The Effect We Have

Hello friends,

You are important.

Do you realize how powerful you are? Do you comprehend the effect you have on the world? The way in which you touch the lives of other beings on this planet?

Your presence is important. Your practice is important. What you say, and do, and create is important. Your tears are important. Your laughter is important.

When I was teaching more, I would often lead the group in breathing exercises as a way to center ourselves and deepen our sense of presence. “Inhale life, exhale connection with all living things,” I would say.

Do that now. Inhale life. Pause. Exhale connection…

Every breath connects us to plants and trees and other breathing beings. We are all interdependent. No one and no thing exists alone, no matter how lonely life may feel at times.

On a recent trip to the Oregon Coast, I paused on the beach to snap an image of a small, dark, wedge-shaped rock. A spray of sea foam appears to reach toward the rock, but what really happened was, the sea foam spun itself around the rock and, when the water moved back out to join the rolling ocean, this bit of foam remained, along with the pattern the receding wave made, etched into the sand.

They are now captured in their dance by the camera on my phone. We were three beings there, together, beneath the bright winter sky.

Did the rock know its impact on the ocean foam? No. And most of us don’t recognize our impact, either. But we affect each other, all the same. I may never meet you in person, but I feel you out there, somewhere, as you read my words. We are reaching toward each other.

Always.

Thanks for that.

I hope this February day finds you well. Thanks for being here.

best wishes — Thorn

With the help of my Patreon supporters, I’m posting the Best of my old Elemental Castings show on YouTube. I hope you enjoy it!

A note to my paid subscribers: every 3rd Saturday morning, 9:30 pacific time, we do creativity sprints. Please message me for a link if you want to join us next month!