Honoring Humans' Three Living Ancestors

 On Easter Sunday, I walked into our Friends Meetinghouse and went to my usual place on one of the wooden benches at the far end of the meeting room. There was a soft folded cloth there to cushion my seat. But as usual, I moved it aside so I could sit directly on the wood. I always do this, and that day I wondered why. There is something about being in touch with the strong beautiful wood that makes me feel more rooted. There is a depth and a quiet energy that calls to me. Maybe, especially when we're quiet, we have the ability to sink into more than the present. Could I be feeling into the past of this tree, the growth rings, the green energy? Rather than being just a convenient piece of furniture, the old seasoned bench seemed to have a life of its own.

As I sat quietly, resonating with the wood, I was reminded of a CD by Ken Cohen called Native Wisdom that I listened to long ago. On this recording, he told a Native American story about the beginning of the world: Stone was the 1st living being. Stone was heated with the fire of the interior and cooled at the planet's surface. So stone was our first ancestor. Over time, the stone was ground into soil by water and wind. And from this 1st ancestor emerged the 2nd world, Plants. Our ancestor, plants, depended upon the 1st ancestor (stone turned into soil) to survive. And plants thrived on the earth, covering it with green. Next came a new ancestor that relied on both Stone and Plant: the Animal Kingdom. Animals thrived and spread into a multitude of species and sizes, the 3rd world. Eventually the 4th world evolved, the world of Humans. These living beings depended upon all three other ancestors in order to survive. They owe their existence to their older and wiser relations. And in order to survive on earth, they need to go to Nature to learn. Humans' task is observe in silence what their ancestors the stone, the plants and the animals have to teach them. All have lessons to teach.

On this Earth Day, it's a good time to think back to the beginnings. So long ago! So many changes, adaptations, progressions, developments. The same CD that told the Native American story of beginnings also shared that until quite recently in the progression of humans on earth, human communities rarely got larger than 150 people. That size or smaller allowed people to sustain themselves on the surrounding plants and animals, support each other in times of challenge, and live comfortably and healthily. Compare that to our cities of today. We have come a long way from our formerly close relations to the earth and its bounty.

Yet we are still part of the make-up of that original earth. Our ancestors the stone, plants and animals are still here. It is harder to notice them underneath all the roads and concrete and electric poles and the hallmarks of this civilization. But life is still rooted to these, our ancestors. It's harder for us to be in touch with these foundations of life now, foundations of spirit, of energy. But we can still go out into a wild place and sit in silence to learn what lessons are there for us. Our ancestors can still be our teachers.