As time goes on, I see that I seem to be connecting more and more with ancient wisdom. The reference to an ancient way of understanding the world repeatedly shows up. I am reminded how the growth of trees the blooming of plants, the ebbing of winds, and the waves are all connected. And I am connected to them all. This is not a new idea.
There was a time when the kinship of humans with all the energies of the cosmos was routine. It was a time when the consciousness of humans was linked to the intelligence of plants, animals, and planets. Kinship with the world was a daily experience.
“Interbeing” may seem to be a new expression in my language, but it is ancient in how it reveals the deep kinship I have with all things. Many indigenous people have preserved and practice the experience of kinship. It has become a common experience of mine when I walk through my garden. It is a small but difficult thing to routinely experience kinship with other humans. But it is slowly growing beyond my small circle of intimates. For me, it is becoming a deeper and expressive matter to enter into a living kinship with all else in the world.
The notion of interbeing may be an open door to see the deep reality in which I am kin. To me, the idea of interbeing has felt rather static. What I want is a dynamic experience of kinship with all the world around me. I am getting a taste of what that kinship actually is.
I see that I am part of a huge drama in which I have an important role. Everything around me is being guided by an intelligence that directs the movements of all the players. The smallest items, the largest galaxies are all part of that consciousness, and so am I. This is the ancient wisdom that reminds me that I am part of a cosmic drama. I am self-reflecting and so I have a splendid connection with the guiding intelligence, with the consciousness that constitutes it all.
This is the ancient wisdom revealed in the experience of interbeing. It is a relationship of kinship in which I act and necessarily interact. I am not a stowaway in this ancient drama, I am not an observant stagehand. I am a critical partner in all that unfolds. I am not an observer of interbeing. I am an engaged participant.
I am learning not only how to connect with the intelligence of the cosmos. I am learning how to play my part in the cosmic kinship.