The following article was originally published as part of the incredible community writing and art compilation project entitled Gifts for an Emerging World, organised by InterGifted.
The Gifts for an Emerging World compilation is a powerful collection of contributors' visions of how we can, individually and collectively, bring our gifts to bear to lead and transform generations of ecological disconnection—spanning dimensions physical and non-physical—into an emerging future of intra- and inter-species harmony and collaboration for all beings on this planet, and beyond.
Credit for this amazing project goes to Jan Provoost, Jennifer Harvey Sallin and Karin Eglinton, who devoted huge chunks of their time and energy in 2020 to birthing this, and last but not least, to the many contributors who shared so deeply and intimately of their hearts and souls, hopes and dreams for our shared future with our planet, and all beings upon and within.
The lack of human mentors who could provide guidance matching the breadth, depth, complexity and intensity of my gifted experience of clairvoyance and related connection to Earth finally took its toll, and by my early 30s, I had systematically deleted large parts of my ability, connection and memories of both.
In June 2019, my dear friends and mentors Jennifer Harvey Sallin and Karin Eglinton launched the I Heart Earth meditations. This became the catalyst for my private re-exploration and journey back to my younger self’s innate connection with Earth, as well as the received wisdom from my non-physical mentors.
The grief I encountered was sharp, poignant and, at times, overwhelming. It took many tiny and tender steps, and deep excavations, to dare to open myself back up and re-apprentice myself to my non-physical mentors, and I am grateful to be able to do so today with the ongoing support of my gifted human friends and mentors.
Here are some of the basic principles that I have been re- learning:
Connection
Inviting Connection
Respect
Expressing Respect
If you receive permission to enter, I usually recommend thanking them for their consent before proceeding. Be mindful and in tune with yourself, with the space and with them throughout your visit. There will come a point where either you will sense or they will let you know that it is time for you to leave. When you feel this, obey the impulse and do not overstay your welcome.
As you exit, pause once again and turn around to face where you came out from. Offer a simple physical gesture of respect that you feel comfortable with, a nod, a hand over your heart, a little bow, and thank them for their generosity and hospitality on this day. I usually say, “Thank you, Elders of this territory, for allowing me on your land today and allowing me to spend time with you.”
The Elders taught me never to take any clan’s hospitality for granted, meaning, just because they let me in one day doesn’t mean that access is granted for all time. They can change their minds at any time and it is their right to do so. This is why we must always ask at the boundary to any territory, regardless of how many times we have been let in before and regardless of how good a relationship we may have with the particular territory or clan.
Once again, it is exactly the same as with people. We would never take for granted that we can walk into someone’s home unannounced, just because we know that person or have been there many times before.
Custodianship
Balance between the needs and wants of different dimensions, universes, ecosystems, and all the beings inhabiting those spaces, is not static. It is a constant give-and-take: A flow of life force.
It is our responsibility, as is the responsibility of all beings, to respect and be in harmony with that flow, on physical and non- physical levels, and it is more than a single lifetime’s work—It is an ongoing intergenerational undertaking.
The passing of theoretical and practical knowledge and wisdom from Elders to humans, from human elders to their offspring, who then themselves learn to apprentice directly from the Elders too for constantly updated information. For change is the only constant—We are forever in each lifetime learning and teaching.
It is easy to be and live as an owner, especially when ownership implies no checks and balances on what we consume, and the assumption that we can always take, possess and own what resources we have depleted from elsewhere. It is a destructive cycle of consumption, destruction and dispossession, with no re-generativity, no thought for the future.
It is much harder to be and live as a custodian. Every thought, word and deed must be mindful. Mindful of the self, of others, of present and future needs and wants, of past collective missteps, and of broader contexts that span the impersonal, rather than just the personal.
Yet it is essential we shift our mindset and ways of being and living towards that of the apprentice custodian, for this is truly what we all are in the greater balance of things. It is a humility we must all embrace if we are to come together to face the challenges Earth is experiencing right now, and to come through to a better, brighter future for all.
Cultivating Custodianship
What is a custodian? Another word you can substitute with is caretaker, but essentially a custodian is a person who has responsibility for taking care of or protecting something.
Take note of the thoughts and feelings that arise from this exploration. You may encounter overwhelm, resentment, helplessness, blame. If those feelings are too much for you to process alone, I recommend doing so with a trusted gifted friend or with a gifted therapist who is also ecologically aware.
Continue your prior practices of connection and respect. Observe if this additional layer of awareness changes your perception and relationship to our Elders.
You can now try to add another layer to your practice by asking the Elders to give you guidance on how best you can re-apprentice yourself as custodian of Earth and the land(s) you live on.
This is how I have been personally exploring this in my re- apprenticeship this year:
Return to the natural environment you have been practicing in and while requesting permission to enter, include a declaration of intent, “Good morning, Elders of this territory. It’s me, Silver. How are you today? I would like to ask permission to enter your land today, and in addition, I would like to seek your advice on re- apprenticeship as a custodian. Thank you.”
After you receive permission to enter their territory, find a good spot where you can spend some time quietly. You can also include a request to be guided to a good spot during your declaration, “Can you please guide me to a place on your land where I can be for a while that would best support this process?”
If you have a garden with lots of plants, you can also do this at home. Instead of asking permission to enter, you do an invite, “Good afternoon, Elders of this territory. My name is Silver Huang. I am seeking to re-learn how to become an apprentice custodian of this land and of Earth, and I would very much appreciate your presence and guidance on how best I can take the next step for this? I humbly request your presence and wisdom with me today, in this, my home on your land. Thank you.”
I highly recommend having writing and/or drawing material with you to capture any insights that you receive from them.
Which brings me to another common question, “How do we receive guidance from the Elders?” It depends from person to person. Some of us see them, hear them or feel them. Some of us even smell and taste different scents or flavors along with the first three modes of perception, and there are those of us who incorporate all physical senses into a fully embodied experience, which I personally call visions.
If we don’t receive communications in language, I get that it may be a bit hard to make sense of what is being received, however that’s where I find keeping a multi-media creative journal comes in handy.
I am a digital artist at heart, so I keep my journal in my iPad. I write, doodle and draw in apps like Paper by WeTransfer and Procreate. You can use non-digital means and materials. When I hear words, I write them down. When I see images, I sketch them out. When I experience visions, it depends but oftentimes I do both—I describe in words and sketch what I can.
The main thing for me has been to get creative with capturing the key essence of the insight and experience, so that when I bring this piece of wisdom home and refer to it again in a few days, weeks, months or years, I can remember what the experience was. The meaning may be apparent immediately, or it may come with time. The point is I capture the experience.
Playful and free-associative creativity has been a key piece of my process to reopening and reconnecting all the different dimensions of my being and process to Earth and her Elders. I’ve shared more on my creative journey in another essay in this compilation, called Reawakening Creative Engagement.
The Elder Tree, digital drawing by Silver Huang.