Some thinkers within neopaganism and ultimatist Buddhism find Eckhart’s teachings a point of contact between these traditions and Christian mysticism. We are simply humbled by how much these words resonate with us, almost eight centuries later, regardless of your spiritual traditions. Enjoy!
When I Was the Forest
When I was the stream, when I was the
forest, when I was still the field,
when I was every hoof, foot,
fin and wing, when I
was the sky
itself,
no one ever asked me did I have a purpose, no one ever
wondered was there anything I might need,
for there was nothing
I could not
love.
It was when I left all we once were that
the agony began, the fear and questions came,
and I wept, I wept. And tears
I had never known
before.
So I returned to the river, I returned to
the mountains. I asked for their hand in marriage again,
I begged—I begged to wed every object
and creature,
and when they accepted,
God was ever present in my arms.
And He did not say,
“Where have you
been?”
For then I knew my soul—every soul—
has always held
Him.
–Meister Eckhart (1260 – 1328)
The Pachamama Alliance is committed to offer extraordinary opportunities to step outside the familiar, bringing a fresh new perspective – often accompanied by a sense of peace, wellbeing and clarity – to one’s own culture and life. If you’d like to experience that among the streams, the fields and the sky of the Amazon rainforest and the high Andes, inquire about our Pachamama Journeys program, and join us for an experiential learning adventure!
