IT’S ALL RELATED
KIN & KINDRED
Today's post is about the the highly sought after, sometimes confusing, often all-consuming, hot-button topic of (drumroll please) RELATIONSHIPS. And because you know the drill, we obviously won't be limiting it to romantic relationships, we're covering it all. From your woes with your co-workers or friends, to your unexpected bond with your local alley cat - to how you may or may not feel about the weather, your plants, your crystals -- literally ALL OF IT. We're basically starting at zero by exploring what even is a “relationship?”
SOUL FAMILY
When we start a conversation about relationships perhaps the first place the mind wanders to is our family ties. Makes sense, these are the O.G. relationships of our lives, the ones we presumably base all the rest of our human relationships on. At the very least, there's no denying that these relationships are hugely impactful on our worldview even if we choose to no longer participate in them.
But the more interesting relationships are the ties we make on our own- unrelated to blood bonds and more connected to a resonance with our soul. These include our close friends, our lovers, our pets, etc. They're fascinating because these connections give us an insight into our energetic patterns and tendencies. Just think about it. We say all the time that we were drawn to someone's vibe or felt an instant connection. Or the opposite, when someone gives us the heebie jeebies and it's an immediate no bueno stay the hell away type of situation. There's an unspoken language that everyone and everything is always speaking. A communication that's happening that is at the root of all relationships.
And that is the fundamental thing we need to explore when approaching a tender subject like relationships.
IT’S ALL RELATED
When we talk about relationships, we focus on our human to human relations. But when we explore relationships from an energy perspective, we understand that actually we are in relationship with all of existence. This fact is evident in the etymology of the word “relationship” itself.
The Latin root goes back to the word relate "to recount, tell," and directly from Latin relatus, "bring back.” And even more specifically- from re "back, again" + lātus "borne, carried.”
Confused? Don't be. This is all to say that when we deconstruct“relationship,” it's not about who texted who first, but about a return, a remembrance of sorts. This is why in the Sufi tradition it's said about true lovers (though this extends to all relations) that it's not like meeting someone for the first time, it's a remembering. In the Christian faith, it's said these fated relations feel like prophecy. These traditions are speaking to that elusive, inexplicable quality of connecting and connection. We can't pinpoint or exactly name it. It feels boundless. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's really get a firm understanding on etymology here.
This remembrance that ancient traditions like the Sufis talk about, are essentially a beautiful and poetic way to talk about deep resonance. Vibes. And not only are these not limited to love relationships, they're not limited to human relationships.
AFFINITY
To truly understand relationships and how to be in balanced relationships, we have to understand that we are always in conversation, in correspondence, with existence.
We are always relating.
Even when no one else is around, we are in relationship with ourselves. We are in constant synergy with our environment and the elements that make up our world. When we talk about feeling energized because it's a beautiful day, that's naming a relational aspect of our life. When we are struck by something and it sparks our creativity, we are in relationship with muse. When we look to our tarot deck or tuck a certain crystal under our pillow to keep us company while we sleep, we are knowingly relating to energy.
No matter how abstract, unseen, or vast, we are always in energetic relation. And without understanding this, we will always feel a bit out of balance, just wavering in the wind, flailing here and there.
But when we tune into the nature of our relationship with the whole of existence, we begin to see the divine sweet spot. Our connection to everything – the inherent connectedness of the Universe – and most importantly, the potential for coherence with all things. This fundamental shift won't automatically change everything without any effort, won't balance what's broken in an instant (for the most part!), but it will offer perspective, magic, ease, and flow.
And it will feel something like remembrance.