Love Letters to the Earth
I recently read Ten Love Letters to the Earth written by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2013. In the midst of the current chaos and turmoil bombarding us everyday, I was inspired and comforted by Thich Nhat Hanh’s profound appreciation of the precious gift of life, his ongoing invitation to be peace and to live with joy and gratitude while actively responding to the challenges that surround us.
It is easy to be swept away by helplessness and despair witnessing the harm and damage that is being done to the Earth and to so many people’s lives. What helps me stay focused and find balance—even it is wobbly— is to return to my senses, to find and engage with what I can do, to be in community with others, and to stay connected to what keeps my heart open and aligned with my deepest values.
Howard Thurman, an author, educator and Civil Rights leader said,
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
This feels like potent and important guidance for these times. I have been leading Sensory Awareness practice for climate activists and I am happy to offer Sensory Awareness sessions for any group of activists working to respond to the challenges we are facing. Just reach out and we can set up a plan. There is no charge for these sessions. Offering the sustenance and resource of Sensory Awareness practice helps me come alive and is a way for me to engage and respond.
I will also be offering an in-person Sensory Awareness workshop for the general public at Green Gulch Farm from July 10 - July 13th, “How does my love for life want to express itself?” This will be the only in-person public retreat I will be offering in the U.S. for the rest of this year. It would be wonderful to see you at Green Gulch. For those of you who would like to commute to Green Gulch rather than stay overnight, please call them up to register as a commuter, (415) 383-3134. There is limited space in this workshop so best to register as soon as you can.
I will be teaching in Spain in August and September 2025. You can see the workshops listed below. I will announce the dates for Mexico 2026 in my next newsletter.
Excerpts from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Love Letters to the Earth
“There are times when we have not loved you enough; times when we have forgotten your true nature; and times when we have discriminated and treated you as something other than ourself. There have even been times when, through ignorance and unskillfulness, we have underestimated, exploited, wounded, and polluted you. That is why I make the deep vow today, with gratitude and love in my heart, to cherish and protect your beauty, and to embody your wondrous consciousness in my own life. I vow to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before me, to live with awakening and compassion, and so be worthy of calling myself your child.”
“Dear Mother, each time I sit in stillness on your Earth, I will be aware that because you are in me, I can embody your wonderful qualities: of solidity, perseverance, patience, and forbearance; of depth, endurance, and stability; of great courage, non-fear, and inexhaustible creativity. I vow to practice wholeheartedly to realize these qualities, knowing that you have already sown these potentials as seeds in the soil of my heart and mind.”
“When greed and pride overtake our basic survival needs, the result is always violence and unnecessary devastation. We know that whenever one species develops too rapidly, exceeding its natural limit, there is great loss and damage, and the lives of other species are endangered. For equilibrium to be restored, causes and conditions naturally arise to bring about the destruction and annihilation of that species. Often these causes and conditions originate from within the destructive species itself. We have learned that when we perpetrate violence toward our own and other species, we are violent toward ourselves. When we know how to protect all beings, we are protecting ourselves.”
“We know that you want us to live in such a way that in each moment of our daily lives we can cherish life and generate the energies of mindfulness, peace, solidity, compassion, and love. We vow to fulfill your wish and respond to your love. We have the deep conviction that generating these wholesome energies, we will help reduce the suffering on Earth and contribute to alleviating the suffering caused by violence, war, hunger, and illness. In alleviating our suffering, we alleviate yours.”
Upcoming Sensory Awareness Workshops
“How Does My Love for Life Want to Express Itself?”
July 10 - 13, 2025
Green Gulch Farm Zen Center
Fee: General $300 plus room and board, Members of San Francisco Zen Center $255 plus room and board
Register Online or call: (415) 383-3134
When we focus on how our love for life wants to express itself, it opens a vital, unfolding path. Rather than being trapped or overwhelmed by what we cannot do, this love guides us into what we can do.
In this retreat, through the practices of Sensory Awareness, journaling, and dialogue, we will cultivate the inner quiet to discover both what hinders our expression of love and what awakens it. Sensory Awareness practice connects us to the simplicity and depth of our own present moment experience. Meeting ourselves with compassion and openness is healing and renewing, and strengthens our capacity to bring calm, clarity, and loving responsiveness to our changing world.
“Donde Quiera Que Estés, Es El Camino”
Del 23 al 30 de agosto de 2025
l’Era de Can Burguès, Girona, España
“Transformando El Dolor”
Del 11 al 14 de septiembre 2025
Universidad de la Mística, Avila, España
“Connect With the Present Moment” “Conectar Con el Momento Presente”
September 19 - 21, 2025, Del 19 de septiembre al 21 de septiembre
Bilingual Workshop in English and Spanish, Curso bilingüe en Inglés y Español
Finca Son Dragó, Mallorca, Spain
For More Information, Para Más Información
Recommended Resources
“Navigating the Waters of Complexity,” Point of Relation Podcast Thomas Hübl, Episode 120, February 25, 2025. “How can we stop repeating patterns from the past? Thomas Hübl explores what it will take for individuals and societies to respond maturely to the current atmosphere of collective stress and not give in to polarizing and fragmenting forces.”
”The Spiritual Flow of Healing,” Point of Relation Podcast Thomas Hübl, Episode 123, March 18, 2025. “Explores how to regain connection to our spiritual essence after pain and trauma disrupt it. When crises put us out of synch, those broken parts allow light to come in, and new opportunities to emerge…if we’re open to them.”
“The Intuition of Earth,” Point of Relation Podcast with Thomas Hübl and Tiokasin Ghosthorse. “Tiokasin is a member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota, and shares deep wisdom from the Lakota worldview, language, and traditions.He and Thomas explore ways for us to redefine our relationship with Mother Earth, moving away from a mindset of separation and domination towards one of interconnectedness, mutual becoming, and intuition.”