Supplement to Rewrite Reality S01E13: Kinship and Learning From the More than Human.
Behind my shed stands one of the largest trees in the neighbourhood. In summer, it holds an entire community inside its branches. Different birds nest at different levels. You can literally feel the layers of life building their own rhythm.
And the added bonus… It becomes a living shield of green that protects the garden from the nearby apartments view. And during in winter, when its leaves (unfortunately fall away), the birds return to its bare branches to catch the morning and evening sun.
The tree has its own seasons of belonging.
But lately I have realised that my garden is full of another community too. One that I never expected to teach me something so simple and so important.
My four rabbits have created their own ritual. Every morning, as soon as breakfast is served and their hutch opens, they scatter across the garden to check what changed overnight. It is playful and curious, but it always ends the same way.
Each of them, one at a time, walks to the base of the tree. They sit with their backs to the world and face the trunk. They stay there in absolute stillness for ten or fifteen minutes. Not together. Never disturbing one another. Just a private moment for each rabbit, as if the tree is something they return to.
This morning it was Kenton. I watched him take his position like clockwork. He relaxed into a state that looked almost meditative. His breath softened. His eyes unfocused. His ears rested. It was a kind of presence that felt ancient. A grounding I recognised in my own body but often forget to practice.
I realised that while I have been trying to build community in my neighbourhood, community is already thriving in my garden. The birds, the tree, the seasons, the small rituals, and these gentle creatures who start their day by grounding themselves in a way that feels wiser than anything I have learned from humans.
There is something humbling about watching an animal pause before the day begins.
Unlike myself… there appears to be no rush. No expectation. And certainly no endless to do list.
Just a moment with the oldest life form in the yard.
The tree does not speak as far as human understanding, but it gives them a back wall to lean against. A familiar scent. A sense of safety. A place where nothing can sneak up behind them. It is a natural anchor point, and the rabbits recognise that instinctively.
And it made me wonder:
How often do I give myself a moment like that?
A place to sit with no agenda.
A place to feel the world through my body rather than through my thoughts.
A place to begin again.
Learning from the More Than Human
The more than human world is always teaching us something. I just realised the need to pay attention long enough to notice.
My garden reminds me every morning that grounding is not a luxury. It is a rhythm. It is a practice. It is a quiet return to something older and wiser than me.
And maybe this is community too. Not just the people we try to gather, but the living world that gathers around us without asking for anything in return. Well with the exception of the rabbits who are quick to let me know when food is being served late.
FAQ’s
Q1: What does more than human mean in this reflection?
In this context, more than human refers to the living world around us that is not human yet forms community, intelligence, and connection in its own way. It includes animals, plants, seasons, and the subtle rhythms of nature. The idea is not symbolic. It is literal. The more than human world communicates, adapts, and teaches us through presence and behaviour. Watching Kenton sit at the base of the old tree shows how grounding can be a shared practice across species.
Q2: Why is the ritual of the rabbits an example of more than human connection?
The daily ritual of the rabbits shows that animals have their own sense of place, routine, and emotional grounding. They are not simply reacting. They are engaging with the tree in a consistent, intentional way. This is a clear example of more than human connection. It shows how animals seek safety, rhythm, and calm in ways that humans can learn from. Their behaviour becomes a teacher when we slow down enough to notice.
Q3: How can observing the more than human world improve my own grounding practice?
Observing the more than human world encourages a slower, embodied way of paying attention. When we watch animals or plants settle into their natural rhythms, it reminds us to return to our own. This improves grounding by inviting us into the present moment with more clarity and less pressure. A rabbit pausing at the base of a tree is not performing or striving. It is simply being. That presence can help us create our own moments of stillness and connection.
Additional Off Site Reading:
For readers who want to explore the idea of kinship with the more than human world, this article from YES Magazine offers a simple yet powerful doorway. It invites us to rethink the language we use for plants, animals, rivers, and all living systems around us. Instead of treating nature as an object, it asks us to consider what changes when we speak of the natural world as a living community that deserves respect. This piece expands beautifully on the themes in my reflection and provides a fresh perspective on how language shapes our relationships with the more than human.
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