Footprints of the Sun
No matter where you are, the sun rises in the morning in the same general direction. The exact point at which it emerges from the horizon swings back and forth a bit with season, but all over the world you are looking east. The name for this direction is a human invention and changes across time and cultures, but the direction itself is not up to us. This directionality of the path of the sun shapes nature: it makes a difference to the trees, flowers, and birds which direction the sun rises in the morning and which direction it sets in the evening. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun goes from east, through the southern sky, and sets in the west, never even entering the north.
Our environment responds to this asymmetry. We respond to this asymmetry. North-facing slopes are cooler, moister, and have longer winters than south-facing slopes. South-facing windows gather more light and heat than north-facing windows. In warm areas, we plant trees on the southern side of buildings to reduce the need for air conditioning. We can see these “footprints of the sun” in the landscape and living bodies of the world around us. Trees will tend to add more canopy to the south side of their crowns, creating an architectural asymmetry. Branches on the north side tend to point up at steeper angles than branches on the south side. The very shape of their bodies and beings is formed by where they stand.
We occasionally teach a workshop called Footprints of the Sun.1 One time, on an overcast day with the sun fully hidden, we blindfolded a group of students and led them by a circuitous path deep into the woods. Upon removing their blindfolds, the students felt instantly lost and reliant on us to get them back to civilization. We simply told them that the way home was north. We didn’t tell them which way was north, but we slowly introduced them to the footprints of the sun. Eventually, through their own observations, they found their way home.
As it turns out, we humans are not so different from the trees and landscapes that are sculpted in response to the sun. We, too, are shaped by external forces, and we respond to them as we grow. Where we live and our families, communities, challenges, and opportunities affect us greatly. Over time, our learned responses are seen in our habits, beliefs, thoughts, and actions. Responding to challenging situations in whatever way we may have in the past seemingly makes sense, given our understanding and abilities in any particular moment. For many of us, though, these responses and the patterning that we carried forward occurred when we were quite young. The tools available to us in those early times, especially during great stress, were limited, and while they shaped us, they often no longer serve us well now. Yet, as adults, there is a tendency to do what we have done before, responding automatically and unconsciously.
Our hardwired thoughts and feelings around our survival and well-being often fail to see that the sun has shifted on the horizon and the light and shadows with it. Unlike a tree in the wild, however, we are not rooted to one single spot, and our environment changes constantly. At any moment we can stop right where we are and see the fullness of our situation. We can move, respond, and grow with intention. The sun or shade will affect us, but we see that our own wise response is the more powerful factor in determining what shapes the rest of our lives. We have the option not only to reposition ourselves in our environment, but also, with mindfulness, to relate differently to the places, people, and experiences we encounter wherever we are.
Try: Take a walk in a park, forest, or natural area. Use your phone or a compass to determine which way is north. Remember that, in general, the north side of things is cooler and moister than the south-facing side. Can you see the results of this?
Move at a slow enough speed that you can feel yourself in contact with the earth beneath you with each footstep. Notice how the sun or shade, cool or warm air feels on your skin. As you walk, look at the trees and plants and sense how they have adapted to the world in which they grew. Are there different species of trees or plants growing on a south-facing slope from what you find on the north one? Can you see the “footprints of the sun” in their growth patterns?
Look at trees on the edge of a forest. Can you pick up on the asymmetry as more branches have grown into the open space? Can you sense how their growth has adapted in response to their environment, other trees, a stream, a road, or the prevailing winds?
As you notice or imagine how the trees may have responded, begin to notice your own state of being just now. With a kind awareness, scan lightly through your body and mind, observing any thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations you are experiencing. Is there ease or discomfort, anxiety or joy, stillness or a torrent of thoughts? Can you sense how your mind and body also may be operating in response to your environment?
With compassion for what you observe, you can investigate the growth patterns and habits you see in yourself. Are the thoughts and feelings you find related to this moment or more of a response to past experiences? As you continue to walk, alternate your lens of awareness between the outer and inner landscape. Continue to look for the “footprints of the sun” in the land around you and notice the changing experience of your inner world. With this simple awareness, we can begin to create a clearing in the dense forest of our lives from which wisdom can flow and where we find freedom to respond in new ways.