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Many indigenous cultures have traditions and beliefs connected to nature.
They live in harmony with the earth, are caretakers of the environment, and have beliefs that the elements themselves have a sentient power.
I’ve heard many stories where they have a deep relationship with nature, giving it respect and heeding the signals it communicated to them. If you look at this closely, you might even be able to say that the environment or nature itself is a living being with purpose that evolves over time just like we do.
Years ago, I was introduced to the pagan community where they also have an extremely rich tradition of connecting with nature and recognizing the power it holds.
During this time of seeking, I began to consider the concept that the material things we have can hold much more intelligence and emotions than them being simply made of metal or wood or even manmade materials. Just like a human body is made up of a collection of various materials, so are the things that surround our daily lives.
When we think about the major things in our life that are with us almost every day, we might think of things like a car, our phones, and especially the place we call home. In a way, we might even consider that we have a kind of relationship with them. Just like when we come home from a long trip somewhere, there is something comforting about seeing our house as we turn the corner onto our street. We feel safer and more relaxed.
Thinking about how far I could take this concept, I decided to have a more personal relationship with my house. I started by giving it a name. The name came to me when meditating and asking the question, “What name would you like?” Instantly, the name “Veronica” came to mind. So the house was given the name Veronica from that day forward.
We decided to interact with her just as we would with any other member of the family. We said hello when we came home. We told the house when we were leaving and how long we’d be gone. We told her how much we appreciated that she took care of us and was our guardian keeping us warm and safe.
Then, slowly, some interesting things started to happen. We started to find little presents around the house. We would find money sitting on the counter. Or, we would notice that nagging ticking noise from the furnace simply disappeared. The house seemed warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Doors opened easier, locks didn’t jam, and even our appliances seemed to work better than before.
With this being such a success, I decided to extend my relationship to include my vehicle. Just as with the house, I would sit in my vehicle, quiet my mind, and ask, “What is your name?” My current truck’s name is “Benjamin.” Benjamin is a really strong and proud truck. I love this truck, and I can feel the pride it has in being strong and having every convenience I need. I’ve done this with many of my vehicles, and for the most part, they have all responded by having little issues and made sure I was safe.
Opening ourselves up to being more connected to our environment will start to change our viewpoint and perspective toward it. We will find ourselves falling in love with those major components of our life that we may not have considered before. We will develop a symbiotic relationship that will change our life forever. No longer will we see the place we live in as simply a house or even a home, but a trusted family friend.
When we decided to move, it was hard to leave because of our relationship with Veronica. We decided to have a gratefulness ritual honoring Veronica for all of the years she watched over our family. I created the ritual to honor each aspect of her, highlighting the importance and meaning it held in our hearts. This was one of the most powerful and emotional rituals I’ve ever done.
About halfway through, I became so overwhelmed with emotion that another family member had to continue reading. I could feel the love of our house guardian flow through the room and the gratitude it had that we honored her.
It may seem silly at first to have a relationship with our house or vehicle, but I promise it is worth it. We will start to see the effects of opening up our hearts to so many other aspects of life all around us.
The love and acceptance will multiply, and we will have more connection with life than we ever had before.
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