A love embrace is a beautiful way to describe the connection we have with each other, the Earth, and everything around us. It is how we interact with these things, how we show our appreciation and reverence for them.
How do you know when someone loves you? How do you know when you love someone else? Many people would say that you know because of the things that you do for them, for their well-being. You take care of them, make them feel good, make them happy.
The same can be said for loving the world and all of its inhabitants. You take care of the world by taking care of its inhabitants and yourself. By being mindful and aware of your actions towards others and yourself, you show your love for yourself and the world around you.
This was very clearly seen in this piece about Diego Armando Rodriguez Orozco and his relationship with his husband, Señor Xolotl.
The earth (Mexico)
A significant part of this journey was exploring the earth itself. I learned so much about the world and its lands, climates, and inhabitants.
By traveling to different continents, I was able to see different ecosystems and how people lived in them. I was able to learn about how people lived in different places and what they valued.
Traveling also taught me how small we all are. How we are all just tiny little humans on this giant planet, moving around a giant sun. How we are all connected by this earth.
I learned that we should all take care of the earth, as it takes care of us. We should respect it and work to preserve it for future generations to come.
Myself
In this experience, I was introduced to myself. Not myself as in me, but myself as in the self. The true self that exists underneath all of the thoughts, ideas, concepts, and emotions we have about ourselves.
In this journey to meet the Mayan god Xolotl, I had to dive deep into my own being. I had to really understand who I am and what my role is in this universe. What does it mean to truly be me?
I had to understand that I am a part of everything and everyone around me. We are all interconnected and made of the same stuff- love. Love is what you are when you get down to your true self.
This lesson was hard for me because I had so many false selves built up- ideas about who I am that are not actually true. Getting rid of those was very difficult, but very necessary for me to meet myself.
Diego
Diego was my guide during my time in Mexico. He grew up in Cuixmexico, and now lives in Mexico City where he guides tours for a living.
Diego has a love for his country that is unparalleled. He is so knowledgeable about the Mayan people, culture, language, and lands that it was a pleasure to listen to him speak.
He is also very aware of the struggles his people face: poverty, corruption, drug trafficking, migration, and more. He is passionate about helping his country progress and bringing awareness to these issues.
I enjoyed our talks about politics and what we could do to help bring change. We both have the same passion for justice and helping others so it was easy to converse with him on these topics.
Señor Xolotl
A unique experience can be had at the floating gardens of Xolotl. At this garden, you can purchase a seed and plant it in the water.
As the plant grows, it will be immersed in the water and will grow roots that reach for the bottom of the canals. The plants seem to do well here, as they are always moist.
By the time your plant has grown into a full sized tree, it will have become part of the floating forest that is Xolotl. This adds a special element to seeing your plant grow- you know it is helping build something bigger!
Seeing all of the plants growing together makes for a beautiful, verdant scene that is quite picturesque.
Love is not something you find, but something that finds you
Love is not something you find, but something that finds you. Love is not something you make, but something that makes you. Love is not something you achieve, but something that achieves you.
Love is not something you possess, but something that possesses you. Love is not an object, but a process. It is a process of giving and receiving, a process of becoming one.
You may ask: How can I know if I am in love? How can I recognize love when it comes around? The answers lie in how love affects you. When love comes into your life, if you feel like your whole being has been touched by some force or presence and changes as a result, then it was love that came into the room.
If this force changes the way you act and think and feel, then it was love that came into the room and made itself at home.
We are all one with the universe
In the Nahuatl language, the word “Mexico” means “the place of the earth”. It also connotes the multi-ethnic nature of the country, since it is built upon native indigenous roots and Spanish colonialism.
This is beautifully expressed in many of its symbols, one of which is the official national seal of Mexico.
It features a Mexican eagle perched on a prickly nopal cactus with a serpent nestled beneath it. At its feet are a golden column and an olive branch, traditional symbols of peace.
Underneath these images is an ancient Aztec picture symbolizing land and water. All of these elements come together to show that Mexico as a nation recognizes that we are all connected to each other, to Mother Earth, and to all people worldwide through peace.
We are all one with the Earth (Mexico)
During my time in Mexico, I learned that we are all one with the Earth, the country of Mexico, Diego, Señor Xolotl, and each other.
I learned this through experience while interacting with the people of Mexico. The people were so kind and loving and felt like a huge family. This is because we are all one with each other and the Earth.
I experienced this most when I was in Xolotl’s cave. As I walked around his cave, I noticed all of these little statues of different animals. When I asked him about them, he said they were representations of him—that he was all of these animals. He also said that he loved himself and that we should love ourselves too.
That is when it hit me: we are all one with each other and the Earth because we are all made up of the same things—we are all one unit made up of countless units (atoms).
We are all one with ourselves
As I’ve said before, we are all one with ourselves. We are all one with the universe, the earth, humanity, and every living being.
We are one with our conscience and our subconscious. We are one with our emotions and our thoughts.
We are all made of the same things: molecules, atoms, protons, electrons. All of these things make up everything in existence: people, animals, plants, rocks, planets—everything! There is only one thing in existence: everything. Only how we see this “everything” changes.
I know that sounds crazy (or “crazy-making” as my psychiatrist friend would say), but try to understand it in a different way: we only see our own perception of everything; there is no “outside” of ourselves to compare ourselves to—we only compare ourselves to “ourselves”.
Leave a Reply