It won’t choose oceans over rivers. It won’t prize green-carpeted mountains over the barren desert. It will not give greater respect to animals, purely because they are of a greater size. It does not judge creeks for drying, or the rains for flooding. It does not judge the storm for what it takes with it, or the summer heat for not easing the fires that it flames. It will not favour one season, over another. It holds no expectation. It feels no disappointment. Nature knows only how to be, and to give - to all. Nature is our true source of pure, unconditional love. But it’s not the love we’re used to.

With the challenges we’re facing at this time, many of us are on a deeper journey of understanding and awareness. Some are experiencing struggle, noticing the actions of others and feeling disconnected from those we’ve felt closest to. There is fear, confusion and anger, and people are seeing things in ways that may seem quite different to our own perspective. Many are looking to ‘make sense’ of it all, when perhaps there is no ‘sense’ to be found. It is possible that what we’re truly seeking is the unending freedom that we see in nature - the feeling of pure, unconditional love.

In our busy, day-to-day lives we easily lose sight of this type of love. Our unintentional ignorance and arrogance has meant we’ve become accustomed to feeling that we are above nature, and above love. Our minds cast judgement on what (and who) is ‘good’ and ‘bad’, and we direct our energy (our love) toward ‘the good’ and withhold it from ‘the bad’. Many judge to affirm their own feeling of worth and righteousness, and through our judgements we have created a polarized world that labels, categorises, prefers and criticises. Judgement in this way separates us from one another, and it severs our connection with ourselves. It creates tension, anxiety and friction within, and we carry this friction into our dealings with others. There is anger, misunderstanding and lost connection. We are no longer sustaining life with love.

When we snapshot the actions and behaviour of a person, at one given moment and attribute certain judgement to their personality, we’re using a narrow lens. We forget that behind the picture we’re seeing, this person has a story. And that story is the life experience behind what’s brought them here today. That story may be very different to yours. Not better, not worse – just different. Exactly as nature intended it to be. Through judgement, humanity has cut itself off from understanding and genuinely accepting the differences between its people. In our polarised world, the river of life and love is narrowed by ignorance, greed and fear. Ask yourself what you have done to manifest the river of life? How are you creating Heaven on Earth? Have you shown kindness and non-injury, understanding and proper discernment, forgiveness and non-judgement, patience and composure? This is LOVE in action.

These times call for us to re-connect. To remember that we are part of ‘the whole’. And each small part plays an equal role in creating and sustaining life.

To truly understand nature, you must look at the whole ecosystem. Every element of the ecosystem plays a part in continuously creating and sustaining life. In a healthy human body, when you cut your finger the whole body will marshal its resources to heal the wound. The body does not decide one organ is more important than the other, and if this was to happen our health would suffer greatly – affecting the whole body. Mother Earth knows this process of life and love. Mother Earth gives earth elements freely to give our bodies a physical form. Indeed earth, water, air and light are given freely to create and sustain LIFE. Without this unconditional giving by Mother Earth there would be no LIFE.

We are now in a time where we’re being called upon to remember we aren’t ‘something bigger’, we are ‘part of something bigger’. We’re part of a global community. Although very different in our ways of being, every person has a part to play. If we could consciously move towards this understanding, and learn to accept, find compassion, and be kinder to others, we would go a long way in creating more love, and more life during our time together. The sun will keep beaming light onto everyone, no matter how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ we’ve decided they are. To the sun, we are all one. All worthy. All deserving. All precious, and all capable of wonderful things.

Where there is LOVE there is LIFE, where there is LIFE there is LOVE.

Peace be with you,

Chiu Chi