I can’t be the only one in this country who feels a certain level of displacement.

I guess you could say that on some level, I have been feeling this notion that I am on borrowed land.

You know, they say that the land remembers. In reflecting on Indigenous People’s Day this past October 12, I cannot sit here in good faith and suggest that these words will somehow make up for anything.

A few months back, I was reflecting on what it means to be of European descent in America. What were our spiritual traditions? I know of religion, but what about our spirituality and connection to the land? I have often felt a sense of longing to be a part of other cultures, as there appears to be a sense of richness that I cannot put into words. It is something felt—not necessarily something understood through logic or reasoning.

I think of America and I think about this land I was born onto. I think about the Native American culture and often wonder how different this country would have been if our ancestors had learned from the indigenous people rather than bully their way through—believing that their way was the right way. I think about my own ancestors in all of this; though I am not entirely familiar with the roots of my bloodline, I often wonder at what point did they abandon all their spiritual traditions in favor of a more industrialized approach to life?

At what point in history did we all turn our backs on nature and intrude on this place with a firm belief that somehow things and money were far more superior than honoring what Earth had given us?

The Native Americans had it right: treat the land and her inhabitants as sacred.

I’m curious to know how many of us Americans are raised with this belief? Given the obscene amount of pollution, factory farming, and other incredulous things we are doing to our Earth, it would seem not enough.

If there was one thing I wish all of us understood is that on some level, we are all displaced. I can’t be the only one who feels a certain level of rootlessness when it comes to living in America. I can’t be the only one who sees how wasteful we are and what mass consumerism has created. I can’t be the only one who has made the connection between living on land that contains the memory of possibly some of the worst sides of our ancestors and an imbalanced root chakra.

An imbalanced root chakra can lead to psychological implications such as anxiety disorders, fear, panic attacks, depression, anger/rage, and a complete disconnect from the body.

It doesn’t take a lot to see how much this imbalance is playing out right now in our world and has been playing out for Native Americans for years. It seems that instead of treating the root of these issues with healing through spiritual practices and re-connection with the land, we are taking a more industrialized approach with western medications, which is only providing temporary relief and adding long-lasting pollution with our use of plastic prescription bottles.

At what point did all of us decide this was the way life should look?

When did we decide that the earth is my body mentality of the Native American people was ludicrous and quackery?

Our root chakra is our connection to the earth and is in deep need of our attention. Yes, there was a strong part of me that felt maybe I needed to move to Ireland in order to feel connected once more to my ancestors and spirituality, and that isn’t completely off-limits to me, but for now, I had to start with learning about what spiritual traditions my ancestors practiced. I had to start digging into the roots of my family history in order to discover what spiritual truths I could call my own.

On Indigenous People’s day, I took the time to put my bare feet on the earth, dig my toes into her soil, and reflect upon the intimate connection between this body I inhabit in this lifetime and the ground upon which I walk. I offered energetic clearings to her waters and said the prayers that needed to be spoken for all inhabitants of this country. My cultural beliefs include calling in certain Celtic goddesses and I intended to do just that in order to offer some form of healing to this soil that remembers.

If there is anything karma-related that I am making up for in this lifetime while I live in this country we call America, I hope to do it now—because if not now, when?