Indigenous Spirituality and Kind Rebirths: Kind Earth – Connection to all Things

Part VI

In looking into the Indigenous traditions of the world, the concept of rebirth is not a promise that is granted sometime into the future. In fact, it is a living reality that we witness every day. If we look to the cycles of the moon and of the stars or if we look to the blooming seasons of the Gregorian calendar, we are intentionally or unintentionally connected to the ecological patterns of creation manifesting all around us. But in the beauty of this floats the wisdom of Kind Rebirths, which honors these continual change cycles as a reconnection to both the self and with nature.

Indigenous teachings often speak to and remind us that everything in the living world has an existing spirit, the wind that blows unseen, the trees in our wooded areas, the rivers and streams that serve as tributaries, and even the stones that align those shores. To forget the knowledge of this is to separate ourselves from other living things and objects that impact the very way we conduct our lives. However, when we remember it, we experience a type of rebirth, one that is similar to a restoration of faith and a restoration of harmony. In an echo, Kind Rebirth guides us back into the meaningful relationships we once had with the living world through mindfulness, presence, and gratitude.

In the world of Indigenous spirituality and values, whose beliefs and practices often emphasize a holistic worldview of interconnectedness between that which inhabit it (humans, nature, and the spiritual realm), rebirth is a return and renewal of balance. Just as a fire can renew the forest by clearing the land in order for new growth to propagate and flourish, indigenous healing seeks rebalance through the transformation of elements. And as a natural, fluid process that does not require a human-initiated catalyst, the instinctual results provide the steadiness of scale to self-correct. In other words, the world is seeking to balance itself to adjust to the many imbalances placed against it. It is constantly seeking to redistribute its bounty in a way that recreates itself when the world has gone awry. Similarly, in seeking a kind rebirth, we are seeking to correct our misdeeds, change our paths in a way that inspires goodness by starting again.

These types of native spiritual beliefs operate within their own constructs and ecosystems. They teach us to walk gently so as to not disrupt unnecessarily the natural system and organization that it is meant to follow to retain balance. What it teaches us is that we too are subtle ecosystems that benefit greatly by listening to our inner landscaping, especially when it is time to break down, rebuild and reconstruct. This kind of rebirth is accomplished through kindness, awareness, and communal association. Remember, we don’t necessarily get to escape the cycle of life, but we do get to choose when we need to make changes. In that, we should find great honor.

Stay mindful…

Rebirth