Across from our accommodation in Picton stood a church building that caught our eye with several Pride flags. But what was even more impressive was the back side of the building. It displays a replica of Chrisi Belcourt‘s painting „Wisdom of the Universe“.
Belcourt is an Indigenous artist whose work offers a profound insight into Indigenous culture. Her art reflects how Indigenous people regard the Earth as sacred, how their traditions are deeply rooted in the connection with nature and in a holistic view of all species, lands, and waters – something blatantly lacking in Western cultures.
All species, the lands, the waters are one beating organism that pulses like a heart. We are all a part of a whole. The animals and plants, lands and waters, are our relatives, each with as much right to exist as we have.
When we see ourselves as separate from each other and think of other species, the waters and the planet itself as objects that can be owned, dominated or subjugated, we lose connection with our humanity and we create imbalance on the earth. This is what we are witnessing around us.
The planet already contains all the wisdom of the universe, as do you and I. It has the ability to recover built into its DNA and we have the ability to change what we are doing to this can happen.
Perhaps it’s time to place the rights of Mother Earth ahead of the rights to Mother Earth.
– Christi Belcourt
It is striking how the painting roots all the species in one center, connecting all living beings with one another – creating a sense of necessary balance.
And I like the notion of a planet that has the ability to recover built into its DNA. I believe we all carry some of that DNA within ourselves – sometimes we‘re more able to access it, sometimes less. The hikes through nature, the smooth paddle strokes on the lake, the breath of misty air – they let me feel the calm that lies within nature, the comfort, and the deep strength it holds.
More on connecting with nature:
Sacred
On our flight to Toronto we watched 500 Days in the Wild – an exceptional documentary about the Trans Canada Trail. It follows the most inspiring journey of Dianne Whelan who traveled on the trail over six years without using any motorized vehicles.
Her reflections on her way of travel and the deep connection with nature left me in tears in my airplane seat.
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