Miki Aso
I grew up in Tokyo and Los Angeles. As an 80's kid my sense of nature was warped by horror movies set in dark scary woods. Nature was cast as an enemy rather than living relatives.
Even though I longed to be outside I was afraid of the dark until a few years ago.
When I was working as a Human-Centered Designer and Researcher my job was to deeply understand humans and their experiences of things, like receiving cancer care or working on a construction site. I would make recommendations to keep what’s working and improve what’s not.
While doing this work, my heart began to ache. I couldn’t ignore the consequences of excluding Earth as a living, breathing, sentient being that our very lives depend on any longer.
I wondered if I could talk with Earth the way I could talk with humans. Could I communicate with her? With trees, animals, water? How could I hear them? Will I understand their language?
These questions led me to meeting plant medicine person Marguerite Uhlmann-Bower in March of 2022. I completed her Cultivating Cognitive Agility training in July 2022, we have an on-going mentorship, and now co-create projects and classes together.
Marguerite’s nurturing led me back to what is innately in each of us, in each of our cells, our natural state of living in relationship with all of life.
I now live amongst trees and beings that rustle in the night. No longer afraid. Endlessly fascinated by their lives and thankful for the breathing pulsing shimmering gift of life.
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