Connection or Separation?

Many of us living in this modern era feel lost. We may have good, fulfilling jobs, nice homes, lots of electronic gadgets to play with, the latest movies for our DVD or Blu-Ray players, and enough money to buy books like this. Yet there is an emptiness inside that we are finding hard to fill. We read book after book, take class after class, have relationship after relationship—trying to fill this emptiness. But it is an emptiness of spirit, and cannot be filled by reading a book, taking a class, or having a relationship. These things may produce a temporary cessation of the symptoms; they may stimulate us mentally, physically, or emotionally. They may even point us in a direction that is good for us to take. But often we mistake the map for the destination itself.

The state of the world—the environment, the homeless, our children—troubles us. We see the same maladies almost everywhere we look. If Spirit is all around, if it does indeed permeate all, why is it then that so many of us experience such emptiness of Spirit? The reason is that we have largely lost touch with our ways of connecting into and feeling the presence of Spirit (as well as “spirits”). Spirit didn’t go anywhere, we did. We turned our attention elsewhere, and forgot how to turn back.

Sometimes this losing touch of the ways of connecting with Spirit is the result of what shamanic practitioners refer to as “soul loss” or “soul fragmentation.” As our lives unfold, emotional trauma sometimes causes parts of our soul to fragment and depart, somewhat like a scared child who runs and hides. Without these missing fragments, we are not whole; we do not possess and cannot utilize all our ability to fully connect into, feel the presence of, and participate in the spiritual dimension of our existence. And if we cannot be present with and participate in the spiritual dimension of our existence, participation in our physical existence often becomes flat, one dimensional, and meaningless.

Can we even see the connection here between the fragmentation happening within ourselves and that of our Mother Planet? Forests cut down, species extinct, air and water polluted, holes in the ozone layer—can we feel this connection between ourselves and our precious planet?

We’ve lost touch with the Spirit within ourselves and our world. We’ve lost touch with the Spirits of our ancestors, who once held the wisdom of our tribes and could be called upon for guidance and help. We’ve lost touch with our Spirit allies and helpers, those beings who subtly assist us from the other realms. We’ve lost touch with the spirits of the land, the plants, the animals, the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars.

Our materialistic culture and science has taught that none of these exist: there is no Spirit within, the Moon is a dead rock, and the Sun is just a glowing ball of gases. If we just quantify, count, and observe behavior, we will then know the essence of the thing. Even our moods and behavior patterns have quantifiable, genetic basis, they tell us. So we define ourselves by our quantifiable characteristics, behaviors, and even our possessions—and are under the mistaken impression that we know ourselves well. We remember the things that occur in our lives and mistakenly think that we are only the sum of our memories. Yet all the while, the emptiness, and the longing to fill it remains.

We take a walk in the forest, and are filled with peace. We come back refreshed, renewed, and inspired. The beauty of the setting has refreshed our weary souls, the hues of nature have nourished us. Without realizing it, we have connected with the presence of both Spirit and spirits. This very natural occurrence, in a very natural setting, has made all the difference in the world. It happens to most of us so rarely, and when it does we seldom understand quite what it really was that just happened to us. Yet it is our natural inheritance! We are part of nature, meant to be in contact with and interacting with the rest of our natural family. When we are connected in this way, we do not feel alone because we are not alone: We are surrounded by thousands of plants, animals, devas, nature spirits, elemental spirits, and faeries—our relatives!

Like Dorothy, who though surrounded by the distracting splendors of the Emerald City desired only to go home, we also must decide to go home. I’m not suggesting we all try to move into the wilderness; only that we work at reestablishing our relationship with our home planet and our many relatives, including our invisible relatives such as devas, nature spirits, and faeries. In this book I have offered my humble suggestions toward re-establishing awareness of and conscious contact with the Elemental Realms as a Way towards reintegrating ourselves into the natural flow of life. There are other ways to approach this “refocusing” we need to do; anything that works for you is the right way to do it.

Things are such in the world today that we can no longer afford the illusion of separation from the rest of nature. We can no longer deny we are part of the web of existence, or that what happens on our part of the Web affects other parts of the Web. And we have to live this, not just mentally subscribe to it as an appealing idea. When we do, our world opens up and out to us in a profound way. No longer do we feel empty; rather, we quite tangibly feel ourselves permeated with Spirit. No longer do we feel alone; rather, we now can feel our interconnectedness with every other life form. We fill with joy and gratitude for the love and support that constantly surrounds and upholds us. 

Separation or Connection? Which are we going to choose?

(from Wisdom of the Elements: The Sacred Wheel of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, (c) 1998, 2019, Margie McArthur