who know precisely when it’s time to release their buds. It’s about feeling our own bodies as a seasonal, ever-changing landscape, and watching what stirs within be reflected in the world around us. It’s about understanding Nature’s invitations and participating in the dance.
Certain forms of conduct offer us more contact with this direct perception, and this is where seasonal prescriptions come about. The Huangdi Neijing, or the Yellow Emperor’s Medical Classic, speaks about the ways humans should behave in each season. These suggestions encompass patterns of eating, sleeping, and physical movement; ways of relating; and forms of dress. For instance, in summer the classic recommends avoiding cold foods, eating smaller portions, and keeping the heart and breath at ease. By living in these ways that mirror the qi of the season, we protect our health, line ourselves up with our environment, and invoke a certain sensory awareness that opens our perception to the pulse of the moment.
Far from a rigid order that we have to follow, these suggestions merely open the door so that we can stand in the same room as Wisdom. Then we are in the right state to notice and subsequently embody the soft exuberance of spring, or the deep stillness of winter. This is worshipping Nature through our own bodies.
This guidance handed down to us from the ancients is a treasure. But it cannot alone confer health and well-being. This balance can only be found in direct communion with Nature. Modern research points to what ancient wisdom traditions have known all along- when we are immersed in the natural world, we are better for it. This is reflected in metrics like blood pressure, inflammatory markers, and brain activity. Communing with Nature looks different for everyone. Just as the right conditions inspire the crocuses to break through the cold early spring soil, certain displays of Nature move humans to experience and express in certain ways. Some people are lifted by the bird’s song, some are soothed by the river’s voice, some find inspiration in the exquisite detail of the bud and leaf.
That moment when you catch the brilliant shine of the ocean and run out into the sand barefoot, or when tears well up as you round a bend and see the mountain’s shoulder against dawn- these spontaneous moments of worship pull us back into that living pulse that energizes, inspires, and creates everything. This is worshipping Nature through our own bodies.
In Chinese philosophy, humanity is understood to be the bridge between Heaven and Earth. We bring these two realms into right relationship by way of our rites and rituals. Robin Wall Kimmerer speaks to this in the words of a different wisdom tradition when she writes about the honorable harvest, a ritual practiced by Anishinaabe wildcrafters. The honorable harvest is performed by first observing the ways of the plants, and learning directly from them when, how, and how much to take. On the outside, this ritual may seem like a utilitarian strategy for preserving resources. But its truer purpose is to foster deep intimacy between sentient beings, and in this way, the bridge is built.
Whether it’s the rituals handed down by ancient wisdom traditions, or the rituals that emit naturally from human beings as we dance with Nature, we contribute something to the cycling of the Universe. We weave something together. This is worshipping Nature through our own bodies.
Finding our own rhythm with Nature is a collective and also deeply personal journey. We have access to the medicine, rituals, stories, and art of the many Wisdom traditions that find their roots deep in the past of humanity, yet are equally relevant here today. We also have our own internal compass, always in direct contact with Nature, full of intelligence and spontaneous knowing. If you are not already being wooed by Nature into states of life-affirming worshipfulness on a regular basis, I entreat you: Listen. The invitation is there.