I was mourning the loss of my beloved hive and not just the loss of them but the climate conditions that led to their death, conditions that we have created because we believe we are separate from one another and the planet. Conditions that only emerge from forgetting our true nature and that we are nature. We are every flower, raindrop, honeybee, crow, hummingbird, gust of wind, grain of sand, oak leaf, acorn, blade of grass, berry, river current, butterfly, sunrise, full moon, and star. We are not separate.

I was mourning the loss of my beloved hive and also what gets in the way of us realizing this life and all we experience in it is temporary. All we experience in our bodies is temporary, and we have to be mindful of how we engage and commit to decreasing the suffering on this planet, on our own, and others.

Abhinivesha is about removing our fear of death, and in large part, we can do this by remembering the cycle of life. When faced with the stark contrast of life and death in real-time, as I was with Sting and the bees who came to sit with me and Sting’s former hive, we can let go because we realize our souls are everlasting. We are not our bodies, emotions, egos, or desires. We are the holy hum, the vibration that can be heard from a hive when you are close or they are close to you. We are the whale song. We are the coyotes singing in celebration of a kill and food for their clan. We are the wolves howling at the moon. We are tree roots communicating with other trees and sending aid when needed to forests near and far. We are fungi and a magical mycelial network.

We are sunlight. We are source. We are souls intermingling. We are souls who are everlasting. Sting’s soul is now in every particle of air that is flowing through the cosmos at this time. The body where they lived is still present in my yard as the form they are in has transitioned to be omnipresent. This is true for us as well. Letting go isn’t just about releasing, it is also about becoming something much more expansive than a body could hold. Letting go is about remembering and returning to. It is about getting free.

As you face your fear of letting go of this life or some part of your life, I remind you that in the process of letting go, there is freedom. When we let go, we aren’t bound by our bodies or the conditions in place. When we let go, we aren’t grasping onto things that do not serve us as individuals or the collective. When we let go, we trust and surrender to Ishvara, God, Spirit, the Divine, or whatever you call that which is bigger than you. We surrender to that which is holy and constant. When we surrender our actions to Ishvara, we devote our lives to that which is bigger than us. We create a world with less clinging and, instead more freedom for all.

When we take action from the place of knowing we are everything and everyone while also practicing discernment due to the identities we embody, we can create a world where freedom persists. We can leave our bodies with less fear, knowing that our legacy will live on in the soul, spirit, the heavens, and the earthly realm. I think it is important for us to let go and recognize that this life is temporary because I believe this will support us in making different choices in our lives.

Excerpt from lluminating Our True Nature: Yogic Practices for Personal and Collective Healing by Michelle Cassandra Johnson. Copyright © 2023 by Michelle Cassandra Johnson.