A TEEMING WORLD

 

The soil beneath our feet—whether in the great outdoors or hidden beneath tiles and asphalt—is an incredible wonder. It teems with life. This soil not only supports plants but is also, and above all, the nourishing foundation for all the seedlings, plants, shrubs, and trees we encounter everywhere.



COUNTLESS NUMBERS

When it comes to the soil, most of us know that, in addition to plant roots, there are all kinds of tiny creatures present, such as ants, termites, earthworms, and the like. These are the easily visible creatures. However, they represent a very small minority compared to the much smaller creatures—in hundreds of species and in countless numbers—that live there and “do their work.” They often cluster around the roots, but even without those roots, the soil teems with a countless “population.” Here I can only mention a few examples to give an impression. I will provide pictures of them later. A good microscope will show you springtails, beetle-like mites, ribbon-shaped earthworms, tardigrades, and if you let your microscope look even deeper, you’ll see an “infinite number” of sometimes hard-to-classify amoebas, protozoa, algae, bacteria, and viruses—all single-celled or multicellular, minuscule but truly alive.

A tablespoon of healthy, humus-rich soil contains a population many times the number of people on our planet—so many times eight billion! A gram of fertile soil can contain billions of microbes and viruses, millions of protozoa and algae, hundreds of microscopic ribbon-shaped worms, dozens of mites and springtails—and a thousand meters of fungal hyphae!

ONE LIVING BEING

Just as everywhere there is life, the soil has also defied human attempts to describe it precisely: living matter is ultimately so rich, so complex, and so innumerable that the soil can best be described as a single living being. A living being that is, in turn, part of the living whole of our Earth, GAIA. I discussed that enormous living whole in my previous contribution on this weblog CREATIVE GAIA.

ORIGINS

Looking back at Earth’s history, we can see that several billion years ago, rocks, mountains, and valleys were formed by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, colliding “floating” continental plates, and other geological processes. These rocks underwent and continue to undergo constant weathering due to the influence of water, wind, varying temperatures (contraction and expansion), carbon dioxide, and other substances in the air, but also due to all kinds of “small” life that developed on them. Consider, for example, lichens (fig.), which feed on their substrate and thus produce new biological material from anorganical. The same applies to grasses and larger plants, which not only penetrate the inorganic material but also interact with it. It is precisely this interaction between organic and inorganic material that has created a layer of fertile soil. This has been a transformation process lasting millions of years, during which a fertile topsoil layer of 20 to 30 centimeters has formed, which is considered the active root zone. Of course, some roots go deeper, such as those of trees with taproots, but the majority of biological activity still takes place primarily in that topsoil layer.

It was especially in that top layer that a wide variety of “primitive plants” emerged, partly because the rocks had different chemical compositions; some plants were better suited to stronger sunlight, more moisture, stronger winds, and so on. In this way, many types of living soil emerged in which all components work together. It is remarkable how self-regulating systems arose everywhere and continue to arise, systems that also constantly adapt to changing conditions and thus continue to thrive.

TWO LAYERS

In fact, the plants that grow visibly above that soil, together with the soil itself, also form a cooperative “system.” Above and below, two “layers” that help each other in ingenious ways.

Soil is therefore not merely what “supports” or provides stability for everything above it, or what serves solely as a temporary storage shed for nutrients. The plants “above” also nourish the soil in their own way. Of particular importance here is photosynthesis in the green leaves, which absorb the energy of sunlight and the carbon dioxide gas present and, through an ingenious process, convert them into various sugars while releasing oxygen into the environment.
These sugars travel via the downward sap flow to the bacteria and the many other organisms in the soil, serving as nourishment for their growth and functioning.
Conversely, the organisms in the soil synthesize the specific nutrients required by these very plants and deliver them via the roots to the plant, which transports them to the right places through the upward flow of water. 
It is, therefore, a collaboration in which the lives of both the plants and the soil depend on one another. It is a highly active and targeted collaboration. 

IMPRESSIVE SYNERGY

The roots of the plants penetrate the earth, loosening it, creating new spaces for microbes and fungi, forming channels for air and water, and building extensive root systems right beneath our feet. In those spaces, earthworms, snails, arthropods, tardigrades, and their various counterparts consume large volumes of soil and excrete sustainable, nutrient-rich products. In addition, over time, microbes and fungi have developed the ability to break down difficult material. For example, certain microbes can break down the tough cellulose in plant cell walls into valuable organic material, and special fungi can handle the even more stubborn lignin, the substance that (in the bark) gives plants and trees much of their strength.

Other large and (very) small animals, working in specialized groups, break down decaying material, releasing certain chemicals for transport “upward” (e.g., for the color of apples). 

Fungi (fig.) produce kilometer-long threads (tubes) with which they also connect to other plants, provide nourishment, help with disease, and even send signals in case of imminent danger. It’s all almost unimaginable!

HUMUS

You find this wonderful collaboration primarily in what we call humus. It is the most important organic component of fertile soil. It is a dark, mysterious, somewhat oily, and very rich substance, the exact composition of which is still not fully understood. You’ll find stubborn bits of partially decomposed plant cells in it; it contains a wealth of proteins, fats, and sugars. Much of this is bound to mineral particles, which is how the loose, granular structure forms.

Humus is unique to every ecosystem—that is, to every more or less cohesive natural area: a forest, a meadow, a vegetated slope, a pond, a marsh, a stream bank, and so on.
It will come as no surprise that many biologists consider this fertile soil to be the most complex biological material on Earth.

DAMAGE

It is therefore clear just how much damage is caused by human activities / interventions like deforestation, intensive/deep plowing, extensive use of chemicals, and other forms of over-exploitation or abuse of nature and its forces. Unfortunately, we cannot go into that here.
However, to conclude, I can show you a few pictures of some of those active underground inhabitants, who are so important for plant growth, for the climate, and ultimately for our lives.

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BEETLE MITES

These are small (0.2–1.4 mm), armored soil mites that play a crucial role in the ecosystem. They feed primarily on fungi, mosses, and decaying organic matter, making them essential for soil fertility and the decomposition of leaves. They are harmless to plants and humans. 




COLLEMBOLAN or SPRINGTAILS

Springtails are characterized by mouthparts located in the head (a protruding tube) and usually a forked tail that allows them to jump away when in danger. Most species are less than 6 mm long, many only a few millimeters. They typically live in the upper layers of the soil (litter layer) and feed on decaying organic matter and fungi. 

They can occur there in enormous numbers.







TARDIGRADES

These are called water bears or sometimes moss bears in English. They are microscopic, invertebrate creatures (0.1 to 1.5 mm) with eight legs, known for their extreme resistance to dehydration, radiation, cold, and vacuum. They live in moist moss and lichen environments and are true gluttons, consuming large amounts of soil, and their excretions are particularly fertile.



NEMATODES or SOIL WORMS

You encounter these creatures “everywhere”: in freshwater surface waters, at great depths in seawater, in mountains and deserts, in moist soil (which is what we’re discussing here), in numbers and varieties that far exceed those of many other animals. They also occur at great depths within rock, such as 4 km deep in a gold mine in South Africa. The highest numbers however have been observed in tundras and in our northern forests.

CYANOBACTERIA or BLUE-GREEN ALGAE

These are bacteria that derive their energy from photosynthesis. Their blue-green color gave them their name, but they are true bacteria. They are found in a wide variety of environments. They are among the oldest and most widespread organisms on Earth and appeared as early as the Archean, which is the very first phase of the (newly formed) Earth, about 4 billion years ago. 
They were the first organisms to develop the ability to photosynthesis, canturing energy from sunlight and using it to convert water and carbon dioxide into organic compounds. This process releases oxygen as a byproduct. Through this process, cyanobacteria have played a crucial role over billions of years in enriching the Earth’s atmosphere with oxygen, which ultimately led to the evolution of oxygen-loving life forms, such as those we now know across the entire planet.

EARTHWORMS

These deserve to be the “bring-up-the-rear” group, as their importance can hardly be overstated. A great biologist like Charles Darwin (the man behind the theory of natural evolution) dedicated his last major book to them!

The natural behavior of these animals can significantly improve the quality of your plants. These creatures dig small tunnels underground, allowing water to spread more easily through the soil. This makes it easier for plants to absorb water and grow even better. The tunnels also ensure that more oxygen enters the soil, leading to stronger roots. Moreover, the soil stays fresh because earthworms eat everything. They are true scavengers that break down plant material, as well as leaves, plant debris, and other dead matter—and they then excrete all of this “processed” material, ensuring that, thanks to their hard work and large numbers, there are always fresh nutrients in the soil and the soil also retains its aeration.

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Yes, a teeming world, perhaps even more densely populated than the world we humans inhabit, and where their fertile and intelligent cooperation might even serve as an example to us humans!


Johan Muijtjens
late March 2026

OUR EARTH: ONE LIVING WHOLE

 THE BATTLE STILL CONTINUES

The battle, namely, whether our Earth is largely 'dead' and can be used at will—or whether it is essentially one large living entity, to be treated with respect and care. Is the Earth a huge, lifeless sphere of iron, nickel, carbon, tin, silicon, etc., with a very thin layer of living matter, with a few interconnected, large holes of water, and covered by a slightly thicker layer of gas: nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and more—or is it more? Why?

We all know by now that this isn't a theoretical question. The concerns of many about the abuse of our Earth revolve primarily around this: simply a utility object or a kind of "partner" for us humans? Also living? Also having rights? Completely interconnected?

Over fifty years ago (in 1972), the Club of Rome published its major report, "THE LIMITS TO GROWTH." That report didn't even address life and rights, etc., but simply described how we humans are using the Earth far more than it can "keep up." Our increasing exploitation, with all its side effects, is overextending its potential and, even worse, undermining the Earth's (restoration) potential.

Interestingly, even before that report appeared, a hypothesis was put forward from a completely different perspective, namely (micro)biology, that would significantly influence our view of the Earth. Initially, it was heavily criticized, but after a few decades, it was and is increasingly recognized as correct and even highly valuable: the so-called GAIA theory.

THE GAIA THEORY

The GAIA theory is a scientific theory that posits that the Earth and all its biological, geological, atmospheric, and chemical components work together as a single, self-regulating system. This idea was introduced in the 1970s by the British scientist James Lovelock, with contributions from the American microbiologist Lynn Margulis.

James Lovelock states: "The Earth could be alive, not like a sensitive goddess pursuing a purpose and possessing a vision, but alive like a tree, existing in silence, never moving or shifting, yet flowing with the wind, endlessly communicating with sunlight and the soil. It needs sunlight, water, and nutrients to grow and change. Yet all this happens so unnoticed that the old oak tree in the meadow is the same to me as it was when I played under it as a child."

There has been considerable understandable criticism of this theory (initially still as a hypothesis), but especially in the 21st century, the GAIA theory has been further developed and has gained even greater appreciation in light of climate change and environmental issues, all of which point to—and can only truly be understood by—assuming a total interaction, in which everything (and therefore at all levels) is interconnected and interacts with everything else.

    [A side note: the choice of the name 'GAIA' was perhaps somewhat unfortunate, as it is the name of the Roman goddess of the earth, leading one to think that the earth is 'feminine' or has divine qualities. Simply calling it EARTH is actually quite beautiful.]

Many insights have grown in recent decades, particularly through the emerging sciences, such as Earth system science, biogeochemistry, and systems ecology. Most scientists don't view the theory as a literal description of a "living" Earth, but rather as a useful framework for increasingly understanding the interactions between living organisms and their environment—leaving metaphysical and spiritual considerations aside. It revolves around fundamental questions, such as:
* What is (biological) life, and what constitutes a living being?
* How did that life arise during the evolution of our Earth?
* Is our Earth truly a single, coherent whole?
* And if so: Is there mutual influence between the living and the non-living?

First of all: What are LIVING BEINGS?

Living beings can be described as organized genetic units that possess metabolism, reproduction, growth, and evolution, forming a self-functioning entity while simultaneously interacting continuously with their environment. In other words, and more simply: a self-contained system that maintains itself, grows, and develops, and does so in interaction with both its "living" and "dead" environment. This description can be applied at all levels, from the smallest single-celled creatures to the most impressive plants and animals, including humans, our human body with all its diverse functions. But you can go way down to microbes, which you also find, in abundance, inside rocks and which also fit the description, even though things sometimes "work" very differently than in ours.

EVOLUTION of life and CO-EVOLUTION

The evolution of life itself from inorganic matter has remained a great mystery until now. This utterly fascinating question has inspired an incredible amount of research and has yielded various theories, but remains a mystery, even though this "leap" has been reduced to very small steps.
But how, for example, a highly complex DNA molecule came into being remains a mystery.
The Gaia hypothesis, based on the existence of life, now suggests that organisms co-evolve with their environment. That is, living organisms influence the non-living (a-biotic) environment, and that environment, in turn, influences living organisms. They don't just co-exist, so to speak, but are interactive, constantly influencing each other, thus working together. We can imagine this to some extent.

But it becomes more complex when you consider the course of Earth's geological and biological history. At this point, Lovelock demonstrated how, over millions of years, bacteria, which developed in a very warm and acidic environment, "lived" on sulfur compounds and produced the gas methane, gradually evolved into other microorganisms that thrived in more temperate conditions and, with the help of carbon dioxide, now produced oxygen (instead of methane). This ultimately resulted in a completely different atmosphere on Earth (with much more oxygen) in which more complex life became possible and which ultimately thrived to such an extent that plant and animal life could develop in the incredible richness we know today.

EVERYTHING AS ONE WHOLE ?

That is a third important element in the hypothesis/theory: not only that it concerns living beings, here and there, or that these develop together with their inorganic environment, but that this applies to our planet as a whole. The entire planet in all its diversity. Could you truly call our Earth a single living being? Is all organic and inorganic matter truly interconnected in some way, and does it all contribute to life in all its dimensions?

Of course, we can't verify this piece by piece on our planet. But we can establish that processes are occurring literally globally (i.e., across the globe), all of which, miraculously, contribute to optimal conditions for (higher forms of) life—of which we humans are perhaps the highest development to date.

GLOBAL PROCESSES

This can be viewed and determined in many different ways.
Here, we choose a few phenomena that all point in the same direction of coherence and interplay, all aimed at creating optimal conditions for life.

Perhaps the first and most striking aspect is what meteorology reveals: how the weather system truly encompasses the entire Earth and therefore influences everything. Within and beneath this system, many more processes take place. We will describe a few of these processes, primarily to clarify and confirm the overall picture, not to exhaustively demonstrate or prove everything. We will look at climate regulation and temperature stabilization, the importance of liquid water, the composition of the atmosphere, and the salinity of the seas. These are some of the crucial factors that create the optimal conditions for biological life—and which, conversely, are partly brought about by biological life. This reciprocity is precisely what is intriguing about the Gaia theory!

METEOROLOGY

Meteorologically, the Earth is one large, interconnected mechanism, in which the atmosphere, (large) bodies of water, and (large) land masses constantly interact in various ways (through temperature, humidity, matter, movement). The photo of the Earth, taken during a lunar flyby, clearly shows how winds, hurricanes, (ocean) currents, winds, and weather patterns interact around our globe.
Incidentally: Meteorologically, everything still seems to be related to ordinary matter: it's about air, water, sand, rock, heat, and cold. But what about the interplay with living beings? For that, we need to look a little deeper, both literally and figuratively.

CORE IDEAS

The core of the GAIA theory is, as already mentioned, that the Earth functions as a single living organism that maintains its own equilibrium. This means that biological processes and non-living elements (such as oceans, the atmosphere, and rocks) work together to create a stable environment that supports life and contributes to the habitability and viability of Earth. Here are five factors:

1. Climate regulation: Microorganisms, the absorption capacity of the oceans, and the absorption by plants influence CO2 levels in the atmosphere, which in turn has a major impact on climate.

2. Temperature stabilization: Reflection of sunlight by clouds and large ice masses contributes significantly to stable temperatures. This so-called albedo effect is currently a major concern because it is gradually decreasing due to the melting of large ice masses.

3. The preservation of liquid water in the hydrosphere (everything related to water). Liquid water in particular is probably the most important element of and for life, at all levels, from the simplest cells to the most highly developed organisms.

4. Stable salt content (salinity) of seawater, which makes and maintains the life of marine animals possible.

5. Oxygen balance: The oxygen level in the atmosphere remains within a range suitable for (animal) life, thanks to photosynthesis by plants, which absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

We will elaborate a bit on these five wonderful natural balances here.

CLIMATE REGULATION AND TEMPERATURE STABILITY

The sun's energy, and therefore its radiation to Earth, has increased by 25 to 30 percent since the sun formed. However, the entire Earth system (which cosmologically formed shortly after the sun) has adapted well to this and has not become "overheated." Fluctuating between higher and lower limits, it has remained "habitable."
Unfortunately, after all those millions of years that nature has maintained its balance, we have now reached a time (especially in the last two centuries) where we humans, by producing copious amounts of carbon dioxide and releasing methane from the Earth's crust (via global warming), have reached a situation where nature can no longer keep up. Hence all the current actions to reduce carbon dioxide production and develop procedures to utilize "inexhaustible" and non-polluting energy sources, such as wind, water, sunlight, and geothermal energy: the so-called energy transition.

SALTINESS OF THE OCEANS

For biological life, the salinity of the water, in which virtually all life has developed and continues to develop, is crucial. It is therefore striking that the salinity of the oceans has remained constant for hundreds of millions of years, at around 3.5%.
This is astonishing, because "salt" is constantly being added, for example, through erosion or the weathering of mountains (chemical breakdown processes), which brings more and more "salt" into the seas via the rivers. Yet, the salt content of the oceans has remained broadly consistent. It has been discovered that several (micro)organisms respond to increasing or decreasing salinity and (ingeniously) correct it. Coral reefs are also known to absorb salt from their surroundings and release it as needed for their own survival and that of other animal and plant organisms around. Lagoons, for example (where the sea occasionally overflows), also play a role, because seawater stagnates and evaporates there, and the salt precipitates on site, thus being extracted from the ocean. In these ways, the conditions for a well-functioning ecosystem are apparently maintained.

ATMOSPHERIC OXYGEN CONTENT

There is also a stabilizing mechanism that keeps the oxygen content in the atmosphere constant. This content has been stable at approximately 20 percent for many millions of years. In addition, our "air" contains 79 percent nitrogen, along with small amounts of other gaseous components such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, water vapor, and the noble gas argon.
One would expect that this oxygen content would decrease due to various forms of oxidation, i.e., reactions with oxygen, such as the rusting of metal objects, forest fires, and the like. But that's not happening. Primarily through the process of photosynthesis in green plants, which releases oxygen. Nature continually adjusts to meet needs—and has done so for many millions of years, allowing all animal life, in particular, to flourish. For at least a billion years, the oxygen level has fluctuated somewhat, but remained essentially constant.

FINALLY

It may surprise us that, after all the turbulence in the long process that gave rise to stars, spiral nebulae, our sun, and finally the planets around it, there is one planet on which—once again, after a great deal of initial turbulence—a beautifully stabilized state has emerged.

A state in which biological life has emerged and developed in an unimaginable richness and beauty, and in which that life continues to creatively progress, even through several phases of extinction (the extinction of life forms). Perhaps even more astonishingly, it has been discovered that "life" is not "passive," but constantly and actively participates in this entire balanced development process, which (as described earlier) is called co-evolution.

In all the stabilization processes described above (climate, temperature, liquid water, salinity, and oxygen levels), biological "partners" are constantly involved. It is one large dynamic system, in which the biotic and the a-biotic continuously collaborate. And then we haven't even mentioned all those wondrous balances in the world of the 'larger' plants and animals, in which the material (i.e., the a-biotic) is always fully integrated.

Apparently, all of creation has been designed for life from the beginning. The entire universe, in its possibilities and its ultimate destiny, is biophilic, life-loving. We don't immediately see this in the stars and galaxies, but, after a very long and eventful development, it is now abundantly clear on our dear EARTH – once lovingly called GAIA ...

The battle for the 'identity' of our EARTH continues, but let us at least grow in the realization that GAIA deserves much more respect and care !


Johan Muijtjens
March 2026

HERE WE ARE ! - THE PROUD STARS ..

 

HERE WE ARE! : THE PROUD STARS ..

A few wonderful sentences from the biblical book of Baruch:

"All the stars shine joyfully, each from its own place.
The Creator calls—and they say, ‘Here we are!’
Full of joy, they shine for Him who created them."

The scenario that Baruch evokes is a poetic expression of the relationship between creation and its Creator in the image of the stars. They rejoice and shine in gratitude for their existence. The creative Spirit of God, whom we already know from the first creation story in the Bible, always gives existence to the whole of Creation, which, as it were, says YES to this wholeheartedly...

We are not accustomed to looking at reality in this way. 
Natural science takes a very different view. 
When it talks about the stars, for example, it speaks of large clouds of atoms and molecules that condense, even to such an extent that new processes arise from which the enormous energy and radiation of each star originate. 
Of course, it remains very impressive, that is certain, but it is a completely different approach: it is also true, and at the same time very different. Looking at the same thing but from a different angle.

The prophet Baruch, mentioned above, knew (almost) nothing about all those enormous evolutionary processes in the origin and development of the universe. But he feels and realizes that there is indeed a positive relationship between the Creator and his entire creation. Not just any relationship in general, but a real relationship with every part of this immense whole. And a positive relationship at that, a love, not a fleeting romantic love, but love in the true sense: the desire for and commitment to the good of the other - as is also true between us humans.

We, humans in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries are particularly blessed with what research and ever-expanding knowledge have to offer us all. With all this greater knowledge, we now have even more reason to be filled with wonder. A few years ago, we were given a very special glimpse into that enormous world:

On July 11, 2022, the first full-color photo of so-called deep space was shown, a photo taken by the new and highly advanced James Webb telescope (pict.). Numerous television stations tried to get the scoop. Perhaps you remember it or saw it later? In any case:

After a journey of more than a million kilometers through the cosmos, far beyond the Earth's atmosphere (which always has a disturbing effect), this incredibly powerful telescope focused its lens on a piece of sky the size of a grain of sand held at arm's length. It is a tiny speck in the vast universe. The photo revealed thousands of galaxies, including the faintest objects ever observed. Given the speed at which light travels, this photo allowed us to look back in time, to the universe “shortly after” its creation, 13.8 billion years ago. There they were, these ancient galaxies, now observed by humans for the very first time! Some were just points of light, others spherical clusters, and still others swirling in their characteristic spiral dance like graceful ballerinas. And then there were those elongated, glittering streaks caused by gravity...

Take a moment to ‘caress’ the photo above with your eyes....

In the early twentieth century, amid ongoing scientific controversy on this subject, we learned at school or later that our own spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, is already enormous and consists of billions of stars. Within that vast whole, the planet Earth revolves around one of the medium-sized stars, our sun, which is located on the outer arm of the spiral. 

In a short period of time, over the course of the century, we discovered that there are billions (!) of other galaxies, each with billions (!) of stars and their planets. Our understanding and our senses cannot comprehend this at all. It is totally unimaginable and also impossible to grasp emotionally. 
And that was what we heard already years ago...

NOW, the Webb telescope shows us that there are many more galaxies, just in one small spot in the firmament of the universe. Just multiply that! How many galaxies are there in total in the universe? When that question was asked to a NASA scientist, he paused for a moment. He couldn't hide his amazement: “Now the number is unlimited...” he said hesitantly. His choice of words surprised many. “Unlimited!”? That borders on infinity... 

Normally, scientists, who focus on accurate observation and data analysis, do not believe that there is anything in the natural world that cannot be measured... But in any case, for now, the number of stars and their groupings is (much) greater than we can count. Everything is far beyond our comprehension, and our amazement and wonder continue to grow.

Now look at a photo of deep space or our Milky Way with a religious attitude, deeper than physical science can 'see'. These images show us the incredible fertility and creativity of nature: billions of galaxies, trillions of stars, and countless planets: a boundless realm of possibilities that has been created by a long, grand, and complex evolutionary process over 13 billion years. 
What kind of God created such a universe through this incredible evolutionary process, with all its ups and downs, with all the destructions (extinctions) and new “births,” of which we humans now see the incomprehensible “result” or, rather, begin to suspect? It makes one very quiet and still...

This also happened to Job, whose experiences are described in the biblical book of Job. 
“Ask the galaxies!” God says to a speechless Job, who in all his misery no longer understands the why and how of his life and suffering. Look at the incomprehensible greatness of the Creator of spiral nebulae, milky ways, unlimited in number, look at the order of plants and animals, mountains and rivers and so much more... And Job just becomes silent...

Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul wrote to the people of Rome: “From the grandeur and beauty of created things, by analogy, their original creator is seen” (Rom. 1:20). Paul is saying something like: Just as the Bible has been a rich source of insight into the holy mystery of God throughout the centuries, so there is another Bible: THE BOOK of NATURE. 
Even more than for the people of Paul's time, for us today, this Book of Nature is a source of enlightenment, insight, wonder, and even prayer... 
The Creator Spirit dwells in all of creation. In turn, creation reflects the Creator of all this beauty and grandeur. The whole of creation, from the great cosmos to our own world with its countless species of plants and animals and so much creativity, is in fact also a Bible, a source of knowledge, wonder, and trust.

For me, the invitation of our time is this: Let us learn to read each of these two books through the lens of the other: Look at the heavens and the earth with a religious spirit—and let everything that the whole natural world calls out to us deepen our understanding of the Bible. Read these two Books in each other's light. We, in this day and age, have this wonderful and fruitful opportunity!

Nowadays, we are rightly very concerned about our world and the fate of all plant, animal, and human life. However, let us also have the courage to remain open to the unimaginable greatness, beauty, and goodness in and around us—and to continue to trust in the faithfulness of the loving Creator, who encompasses and sustains all things, and who will not abandon us in our efforts.

Let us therefore also listen to those billions of creatures who enthusiastically, gratefully, and proudly cry out: HERE WE ARE!


Johan Muijtjens
February 2026

RESONANCE

 RESONANCE:

Who is unfamiliar with the beautiful sound of a violin?  
Or the wonderful sound of a handpan?
Or the clear and penetrating sound of a xylophone? 
Or the richness of an organ? 

With all these and countless other instruments, it is the resonance, the echoing in the sound spaces, that amplifies the sound. And not only that: the sound is also enriched by the added overtones and undertones. 




RESONANCE, like RESILIENCE, is one of those fascinating properties of nature that are worth reflecting on. They have more to tell us humans than we suspect.
Resonance occurs everywhere: not only in ‘dead’ nature: wood, metal, air, as in the handpan, for example, but also in living nature, in plants, in animals, and thus also in us humans. Just think of our speech and singing.

All these forms of resonance involve spaces, large or small, that have a so-called natural frequency: a specific frequency at which vibration (of the air or something else) is powerfully amplified and enriched. 

Resonance is always a kind of interplay; there are always two ‘parties’. We see this with the handpan: the player causes the metal to vibrate and, due to the special shape of the instrument, the air vibrates extra strongly: both are necessary: the tap of the hand and the air in the space that resonates. It is not violence or force but the right attunement that produces the good and broader result. This is essential for resonance.

RESONANCE IN OUR LIVES

The main theme in this blog is NATURAL WISDOM - CREATIVE GAIA: It is about the intelligence, sensitivity, resilience, perseverance, creativity, resonance of everything that nature offers us in such abundance. For much of this, the highlight, though not always the maximum, is how that wealth of wisdom takes shape in us humans. And this time we concentrate on RESONANCE.

What holds for nature around us also applies to us humans: if we tune in carefully, extraordinary things can happen. Then something ‘multiplies’. When we really, carefully respond to each other, the result is more than the sum of the parts. This is also called synergy.
This is a profound concept that we see throughout nature. As an encore, I will show you further on a number of interesting examples of this. But first, let's look at the great significance of resonance for us humans.

THREE MAJOR AREAS OF ATTUNEMENT

* First of all: ATTUNING TO YOURSELF, to your body, your actual health and your physical and psychological needs, to your possibilities and your limitations, to your talents and your weaknesses. That means listening to yourself in all your aspects. Don't force anything, but carefully deal with and go along with your growth, accepting what is possible and what is not. These are all ways of dealing wisely with yourself and your possibilities and limitations. It is precisely this way of doing that is not limiting but often new space is created: time and again, it turns out that more is possible than you initially expected.
 
This is anything but passive: truly listening requires not only patience, understanding, and trust, but also initiative, creativity, excitement, and challenge, even in times of illness, weakness, and moments of powerlessness. Continuing to search for good attunement/resonance has clear added value: you SEE more: other possibilities, other sides; you HEAR more: a different voice, an unexpected signal, a new appeal; you FEEL more: a different experience or a deeper emotion. Then the secret of the more, the secret of the ‘multiplying’ resonance, is revealed.

* Next, TUNE IN TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT, to your smaller and larger context: family, professional, cultural, economic, social, spiritual, religious. These are the many connections in which you live (together) and in which you not only give but often receive even more—not only when you are old or sick, but also when you are able to participate fully. Even then, you are given a lot.
The decisive factor is the way in which you say yes: attuned, grateful and open, allowing yourself to be addressed - or the opposite: when fear or laziness or indifference cause you to close yourself off. Then the resonance falls silent and flexibility and creativity turn into hardness and rigidity.

* The third area or the third dimension is attuning to/resonating with ‘THE HIGHER’: a reality with which we are essentially connected on the one hand, but which on the other hand completely transcends us and over which we have no control. This can manifest itself in a variety of experiences, such as encounters with nature, moments of existential insight, intense religious feelings or spiritual experiences. Deep physical, psychological, or mental pain can also confront us with this deeper reality, as can the experience of evil in its extreme form. So too can do experiences of the numinous, of near-death experiences, or the experience of selfless love. 

These experiences sometimes overlap, they can enrich each other, but they are certainly not always ‘pleasant’. They happen to us, or perhaps we dare even say: they are given to us. You should not seek them out, say mystics, but when they become part of you, you should (try to) be grateful for them.

THROUGH THE WHOLE OF REALITY

That third dimension is about resonance, which in fact carries everything we discussed earlier. The whole of nature and even the whole of reality is fundamentally based on resonance. This insight is supported by quantum physics, which shows that all relationships, down to the smallest particles, have a resonant character. And from that elementary level, what we call ‘higher’ life develops in billions of stages: ever new, richer and complex attunements, which ultimately take the form of love. In this, in my opinion, we can say that nature reaches its highest fertility and destiny.

WORDS OF JESUS

For me, I also hear that resonant power in the words of Jesus: Where two or more are united in my name, I am in their midst. Or in the variant: Where two or more ask for something in my name, they shall receive it. That alignment of will and desire creates precisely the space in which the creative, life-giving Spirit is effective. Where the life force par excellence resonates. 
May I call that Spirit the great Resonator? 
May I see the whole of creation as the image of loving Resonance?
Yes, in this season of Christmas, of celebrating the incarnation, the becoming human of God in Jesus of Nazareth, may I call this perhaps the ultimate form of resonance between God and us humans?

LOVE as the highest form of resonance - how wonderful!

THE WISDOM OF ALL NATURE
Here are, as promised, a few more examples of the 'multiplying' effect of resonance: in material nature, in the plant world and the life of animals.

The XYLOPHONE: the specific vibrations in the pieces of wood of different lengths are amplified by the adjusted size of the open gourds. Lower tones resonate in larger sound spaces, higher tones in smaller ones. Each space has its own frequency, which is discovered through trial and error.

Another example is the PAN FLUTE. Here, the tones depend on the length of the pipes: each amplifies a certain frequency. This makes the sound stronger and more beautiful than just the player's ‘blowing’.

Similarly, some HOLLOW TREES have their own ‘drone’ when the wind blows in a certain direction or at a certain speed: trees sing, vibrate, or hum : the wind resonates and whistles in the hollows created by rot or insect damage. Hollow trees are sometimes referred to as natural organ pipes.

And what do you think of polyphonic WATERFALLS: cavities in the rocks vary in size and often sound very different.
On a smaller scale, you encounter this in the murmur of a stream: a pleasant collection of tones that have a calming effect. How beautiful!

Another example is KARST CAVES, which have their own organ tones. When you sing in such a cave, you suddenly hear that certain tones are amplified. You get a kind of ‘accompaniment’! And low tones carry further than high tones, so that the ‘rumbling’ can still be heard clearly hundreds of meters away.


 

* POLLEN EXPLOSION in flowers: Some flowers use sudden mechanical resonance to disperse pollen. When an insect or the wind touches a leaf or anther in just the right way, a specific vibration is created that ‘releases’ pollen. This occurs in special flowering plants, including birches, alders, and hazels (fig.).

 

*The SAP FLOW in the bark of trees. Sometimes, with good ears or sensitive equipment, you can hear the sap flow in the bark: a low hum caused by the resonance in the vessels and cavities, while the energy of the sap flow itself is (naturally) very low. However, the small spaces amplify the soft sound.
It is interesting that biologists can learn a lot about the health or disease of a tree or part of it from that sound (where it occurs, how it progresses, how strong it is, the time when it mainly occurs, etc.). The ‘beautiful’ appearance of a tree can sometimes be very deceptive.

* The VENUS FLYTRAP is also a good example of resonance. This plant is an example of carnivorous plants that respond selectively to vibrations. Only when a certain vibration occurs does the plant ‘know’ that it must close. Rain does not cause it to close. But when the hairs are touched (e.g. by an insect), resonance occurs in the natural frequency, which says, as it were, ‘close quickly!’.
And indeed, the trapping mechanism is super fast: it is one of the fastest known movements in the plant kingdom, lasting only 100 milliseconds. Incredible!

 

* WHISTLING BIRDS, such as this mockingbird, are perhaps the most striking forms of resonance in nature: How can such a small creature make such a sound? Not by ‘blowing’ very hard, but by making effective use of various specific resonance chambers, particularly in the bones. This greatly amplifies their typical song and gives it its own unique tone, which birdwatchers recognize immediately. It is the principle of a well-tuned flute and, in fact, of all wind instruments.

* FROGS are also quite skilled at this! They use their throat sac as a resonator, allowing these modest creatures to be heard from a great distance.

This is perhaps even more true for BEETLES and CICADAS, which have special plates that vibrate at a certain frequency, greatly amplifying their sound (sometimes to more than 100 dB). Everyone is familiar with the loud and intriguing sound of crickets in the evening. And the even smaller cicadas are no less impressive than the crickets.

* Then there are birds that seek out NATURAL SOUND SPACES and use them cleverly: they sing in cavities so that the space resonates with their characteristic song, making it sound louder. Examples of these clever birds are the wren and the blackbird.

BATS are famous for their use of resonance. Almost all of them use it. In some species, such as the leaf-nosed bat, the structure of the nose ensures that emitted echolocation sounds in special frequencies (which are inaudible to humans) are amplified by the natural resonance in those bone structures. They use the Doppler effect to measure distances—and they were doing this millions of years before humans discovered this effect and use it for example in radar.

THE HUMAN BODY also allows us to hear resonance in our speech and singing—and shouting! 
What strikes me is that good singers do not sing ‘loudly’ at all when they produce a high volume: they use the natural cavities in their head for ‘head voice’ and also chest and abdominal space for the ‘warmer’ tones. The relatively low sound of the vocal cords (fig.) is amplified many times over and takes on the specific timbre of that person, which often makes a singer immediately recognizable.


FROM XYLOPHONE TO HUMAN VOICE AND BEYOND...

Ultimately, we return to our starting point: resonance and careful attunement as the secret to good, life-giving relationships—first and foremost with ourselves, then with our fellow human beings, and finally with that which transcends us and, miraculously, sustains everything. The whole of nature, from the very small to the very large, points us in that direction: seek resonance! What wisdom and what an appeal, given to us in creative love !


Johan Muijtjens
Christmas 2025

ON THE WAY TO BETHLEHEM ...

Who can forget that young couple, the woman heavily pregnant, who had to travel more than 140 kilometers on foot, through hostile territory, so that the husband could register as a member of a certain tribe—and who, after such a difficult journey, could not find shelter for the birth of their child...
That was from Nazareth to Bethlehem... about 2000 years ago. 

However, also today countless people are forced to travel to an (inhospitable) Bethlehem. Millions and millions of persons have to flee for political or military violence and so do the climate refugees, often for thousands of kilometers, because of the disastrous effects of climate change: drought, erosion, floods, rising sea level, tornado's and more...

And now, next month, there is another movement towards Bethlehem, not the Bethlehem behind the wall built by Israel in Palestine, but to the large city of Belém, which is Brazilian Bethlehem.

To this Bethlehem, deliberately chosen because situated at the mouth of the Amazone, the main river of the huge Amazon region, very soon will travel thousands of people, full of desires, predictions, ideals, good cheer, and also with assignments, reservations and concerns, all of whom are in one way or another concerned about the changing climate, the polluting environment, and the many (negative) consequences thereof for so many, especially poor people.

In Belém will take place the major UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CONFERENCE from November 10 to 21, ten years after the historic meeting in Paris, where the 2015 Paris Agreement was concluded.

This global meeting, with the technical name COP30 (Conference of Parties 30), is undoubtedly of crucial importance for the near and distant future of “our common home,” as Pope Francis called our beautiful, fertile, and now so threatened earth.

During this climate summit, governments must take new steps to limit the climate crisis and achieve the Paris 2015 target of a maximum of 1.5 degrees of global warming. 
The conference is essential for making global agreements and for finding (better) climate financing for those most affected. 
COP decisions are made on the basis of consensus and apply to all countries that are members of the UN.

TWO ZONES
The formal negotiations take place in the so-called BLUE ZONE. This is where the most important negotiations and decisions on climate change are discussed. This area is only accessible to delegates from member states, observers, UNorganizations, and accredited civil society organizations.

In addition, there is the large GREEN ZONE. This is where many organizations from all over the world come together a) to share initiatives on sustainability in its many forms and b) to actively network: to help each other, which is extremely important for keeping up morale and for the creative translation of good ideas into practice.

THE AGENDA
It's dizzying to see what's on the agenda:
The main points:

* NATIONAL CLIMATE PLANS: countries will (have to) present new and ambitiousnational climate plans, which should contribute to the global goal of 1.5 degreesCelsius.

* CLIMATE FINANCING: Much more funding is needed to help developing countries,which contribute little to global warming but suffer the most from it, to takecountermeasures. Related to this is
*ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE: Increasing adaptations to better preparecommunities for or help them cope with the effects of climate change. E.g.,assistance with drought or protection against sea level rise.

* FOSSIL FUELS: This is a very hot topic: the use of coal, natural gas, petroleum, shale gas and shale oil must be rapidly reduced and, at the same time a just energy transition must be stimulated: the transition to forms of “clean” (i.e. not polluting) energy, such as solar, wind, water, geothermal, hydrogen, etc. 
One of the great dilemmas is : Clean energy is gradually becoming cheaper, but polluting energy still generates much more money !

* JUSTICE AND INCLUSION: a just transition, with a focus on gender equality (including particularly the rights and possibilities for women and girls), the rights of indigenous peoples and of other vulnerable communities.


* TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY: 
Central matters are: Monitoring progress on the agreements made and strengthening the accountability mechanisms.

* PROTECTION OF ECOSYSTEMS: Brazil, as the host country, will call for specificattention to be paid to the protection of forests and ecosystems that are essentialto climate policy (e.g. the rainforests of the Amazon, Borneo, Congo).

CONTINUATION

This, of course, is an enormous amount of work, but it is no new work : all items are CONTINUATION of what has been worked on for a long time already. All these issues have been on the agenda for years, especially since “Paris2015”. 
In fact most of them are still 'older': All these efforts at the global level were already on the agenda of the EARTH SUMMIT in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, also in Brazil. And that was, be aware, already many years after the warning, in 1972, by the Club of Rome in its report: LIMITS TO THE GROWTH.

It is very understandable that this long development threatens to discourage many people. The need is so great and progress so small – at least, that is how it looks like and often also is.
The fact that President Trump of the United States (which belong to the worse polluters) has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement – and is now pursuing a highly environmentally damaging policy – is also something that disappoints and discourages, not only many Americans !

Yet and happily, ‘the Americans’ are not giving up and many ‘lower authorities’ are participating fully in the green zone on their own initiative: governors, non-governmental organizations, representatives of religious groups, etc.
All these and so many other people struggle but are convinced:

DISCOURAGEMENT IS NO SOLUTION.

Out of sincere concern, a huge number of ‘counter-movements’ are underway worldwide. Not only within the Catholic / Christian world, but also in the world of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, the Baha'i movement, Buddhism, Shikism and so on. In all these 'worlds' is great concern and commitment and practical involvement. Some communities even have their own ‘Laudato Si’ document, such as the inspiring 2019 Islamic AL MIZAN, A covenant for the Earth.

Within the Catholic world, since the publication of the encyclical Laudato Si, a worldwide Laudato Si Movement has emerged, strongly encouraged by the late Pope Francis.
Recently, this Movement held a COP30-focused preparatory meeting with the theme: CREATING HOPE FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE.
Some highlights:

* POPE LEO strongly encouraged the more than 500 representatives of a wide spectrum of organizations, associations, and groups, emphasizing that, for perseverance and fruitfulness, two things are necessary: our spiritual conviction and inner depth and our practical commitment. Both are needed, because they  feed each other and also guide each other: contemplation and action, action and contemplation.

* ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGER, the former governor of California, spoke from his many years of commitment to the environment and painted, in an amusing and clear way, difficulties and successes - and in that way he fueled the fire among his audience.
He called Pope Leo XIV an “action hero for climate justice.” However, with a smile, the pope deflected attention from himself and focused it on the people gathered before him: “There is indeed an action hero among us—it is all of you, working together to make a difference.”
And our pope concluded with a challenge that continues to resonate:
“God will ask us whether we have cherished and cared for the world He created,and whether we have cared for our brothers and sisters. What will our answer be?”

* MARINA SILVA, the Brazilian Minister of the Environment, was also challenging. She gave an enlightening analysis of what many see as the moral obstacles to climate action (which, for all of us, is good to be aware of) and also encouragingly described how much good has already been done in many areas since previous COPs. She mentioned among others: it has been agreed that by 2030, renewable energy will be tripled and energy efficiency will at least double. These may seem like technical matters, but they are in fact of great importance to the climate –and are already having a measurable impact in many companies and factories worldwide.

* The president of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference, Cardinal JAIME SPENGLER,  emphasized that, precisely as people of faith, we must have the courage to be prophetic, not hesitate to call things by their name, not be afraid of contradiction, criticism, or cynicism, and courageously continue to work, individually and especially together. With "This is our part; the future belongs to our Creator." he resonated the pope.

Dear reader, thank you for reading this far.

As noted earlier, both the large gathering in Bethlehem, Brazil, and an inspiring meeting like that in Rome, are just the tips of a great mountain of commitment to the climate, the environment, and its victims.

At the same time, there is also the pain that so much more could be done.

In any case, I hope that the above has increased your interest and your confidence and that you can continue to participate in this commitment for our “common home”, that beautiful world, entrusted to us humans, which St.Francis sang about in his Canticle of the Sun, which opened with “Laudato Si,Signore ...”


Johan Muijtjens
October/November 2025