Speaking with Nature: Awakening to the Deep Wisdom of the Earth - Sandra Ingerman, Llyn Roberts 2015

Earthworm - Sandra
Banana Slug and Earthworm

“We need to get some earthworms!”

This is a statement my husband hears from me continually as we examine the soil in our garden.

When we moved into our house, there was a beautiful garden right outside our door, abundant with brightly colored flowering plants and fruit trees—apple, peach, pear, cherry, and apricot. All received lots of water and the garden was healthy, vital, and flourishing.

Due to drought conditions we could not continue to give the garden sufficient water to support the growth of so many plants. The hardy desert-growing plants continued to flourish, but plants that needed to be watered daily did not survive. Our fruit trees survived, although they are not as vital as they were in earlier years.

One quadrant of our garden does not support much plant life, but the tall apple tree in that quadrant is healthy and produces very tart apples each year. Some years the bounty is enormous, and I have brought an abundance of apples to my workshops to share with others. Although the apples are a beautiful bright red and look perfect, animals do not eat them. Some years they are even too tart for me to enjoy, but to honor the apple tree for producing such an abundance of fruit, I eat them to honor the gift that is shared. Some years, due to late freezes and drought, only a few apples appear.

The dark brown cherry tree did not survive the drought. It was a very old tree with fissured bark, and each year the tree produced less and less fruit, until one year it died. Initially I could not bear to cut it down, hoping it would come back, but eventually I succumbed and down it came.

We have consulted with many landscapers regarding the soil in this quadrant of our garden, for we have mulched and fertilized to no avail. It seems something in the chemical makeup must have changed for it to go from supporting plants to sustaining only the very hardy. The issues seem to be beyond water.

I even called in the Hidden Folk, whom I wrote about in my final essay, but they have not helped with this situation. Therefore I know there is something important for me to learn as I explore the issue on my own.

I believe the issue is that the soil has become so hardened by minerals and drought in this area that the only solution is to bring in an army of Earthworms.

I certainly cannot say I have ever been “attracted” to the appearance of Banana Slugs or Earthworms. Truthfully, I’ve always jumped back when I have come into contact with these nature beings, which some people describe as squishy, wriggly, and slimy.

As Llyn wrote, we tend to have a narrow range of what we consider beautiful. Earthworms are tube-shaped and segmented. They are hermaphrodites—each individual carries both male and female organs. They are both blind and deaf, but their skin is covered in cells that allow them to taste the soil and sense light and dark. Earthworms live in soil, burrowing into various levels, naturally allowing oxygen to get in, which is beneficial for plant growth. They turn leaves, leftover food, and anything able to be decomposed into fertilizer. They breathe through their skin and have five sets of double hearts in segments that are close to their heads.

In 1881 Charles Darwin wrote:

“It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures.”

In our modern world we tend to compartmentalize the way we view nature and our bodies. We create gardens, but bring in trees and other flora from around the world that do not interact well with local life forms. In caring for our own bodies, we go to specialists when we have a physical issue. Sometimes we go to so many specialists that the true diagnosis of an issue is missed, as the body is not examined as an entire organism. We buy food, furniture, clothing, and other material items in stores and do not reflect on all that went into creating the final product.

Many years ago I had a vision in which I met a descendant from thousands of years in the future. She was short with a slight build and had beautiful shiny black hair that just touched her shoulders. Her large eyes were also black and filled with peace, light, and joy. She shared a very powerful message with me. She said that in today’s world we act as the fingers of a hand that have dropped to the floor thinking that each finger can have a separate life on its own. That, she said, is preposterous. The work is to reconnect the hand to the body and to understand that every aspect of the body is interdependent on all its parts to sustain the life of the whole.

We can take this literally—our body is a whole with our blood, cells, organs, body parts, microorganisms, and good bacteria all working together. And we can also use this as a metaphor when we look at our Earth garden—every single living being is connected to the Earth and vital to the health and well-being of the entire garden.

There is such a weaving of mystery in creation, and we often miss the magic of how each and every creature in the web of life serves a role in creating, maintaining, and sustaining life. All in the web of life have something vital to share in creating a healthy Earth garden. All life is interdependent on other life forms.

More microorganisms germinate in half a cup of fertile earth than there are humans on the planet. Every acre of well-cultivated land contains up to half a ton of thriving microorganisms, not to mention up to a ton of earthworms. The earthworms can create a ton of humic castings that are essential for the health of the soil. The castings nurture the soil with much-needed nutrients that promote healthy plant growth. The mucus that the earthworms produce, along with the castings, promotes the growth of helpful bacteria and fungi.

Use your imagination to leave your ordinary life behind, and take a journey with me into the world of the Earthworm and the gift of its life.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a rich and fertile garden. As you examine the soil, you are led to the small life forms that are the tenders of the soil.

Using your invisible senses notice how microorganisms built the soil, but nature’s true tiller of the soil is Earthworm. Observe how these small blind beings are powerful diggers and earthmovers, capable of burrowing as deep as fifteen feet. Watch them force air through tunnels as they move. Be amazed at the way they burrow and aerate, mix up the soil, break down clumps, and bury stones. Watch as they carry down leaves and other organic matter, while others bring nutrients and humus to the topsoil. Earthworms cannot live without enormous amounts of decaying organic matter.

Return to your ordinary awareness with a sense of gratitude for how Earthworms create healthy soil that supports the growth of food that sustains us.

Ten thousand years ago the Earthworms we are familiar with today were found only in certain areas on the planet, such as in the valleys of three great civilizations—the Indus, the Euphrates, and the Nile. These are places where crops easily grew in soil enriched by the presence of Earthworms.

In Sacred Medicine of Bee, Butterfly, Earthworm, and Spider, Linda Star Wolf and Anna Cariad-Barrett wrote that Cleopatra and the ancient Egyptians viewed Earthworm as sacred. They shared that this view probably originated from Earthworm’s contribution to the viability of agriculture along the Nile.

In my further research I read the amazing book, Secrets of the Soil, by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. I learned that ancient Egyptians were forbidden to remove Earthworms from the land, and farmers were told not to trouble the worms for fear of interfering with their role in creating fertile soil.

Many lush meadows found in other locations in the world are attributed to the introduction of the Earthworm. Earthworms can produce more compost in a shorter time and with less effort than is required by any other method.

In the 1940s German researcher C. Merker wrote that Earthworms have voices and can actually sing. He found that by opening and closing their mouths, they produced sounds made of changing rhythms.

This was considered an astonishing finding, as Earthworms do not have lungs and breathe through their skin, but I was not at all surprised to read what C. Merker wrote about Earthworms singing. My own time spent in nature has revealed to my visible and invisible senses that all life sings.

Using modern technology we can hear Earthworms making gurgling sounds when they are disturbed in any way as they burrow. All of life tends to complain when being disturbed.

It is sad to note that this amazing life form, Earthworm, is being killed by the pesticides and chemical fertilizers we use today. But as long as there is soil and organic matter, Earthworm will continue to proliferate and gift us with the miracle of its life.

When we look at how all in the web of life contributes to the health of all of life, there are many lessons we can learn. As you read some of the messages I received from examining Earthworm, take some time in reflection and notice what emerges from your deeper inner well.

We often judge the importance of the role of a person or a nature being. We tend to compare the power of life forms based on their size and how colorful and loud they are. Llyn reminds us to honor and acknowledge the power of small.

When you honor the small beings that are vital to life, you start to let go of your judgments and comparisons of appearances. You can, without judgment, tune in to yourself and acknowledge the gifts you personally contribute to the web of life. And in doing so you feel on a cellular level that you are enough.

Many seek to be noticed, and we give accolades to public speakers, authors, and teachers, forgetting about the millions of people around the globe who are quietly or anonymously doing spiritual work and contributing to the health of their communities and the planet.

There are so many who pray for peace and for the health of life. I have met extraordinary people who work in grocery stores, banks, restaurants, and other businesses who stop and engage in conversation with each person they meet. Their smiles, care, and laughter cause every person they engage with to brighten up and smile in response. Each person feels seen and leaves feeling light and filled with joy from being in such a person’s presence. But these people are not famous and have no need or desire to be known or recognized.

Every person has a role to share in life’s play, and it does not depend on external recognition. Millions of people go about their work looking not for fame, but to be in service to, and help to sustain, all of life. They are guided from their hearts and souls, not by how they are seen or the acknowledgment they receive.

When we travel back to the power of Earthworm medicine, we can easily understand that the earth cannot rely on only a few powerful Earthworms doing their vital work to create nutritious soil that sustains life. It is a community of Earthworms all working together that creates rich soil, and together as a community they are sacred.

We live in a time when the process of individuation is supported and valued. And of course it is essential to appreciate and grow into who we are as individuals and connect with our unique talents and gifts. In this way we become healthy members of our community. Healthy communities in native cultures depend on each member knowing what she or he contributes to the health of the entire community. Each person’s gift is acknowledged from the time of birth.

We often look to “leaders” to change the world for us. We want someone “out there” to make life better for us and cure the problems we face in the environment and in the challenges we face politically and economically.

But in truth it is the power of community that is vital to creating needed changes. We see the power of people coming together in communities already—helping to rebuild after a natural disaster, growing communal gardens that feed many, speaking out against abuses and, with their joined voices, changing policies that have an impact on the environment and all of life. Many join together in prayer and other spiritual practices, and we see the effects ripple throughout the entire web of life.

In the 1990s I received a powerful message while performing a shamanic journey. I was shown how children in the future will no longer read fairy tales about how one hero or heroine saved the world. Rather, they will read stories about communities of people coming together to create positive change. The power of community working together on behalf of all of life will be recognized in future generations.

Earthworms have an amazing ability to dig in the earth and process waste in a way that fertilizes the soil and creates a healthy garden.

When I go into a pharmacy, I am struck by how many shelves of pills and tonics are sold to help with digestive problems. As a culture we deal with an abundance of issues resulting from our lack of ability to digest what we eat. Of course some of this can be attributed to the kinds of food we eat and the way we eat our food. In addition, we take too many antibiotics and eat foods that have antibiotics in them, thus killing the microorganisms and beneficial bacteria that we need to keep our inner soil healthy.

On a larger level is it that we no longer know how to digest life? If you cannot digest life, you cannot digest your food. This is worth pondering.

Practices

Honor and appreciate all the different aspects that make up your entire body and the beautiful, radiant living being that you are.

Take some time to give gratitude to your cells, blood, organs, and all of your body parts. Your body is one organism and needs to be fed, nurtured, and cared for as such. Avoid focusing on different symptoms. See how whatever physical symptoms you might be dealing with are a statement about the health of your whole organism—body, mind, and spirit.

Honor the microorganisms and good bacteria that fertilize the soil in your own inner garden and contribute to your health and well-being.

As you go about your day, notice the people you meet who are in service to the community and to the planet who do not need any acknowledgment. Honor the power of anonymity while doing your spiritual work and practices on behalf of all of life.

Put on some music and meditate on the gifts, talents, and strengths you were born with that add to the health of your family and your community. Or take a walk in nature appreciating the importance of all of life while you reflect on the beauty of your contributions.

Everything that occurs in your life is a gift. Life brings things for you; it does not happen to you. As you learn to flow with life and accept the changes that are occurring personally and at a global level, you will be more adept at digesting life. In so doing you will start to feel positive changes occurring to your physical health and sense of well-being.