On making meaningful offerings to the Earth and all her iterations

A few weeks ago, my teacher Ixpahuatzin, challenged us to think about what and how we are giving when making offerings and this concept has been brewing around in my mind ever since. Maestra Ixpahuatzin shared with me and my fellow students, a beautiful story about the offerings of indigenous women in Mexico and how their offerings were born of a deep understanding of their surroundings that brought forward a reciprocal relationship of nourishment for both human and Earth. This in contrast to how, many times in this modern, Western world, offerings can look very human-centered. Perhaps this occurs because many of us in the Western world have been disconnected from our ancestral roots and the rituals and ceremonies that build and reinforce cultural frameworks of being in reciprocal relationship, something that brings abundance to not just human beings, but all beings. I for one, have offered a rock or flower mandala or food to the Earth, neither of which indicate a deep relationship and understanding of my surroundings and neither of which truly gives something that is needed. Instead of fostering mutually beneficial relationships, human-centered offerings serve in some part, if I may be so bold, our own egos. I do wish to acknowledge, however, that the intentions behind these offerings are many times anchored in a desire to share deep gratitude for the beauty and miracle of all the energies who have come together to create our bodies and the environments surrounding us- we have just lost the blueprint on how to do so meaningfully. So the question is- 'How DO we make offerings that convey our gratitude whilst also being meaningful and nourishing to the Earth and all her iterations?'

To begin, let's start with what we know - relationships between human beings. When we are building relationship with another human being, we ask to spend time with them and we listen and converse on our journey of getting to know one another. I believe that this could also be our starting point on the Path of Making Meaningful Offerings. This relationship building could look like: quiet observation and spending time outdoors without distractions (I'm thinking without cell phones); learning the native plants and animals in the area where we live; seeking out the original peoples of the land we live on and learning from them if possible; and grounding meditations of connection with the land that allow us to listen with our extrasensory perception. I think this is especially important for those of us in the Western world to do as many of us have built in prejudices and colonial frameworks of thinking about the spaces we inhabit. For example, I learned in my ethnoecology class at Kumeyaay Community College that conservation and the myth of an untouched wilderness or Smokey the Bear are harmful concepts to where I live in San Diego and the state of California where the indigenous people have, since time immemorial, tended the land as one large garden, propagating edible and medicinal plants and using the technology and tool of fire and cultural burning to bring renewal and nutrients to the soil, eradicate pests, and attract wildlife for hunting. This open-ended listening and openness to a shift in our paradigms around land stewardship and land use can act as a bridge to a deeper understanding and relationship with our surroundings and begin to tune our senses to being more sensitive to the subtle messages that are constantly being conveyed by our surroundings and the subtle messages that we are constantly projecting into our surroundings.

Observing and listening outdoors

Next, recording our observations however works best for you, could help us to recognize patterns over time. For example, after 11 years of living on the land I am on, we can recognize that Spring is marked by the blooming of the Ceanothus shrubs and the visitation of the migratory kingfisher to our natural swimming pool. We have observed through being outdoors in curiosity and then shared observations with others who live on the land as well, making connections and recognizing patterns.

Once we have recognized patterns, then we are able to implement human interventions or land tending into the space to nourish and enhance our surroundings. These individualized intentions to the space and microclimate that you inhabit are key to relationship. We can learn all the science of permaculture, organic farming, land management, but if it is a one-size-fits-all approach it is still just there to serve the wants and needs of humans instead of the concept of being in relationship with our surroundings. In a relationship, both the human being and the surroundings mutually benefit. This is why taking the time to observe and listen is crucial to the Path of Making Meaningful Offerings, in fact, observation and listening IS the offering whenever we come to a new space that we wish to make an offering, as well as recording and pattern-finding. All this work helps us to build an understanding where we can bring forward offerings that are meaningful. For example, where I live, we have observed that rainfall comes as thunderstorms in the summer where lots of rain comes down in a short amount of time and in the winter, rainfall comes as storms that will last more than one day and comes down more slowly with no risk of flash flooding. Because we live in the high desert we decided it was beneficial to harvest rainwater into the soil by building berms on our compacted dirt roads that slow water and divert it into soil covered with plants where it can percolate into the water table. This is mutually beneficial to us as well because it prevents big erosion on our roads which could make our roads impassable. Being outside in the rain and digging drainage canals is also quite fun which projects to our environment our gratitude for the rain and for the opportunity for play together with our families and the elements, which in itself is an offering as well.

The web of Connections and patterns

Then, perhaps, we can share a song, prayer, or a beautiful mandala...Or maybe the work of your hands in nourishing the land is the true mandala?

We each have a potential to make meaningful changes to our surroundings that nourish and enhance while also gaining nourishment ourselves through physical exercise, attunement to the outdoors, and a sense of appreciation and gratitude that nourishes our bodies, minds, and spirits. So it seems that meaningful offerings make meaningful change. May you find reciprocal abundance in your journey on the Path of Making Meaningful Offerings.

Tlazohkamati for reading.