How did I arrive at this place of eco-spirituality?

Homework submitted for Jeff Broome's Narrative Inquiry

Storylog #1

​ Greetings Souls of Love & Light,

In 1974, I entered this world through the vessel of a Black womxn because of a union with a Black man. Mama intentionally spelled my first name, Christal, with C-H-R-I-S-T to represent her religious foundation and belief that he is in ALL of us. Secondly, my dad named me Mischelle. Mischelle comes from the Hebrew name Michael meaning “Who is like God?” This question is answered by my last name, Omni, which means “All.” When placed together, “Who is like God? All,” the answer gives voice to the power of god being neither womxn nor man. Nature can be god. 
 
Being raised with Black Baptist expectations, I found myself fearful of fully exploring the reality that there were alternative avenues of spirituality.  It was not until my Mama took her final breath on March 31, 2016, that I felt a new freedom to explore a spiritual practice that made me feel whole and connected. It took some time, nearly two years, because I was still afraid of what she would think. Nonetheless, this journey has revealed powerful messages provided by Mother Earth that have assured me that this path IS for me. To paraphrase the words of Janelle Monae, I have “Embraced what makes me unique even if it makes others uncomfortable.”
 
Besides the permission offered by Monae, I have received additional confirmation of my decision to explore and accept eco-spirituality while observing and listening to my dad. Dad, just like my Mama, identifies as Christian and constantly gives thanks to Jesus Christ for granting his current healing from a life-threatening bout with COVID-19. However, Dad also attributes his healing to a deep desire to return to his favorite playtime – gardening. I believe Dad is also an eco-spiritualist although he would never admit it.
 
Today, I stand firm in my own spiritual practice – Eco-spirituality. This practice centers me through communing with Mother Earth and more specifically through the art of gardening. In this space, I honor the legacy of my ancestors – truck farmers five generations back on Mama’s side and sharecroppers two generations back on Dad’s side. Now that you know how my name speaks to a pre-determined walk in the land of eco-spirituality, let’s look at what happened when I “physically” got here.

I moved to Tallahassee, Florida, from Topeka, Kansas during a global pandemic. I left my hometown of 45 years and my immediate ancestral connection that dated back over 150 years. Being uprooted, although by choice, made me feel out of alignment.  Just like a plant being transplanted, they/I often experience a period of adjustment as we acclimate to new soil, air, and sunlight patterns. As that newly transplanted plant, my loss of center challenged me to find new ways to connect. Ways that could ground me for the journey ahead and were safe during a period of social distancing. I needed to find a way to restore my balance and harmony while loving myself in new and individualistic ways. Establishing a relationship with Mother Earth (nature) was that way.

During my morning walks in nature, I felt a strong attraction to trees. It was something about their beauty, height, strength, and roots that made me feel connected to them. Overtime, I began to feel that I could hear the wisdom of the trees. It became an unexplainable relationship where I felt seen, valued, and entrusted with wisdom that came from beyond my natural knowing. According to the literature, trees are “portrayed as an ancestral symbol of wisdom, authority, and custom, providing bond between the dead and the living, according to African myths and stories” (Studstill, 1970 in the article by an unknown author).

So, there you have it. Now you know how I entered the space of eco-spirituality and what aspects of nature move me. Please tune in each week as I reveal lessons from the landscape (eco-narratives) and dive deeper into my research question - how nature is a site of learning and restoration among Black womxn. 

See you next week. Until then...

Love & be loved!

​~Chris