Full Moon Morning … I am Moon, Moon is me.
If we extend our idea of family beyond the individual to the wider world of creatures and ecosystems, we can begin to ask what we want for them. From them. We can begin to see ourselves in relation. Acknowledging and reckoning with death—with the limit on our existence, with the fact that we are temporary—can reframe what it means to live. What do we want to leave behind? What do we want to support, maintain, in the limited time we are here? Jenn Shapland, Thin Skin (This Nonviolent Life: Daily Inspiration for Your Nonviolent Journey – Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service – quote for April 23, 2024)
…being kin is not so much a given as it is an intentional process. Kinning does not depend on genetic codes. Rather it is cultivated by humans … Gavin Van Horn (from his introduction to the series Kinship: Belonging In A World Of Relations)
Stepping outside early upon rising, I took in the beauty of the full moon. In the stillness of dawn, I felt myself as part of Moon and Moon as part of me, each of us individual yet integral parts of a greater whole. It was a moment of fully, deeply recognizing my kinship, our kinship, with all Life.
Just as I’m present to the beauty and awe in this reality of my oneness with all Life, I’m also aware of how challenged I am to live fully into this reality: to live and walk through the choices I make daily while holding ALL Life as family, as kin.
As I welcome the season’s first hummingbird with wonderment and joy, hanging a feeder out each morning, not so welcome beings come to mind. I think of mouse, mosquito, and fly not as kin, but as pests to be dispensed with.
Awareness of this gap, this contradiction isn’t new to me. I’ve wrestled with it for some time, wondering, ‘What is the way forward when dealing with a mouse skittering across the floorboard of a car borrowed from a friend?’ How willing am I to accept some life as anything but ‘pesky’? To live with mouse as kin and forego pulling out the mouse trap? Today, not very. Sadly, negotiation has not proved fruitful in the past.
So, I act despite knowing this same consciousness plays out in our relationships with one another, from next door neighbor to culture wars around the globe. From bullying in the school yard to accepting the necessity of death and destruction when one people violently attack another, the other responds in kind, and violence escalates. From judgmental, snarky comments on social media to name-calling political attacks and accusations of each ‘side’ against the other, while dismissing those who dare to suggest we engage in a different way - in deep listening to and dialog with one another – as naïve and or/conspiracy theorists.
Many have lost their ability and willingness to embrace all humanity as kin. How will we remember?
My heart knows there are better ways. Our hearts know that the days of violent conflict, whether word or deed, cannot stand for any of our kin. Perhaps it is time to challenge these hearts to remember and to engage in recognizing our kinship with one another and with ALL Life, offering our fearful minds a respite and inviting our hearts’ deep knowing to lead the way.
We can do this. For ourselves. For one another. And for those whose ancestors we are.
Tree Kin in the Woods Out Back