[00:00:00] Emily Race-Newmark: Welcome to This is How We Care, a podcast where we look at what it means to embody care, not as an individual practice, but a collective one, and to see what kind of world emerges from this place.

Thank you for being here. I am your host, Emily Race.

 This grounding practice is brought to you by Della Duncan. You can check out our full interview at that separate episode wherever you tune into our podcast.

Emily Race-Newmark: If you're able, I invite you to take a couple of moments now to ease yourself into a space of receptivity, perhaps allowing yourself to get into a more comfortable position. Shutting off any other distraction. And even giving yourself the time and space to pause this, so that you may find a cozy spot wherever you are.

With that I'll pass it over to Della to guide us through this practice. We hope that you [00:01:00] enjoy.

Della Duncan: I'd like to offer an invitation called the Web of Life Meditation, and this comes from the work that reconnects and the root teacher Joanna Macy. 

So I invite you wherever you are if it's safe and comfortable for you to settle with us, to arrive. Come into presence for this conversation, for listening.

If it feels comfortable, you may close your eyes if it's safe and comfortable to do so, or maybe just to dim them a little.

And if it also feels useful to just place a gentle attention on your breathing, the fact that you are being breathed by life as you listen to our conversation today.

And as we sit here breathing, I [00:02:00] invite you to imagine that there is a strand of light coming from your heart to any living beings that are around you. Perhaps there are some plant beings or some furried friends or even some human beings nearby. Just imagine a strand of light going from your heart to theirs.

And breathe into this connection, these strands of light.

And holding those strands, I invite you to stretch out more strands further afield through walls or beyond your sight to the human beings in your area. Maybe human beings passing by, folks in other rooms or buildings. The beings flying overhead, crawling in the soil, [00:03:00] the tree beings, the plant beings, one strand of light connecting your heart with each and every living being around you in your local area, maybe your neighborhood or wherever you are right now.

And breathing into these strands and holding them, I invite you to stretch out more strands further, stretching out across your bio region, the bio region that you're in, all the living beings, the humans, the plants, the animals, the swimming ones, the flying ones, strands of light connecting your heart with each and every living being in your bio region, your watershed.

And holding those strands, I invite you to stretch out more strands to the north of you—wherever you are, wherever you're listening—to [00:04:00] the north of you. Strands stretching across borders, into buildings and lakes and rivers and oceans. Strands of light connecting your heart with each and every tree and plant.

Insect, human—the strand of light connecting your heart with each and every living being to the north of you. Really see them. Beings you know, beings you don't know—the strand of light connecting your heart with each of theirs.

And holding those strands, I invite you to stretch out some strands to the east of you—all the beings, all the living beings to the east of you. The human beings, the humans lying down, driving, walking, sleeping, stretching across borders, across waters, into waters. [00:05:00] The jellyfish, the whales, across air, altitude, the flying beings, humans and airplanes, all the living beings to the east of you—a strand of light connecting your heart with each of theirs.

And holding these strands, I invite you to stretch out strands to the south of you—human beings, beings you know, and you don't know.

All the living beings, the furried ones, the winged, the small beings, the large beings—the strand of light connecting your heart with each and every living being to the south of you.

And holding those strands, I invite you to stretch out strands to the west of you—wherever you are in the world right now. [00:06:00] Beings beyond your vision, your sight, across mountains and deserts, into forests. Every living being to the west of you.

And resting into these connections, see if there's any other living beings on the planet to touch with a strand from your heart to each of theirs.

You are a jewel in a vast net. You are a jewel in a vast net, connected as in a web of life. 

And I want you to just soften for a moment and open to the joy coming through the web of life. Those who are celebrating, having a good day, [00:07:00] those in joy and ease and peace and connection.

And I also want you to soften and open to any pain and suffering coming through the web of life. Those who are in difficult situations, who are sick, in war, in desperation, in grief, the living beings, all the living beings connected in the web of life experiencing difficulty. Just open to that pain. Don't hold on to it.

Let it flow through you. Let it ripen within you.

And if your heart hurts, know that a heart is not something that can break. And they say that if a heart breaks, it'll hold the whole world.[00:08:00] 

And see right now, if there's any words of well wishes or prayer or blessings that you'd like to send now out into the web of life, as you sit connected to all the living beings on this planet. See what message, what blessing, what well wishes you'd like to send right now from your heart to each of theirs.

And when you're done, just rest into this web of life, remembering to breathe, remembering your interconnectedness with all that is.[00:09:00] 

There is nowhere you can go where you are not held in this web of life. There is nowhere you can go where you are not held in this web of life.

And then holding this visualization in your mind's eye and your heart, you may open your eyes and stir and stretch and come back.

Emily Race-Newmark: Thank you for being a part of this experience with us. 

If you want to hear more from Della, please head over to our full interview where this practice formed a background for the conversation that we shared together. 

Hope to see you there.