Call of the Earth – Kinship Council

 “The swinging of the branches in the forest, the rising and falling of the waves, all has its music. And once we contemplate and become one with nature our hearts open to its music. Something in us has been touched by the rhythmic movement, by the perfect harmony which is so seldom found in this artificial life of ours; it lifts one up and makes one feel that nature is the real temple, the true religion. One moment standing in the midst of nature with open heart is a whole lifetime, if one is in tune with nature.” ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

 “If one observes the superficiality of the life lived today in the so-called civilized parts of the world, one will certainly find that humankind is far removed from nature both within and without, and has become an exile from the ideal state of life.” ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

These passages from Hazrat Inayat Khan illustrate how his mystical vision encompassed both profound comprehension of the sacred eminence of Nature and the deleterious currents that he witnessed in the world:

 “No period like this can be traced in the history of the world; this age has accomplished a much greater destruction than ever before. And if one goes to the root of this subject one sees that all this disorder has been caused by the ever-growing spirit of materialism and commercialism.”  ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

As a contemporary witness in this era of ecological crisis, I would respond: The living Earth is ‘calling’ us to awaken from our human-centered trance, and to respectfully re-turn to the natural world with fresh eyes, in kinship with all. Then, stirred by appreciation and delight, we can whole-heartedly dedicate ourselves to protect and restore the web of life, and to bring all other pursuits into accord with this call.  

Perhaps, alongside Murshid’s unequivocal message: “The solution to the problem of the day is the awakening of the consciousness of humanity to the divinity of man [human being],” we might add: May the consciousness of humanity awaken as well to the divinity of all creation.

“There are many beings, but at the same time there is one, the only Being. Therefore objects such as streams and mountains are also living, but they only exist separately to our outer vision. When our inner vision opens, then the separation is shown as a veil. Then there is one vision alone, and that is the immanence of God.” ~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

Submitted by Shams Kairys of the Kinship Council