We are part of a living Universe

We are part of a living universe, an alive universe.  We are not separate.  Many human beings see themselves as separate from nature.
If you sit within nature, you can feel it, buzzing alive, all around you.  Including yourself, you are a part of this alive universe.

The 4 elements.

The Air, life-giving, precious air.  We need it to breathe.  It creates movement in our body - our ribs, our belly, our chest as we inhale and exhale.  How good does a "breath of fresh air" feel?
The wind that blows in the trees.  Sit and listen to the leaves.  The air currents that enable so many creatures to fly.
Feel the air against your skin, the wind in your hair, the breath in your body.
The beauty it provides us with - the movement of trees, the waves it creates, the forms made by wind erosion.

The Earth, life-giving, precious earth.  
It provides us with our total nourishment, the food we need regularly to survive.  
The earth that provides the raw material for our structures - our buildings, roads, furniture, metals.
The earth that provides us with such beauty - flowers, trees, gems.
The earth that grounds us, supports us, holds us.  Walk barefoot upon the earth and feel the pulse of the planet.

The Water, life-giving water.  It quenches our thirsts.  Our body is made of 80% water.  It sustains our internal organs, body tissues, our arteries and veins.
Water that falls upon the earth and grows our food, our trees, our forests.  The water in our taps that cleanses us, that we cook with.
Water that cools us down when overheated. 
 Our rainfall, oceans and rivers that cleanse our planet.  The majority of our planet is covered in water - the blue planet.
The beauty that water provides us with - the waterfalls, oceans, rivers and valleys.
Swim in the ocean, river or lake or walk in a puddle, or lie in the bath.  Feel its nourishment and cleansing.

The Fire, life-giving, precious fire.  
The heat that keeps us alive.  The sun that warms our planet, that warms the earth to grow our food.  The heat from our cooker that cooks our food to sustain us.
The heat in our vulnerable human bodies, that can only vary by a few degrees centigrade.
The warmth in our hearts that enable us to feel compassion with others.
The joy of lying in the sunshine and warming us through to the bone after a long cold winter.
The beauty of a bonfire, a hearth fire, a volcano.  The beauty of a sunset.

We are not separate from nature.  We are nature.