Terra Divina
Intentional Time in the Outdoors Might be the Thing That Saves US
Terra Divina is an offshoot of the ancient practice Lectio Divina. In Lectio Divina you slowly read through a sacred text, allowing it to speak & invite you into deeper union with God & self. In Terra Divina you read the Sacred Earth by slowly engaging in creation & allowing it to speak & invite you into a deeper union with God & self.
Terra Divina is a doorway to connection. Connection to self, God, and the natural world. Anytime I’ve walked and allowed Terra Divina to guide my thoughts and attention it’s invited me into more of myself. In a culture where we are cut off from self, nature, and each other Terra Divina is a gift that reminds us of who we truly are and where we’re rooted. It is a pathway back to ourselves and a pathway forward to more reciprocal living when we recognize that we are all nature, all one being, all one cosmic heartbeat. Not only does intentional time in nature help heal us it will lead us to a place that helps us heal each other and Mother Earth.
We invite you to take a stroll in the woods today, or simply down your favorite street. Use Terra Divina as your practice and see where it leads you.
Check out Radical Sacred’s latest episode on Terra Divina:
Nature's Healing Touch: Embracing Terra Divina
The Four Movements of Terra Divina:
Movement one is lectio. This involves slowly reading & being enveloped by the nature & beauty that surrounds you. Instead of reading a text, you are reading bird songs, your neighbors’ gorgeous roses, the mushrooms growing on the decaying log in the park, the strawberries you brought for a snack, the light rain that’s falling, etc. As you pay deep attention to creation, what do you see, hear, or smell that draws you in?
Movement two is meditatio. Pay attention to what is calling to your heart & why? Meditate on the leaf, or flower, or sunshine on your skin. What is the gift or message that the universe may be offering to you? Sit with it, hold it loosely, allow whatever feeling that comes up to come.
Movement three is oratio. During this movement you pray or yearn or praise or call out to the natural world to work within you. There are many ways to voice the stirring within you & any way you choose to do so is up to Spirit & Self. Move towards your intuition & longing during this step. Give voice to whatever comes. Don’t judge this movement or what rises up, simply allow.
Movement four is contemplatio. Take all that has been and all that you’ve experienced in our Terra Divina process and offer it up in gratitude to Creator, then let it go. Let it go. Recognize that the sacred earth, much like our sacred texts, is Fully Alive; and that when you allow yourself to be present to the movement of Spirit & Self, you too are Fully Alive.
*As you wander your beautiful spot, ask nature for permission before you take anything, even a picture. Ask this spot for guidance: ask her what she would like you to know, see, and experience while you are here.
*As your time wandering comes to a conclusion, thank this spot for its guidance & ask her if she needs anything from you. How might our connection to the natural world change if we saw her not as separate from us, but the very basis of us: our larger, giving, reciprocal form?
*What if we began to treat both the earth, ourselves, and our neighbors as one multifaceted, beautiful form that is worthy of our love, defense, and deep presence?
Much Love & Stay Rooted,
Jenny Misslin
Radical Sacred