Hello, dear Prairiewoods family!
The other morning, I looked out my kitchen window and saw a monarch butterfly caught in a spider web in the corner of my window. I was both excited to see the monarch and sad that it had been caught in the spider’s web. I wasn’t upset with the spider; I value spiders greatly (thanks, Dad). I was simply concerned for the monarch and its life. I went outside, found a long stick and released it from the web. I gently held the monarch and pulled the sticky web from its body, antennae and wings. I attempted to place the monarch on a large leaf, hoping it would rest and regain its strength before flying on. It did not rest. It began to fly, lopsided and clumsily, up and away. My heart ached for its safety and I wished it well. Take good care, dear one. I asked myself, should I have interfered? What would become of this monarch now? Should I have freed it from the web, or as we often hear and say, let nature take its course?
Then I remembered, I too am nature. I am not separate from the monarch or the spider’s web. Together and with much else we are all nature. We are all collaborating together always. Take these blogs, for example. My name is listed at the bottom of each Saturday’s post. But am I the sole author? No. Friends, family, co-workers, Earth, musicians, poets and authors have inspired and co-created these posts with me each week. The esteem of individualism is prized in our society, ingrained and nuanced in more ways than I can identify. People are highly regarded and commended for their own ideas and theories. Recently, I have even noticed an attack on the sharing of others’ beliefs and ideas. I love sharing and uplifting others’ ideas and perceptions, but I have also found myself asking, when will I have my own ideas to share? Is that even possible though, really? If we truly are “We,” ever connected and influenced by and with all that is within and without, does the concept of the individual even exist? Even our bodies are not solely our own. We are the elements, microorganisms, flora, fungus, bacteria and Soul. We are anything but individual.
Thank you for continuing to collaborate with all of us at Prairiewoods and beyond. Thank you for reading our thoughts and ponderings as we all continue to journey together. In the spirit of collaboration, I invite you to listen to some songs by MaMuse that I have been listening to daily, shared with me by my friend Fur.
I include pictures of the lovely Healing Garden at Prairiewoods, a beautiful collaboration with organizations, plants, elements and people. Will you join us here? The garden welcomes your collaborating presence. A visit. A listening. A sharing. All are welcome.
From my heart (and all the hearts that made this post possible) to yours,
—Emelia Sautter, Prairiewoods ecospirituality coordinator