Good day, fellow Alchemists:
How long have we humans been living the way we do today? How many years has our species been shaped and dyed in the colors of the natural world around us, whether green or gray? Throughout our history, the agent for change and evolution has always been nature, pure and unfaltering in its role as our obstacle and as our mother.
Without the guidance of our mothers, Nature and Earth, directing us on how to sustain ourselves, we would not have survived. Likewise, we would not have become what we are today if it were not for the hurdles we had to overcome while living on Earth. A lot of good has resulted from our struggles. We needed to heal the sick, so we invented medicine. We needed to travel faster, so we invented the wheel. We owe everything to both the good and the bad that nature has given us. Now that we have conquered many of life's challenges for comfortable living, we may have moved away from our natural environment a little more than we should have; we have gotten a bit lost.
Like a child without her mother, we lack the ability to see clearly without our caretakers. And even though Mother Nature and Mother Earth are always there for us, their influence is somewhat blurred by our modern lifestyles. Every day, many of us spend time indoors, at work, in school, and in our homes. In our current environment, even when we are outdoors, our activities take place in our concrete jungles, far removed from true nature.
City life is not nurturing; in fact, quite the contrary is true. We are nothing more than strangers to one another, regardless of how many people we live near. The smog that fills our lungs daily is very damaging to our physical health. But more importantly, seeing concrete buildings at every corner, loom above the tar that covers virtually every square inch of the ground beneath, may eventually erode our sense of self. Our ancestors roamed the outdoors daily, walking for hours just to find a bit of food. In contrast, we sit in stark offices, staring at a screen with artificial light blinding our eyes.
The way we live our lives in our modern, computerized world can drain us emotionally and spiritually. It is no wonder that at a time blessed with a plethora of technological advancements and material comforts, there are more cases of depression and disease than ever before. Millions of years of evolution counted on humans remaining in nature, eating fruits from trees and gathering nuts.
Reality has proven to be quite the opposite. Humans have been living in big cities for about 200 years, which is only a tiny fraction of the lifetime of our planet. But despite the relatively short time we've spent in city life, we have managed to cause long lasting and significant damage to our physical and emotional health. The good news is that it's all reversible and it's all up to you.
So, go out and roam in nature! Get lost on a hiking trail! Hug a darn tree for Gaia's sake! Live as simply and as cleanly as possible. Strive to live healthily and stay close to nature and you'll quickly realize that your well-being is improving.
Return to a more old-fashioned, slower-paced and happier time and live the life you were meant to live!
With love and sincerity,
The Alchemy by LA Counsel
