Remember to give thanks to Mother Earth today and every day for all she gives to us. When you go for a walk take a small bag with you and pick up trash you come across and then throw the bag away or separate the recyclables properly when you get home.
What are you ideas for helping Earth to become more beautiful once more and able to sustain a better quality of life for generations to come?
Color of the day: Rose
Incense of the day: Ginger
The Earth, its seasons, the lengthening and shortening of days, the swift phases of the Moon, the dense forests—we take all these things for granted, but it wasn’t always this way. The Earth and its magic were once regarded with wonder, and treated as our mother. When the Earth is happy, you can almost feel her gentle chuckle below your feet. When we deface or scar her, we diminish all life. So help protect
the Earth today by starting with one tree. Seek out a quiet spot with a huge old tree—one that seems to embody the wisdom of many centuries.
Since it’s Earth Day, no will think it strange that you, or your coven or friends, are cavorting around a tree. Take with you some small animal food, a sharp knife, and a bucket half full of water. Stand before the large tree, or, if you’re with a group, stand in a circle. Chant: “Blessed be, old friend tree.” At some point in the dance, leave the food for the tree’s creatures. Scatter it liberally around the entire base of the tree, then place your palms on the tree, close your eyes, and try to communicate with her. Some trees have had traumatic experiences with people, so be gentle. Ask for permission to cut a small limb so you can plant another tree, an offspring. You may even offer her a gift of coins, food, or a colorful ribbon. If she says no, find another tree. If she says yes, sever only one limb with a careful and clean cut. Thank her, leave her a gift, then place the base of the branch into the bucket of water so it won’t dry out.
Wednesday (Mercury): The conscious mind, study, travel, divination, and wisdom.
Waxing Moon
The Waxing Moon is the ideal time for magick to draw things toward you.
Moon phase: First Quarter
Moon Sign: Gemini
Gemini: Things begun now are easily changed by outside influence. Time for shortcuts, communication, games, and fun.
Incense: Bay laurel
Color: Yellow
Earth Religions on Earth Day
Author: H. Byron Ballard
It used to be that the media only wanted to hear from folks like me–you know, Witches, Pagans, Wiccans–once a year. Like clockwork, the phone would start ringing around 20 October, and every reporter and her brother wanted to talk to a “real” Witch about “Sam Hane”. Well, no more! That’s old hat now–the media is so savvy they’ve done articles on Beltane and the Winter Solstice, along with the seemingly ubiquitous Samhain pieces. And that’s in a newspaper here on the Buckle of the Bible Belt. The press in other locations has been even more astounding.
But the phone’s been ringing at another time of year, too, for a holiday that doesn’t appear on my charts of the Wheel of the Year, and that holiday is Earth Day. It’s a little tricky for those of us who celebrate Beltane because it’s only a couple of weeks before, but I’ve grown to love the inherent possibilities of such a secular holiday.
Earth Day is a good interface between the dominant culture and the Pagan one. You don’t have to be a bona fide dirt-worshipper to enjoy the parades with giant puppets and the lectures on recycling and the pretty blue flags. You can be a school-aged child or a soccer mom or a dreadlocked activist. Of course, some of us wear Birkenstocks as well as pentacles, so we move easily through these peaceful waters. Earth Day presents a lot of opportunities to talk to our neighbors–as well as the media–about our love and reverence for the Big Blue Ball. While everyone’s feeling warm and fuzzy (or ashamed and guilty) about the planet, we are often encouraged to talk about Gaia-focused theology. A couple of years ago, I was even asked to do an interfaith Council of All Beings. Amazing.
I encourage all of you “Earth religionists” to write letters to the editor and op-ed pieces, to take leadership in your interfaith communities. Our time has come to talk clearly and sensibly (maybe even poetically) about one of the things we do best–loving the biosphere.
There’s a catch, of course, at least in my community. Mainstream and liberal Christian churches–bless them!–are taking up the cry of “stewardship” and earnestly reading books by Berry and O’Murchu (even Thomas Merton, who went to his reward decades ago, has a new book about environmental justice) and attending meetings. I was part of an interfaith dialogue on the subject in which we were asked to brainstorm some scenarios. #3 began, “If you had a magic wand…” and the facilitator went round the focus group so each could speak. When my turn came, I carefully explained that I actually had a wand (polite titters) but what was really needed was energy and courage and a strong stomach. Less talk and more action. But we weren’t there to discuss action–we were only there to talk about guilt and sin and stewardship. We didn’t even go out and clean-up the roadside after the meeting and, as I recall, the coffee was served in styrofoam cups.
As I’ve said before, it’s vitally (and I mean that quite literally) important that the majority religions in our culture realize the extent of environmental degradation and begin to speak publicly about it. I applaud them for their efforts. No one does conferences, workshops and teach-ins better than those well-intentioned and passionate liberal Christians. Maybe they’ll even convince the Methodist-in-Chief in the White House that caring for the environment is what his god would like for him to do. Now, that’s a tall order.
And though I don’t think the notion of stewardship goes far enough regarding respect for and love of nature, we members of earth-based religions are certainly here to share our knowledge and experience. To be there when the discussion about “magic wands” finally turns to action. I encourage those who can to take opportunities by the media to make points about the interconnected web and the natural world. Fill in those gaps between “taking care of God’s creation” and “this earth is not our real home”. Be helpful and knowledgeable–remind them of the power and bounty of the natural world and how we are part of it, not separate and superior. And to be a part of such a complex and beautifully balanced system is paradise enough.
If you belong to an interfaith group (and I suggest you check out your local Cooperation Circle of the United Religions Initiative), watch the reactions of your colleagues when you speak about the planet and the concept of connection. Another interfaith meeting found us discussing what we nurtures us most about our spiritual path. A Jewish friend talked about the tradition of learning and scholarship in her chosen religion. A colleague from the United Church of Christ spoke movingly about the concept of grace. When it came round to me, I talked about the joy I find in waking each morning, connected to the world around me. As I spoke, I looked at the outdoors through the nearest window and explained why I always take a seat near a window for our interfaith gatherings and why the moment of silence never works for me because it’s too short for a deep meditation and too long to just practice deep breathing. My colleagues laughed. Then I talked about the deep peace I feel when I look out the window at a tree. Any tree really, I’m quite the tree-hugger. I like them in all seasons and I’ve been known to talk to them and listen intently for their reply. I told the group that I never felt alone and rarely fearful because the earth was so strong, so powerful, so giving. And that I am part of all that. When I turned back to the folks assembled at the table, I noticed tears in some eyes. And a retired Episcopal priest said, “I want what she has.”
Earth Day is another educational opportunity for the Pagan community. So take advantage of the heightened publicity, my tree-hugging dirt-worshippers. Right wing talk radio may think anyone who’s environmentally canny is a Satanist, but this holiday is a chance to connect with other people in your community on a subject you know well. Let them know it’s okay to love our home–there’s no place like it! Happy Earth Day!
H. Byron Ballard
Every Day is Earth Day
Author: Peg Aloi
I write to you from Boston, where last week we had a day that hit NINETY-THREE degrees (breaking the previous record for that day by eleven degrees!), and yesterday we had an earthquake measuring 5.1, and tonight, I hear, it’s going to snow. Global warming? NAAAAHHHH… .
Today was Earth Day. Did you celebrate?
A picnic in a favorite park, perhaps? An outdoor benefit concert with inspirational speakers? (I went to an Earth Day concert in Central Park a few years ago: Mario Cuomo spoke, and the B-52s played. And there sure was a lot of trash on the ground afterwards. Same with an Earth Day concert on the Esplanade in Boston several years ago. Cool bands, great speakers, boatloads of garbage.). Maybe you participated in a community clean-up effort? Or maybe you just did some things to make your own environment more earth-friendly: put in low-flow shower heads or toilets, or planted herbs in pots on your windowsill, or finally recycled all those empty bottles, or replaced high-watt bulbs with more energy-efficient ones. Or perhaps, being a pagan or a witch, you performed a ritual to heal the planet, or created a special altar in your garden.
Good for you!
What will you do tomorrow?
Every day is earth day, you know.
I was born in 1963. That means I was coming of age during the environmentally conscious 1970s. I remember Carter implementing energy-saving laws, I remember nation-wide advertising campaigns about using LESS of everything: less water, less electricity, less gasoline, less oil. Conserve! Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! I remember little signs posted in classrooms and office buildings: “Save Energy: Turn off lights when not in use.” Or “Conserve water; turn off the tap while brushing teeth.” And I did that stuff. Drove my family nuts, but I did it.
And I remember crying when Iron Eyes Cody did, his single tear falling after he rode his horse through a polluted valley and saw his beautiful homeland covered in garbage. A very successful ad campaign, why, so successful they even bring it around every few years so people remember: People Start Pollution. People Can Stop It. Recycling a TV commercial from the 1970s! Gosh, that’s clever.
Except it isn’t working.
Americans today are worse litterbugs than ever (and just so you don’t think I am only picking on America, I was horrified the last couple of times I went to great Britain: they have finally caught up with us on this one and are as disgusting about throwing trash in the streets as we are. London’s streets were so full of trash that in some areas it looked like a war zone). We buy huge amounts of over-packaged convenience foods in non-recyclable containers because we just don’t have time to cook (never mind what this is doing to our bodies , the increase of garbage in the landfills is also harming us). We buy artificially flavored nutrient-empty junk food because our obese nation has an obsession with snacking all day, every day (and of course we can’t be bothered to throw our cookie wrappers, soda cans and chip bags in the proper receptacle! Why should we? Everyone ELSE throws them on the ground!)
We eat chicken and beef that has been pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, so much so that girls in this country now start their menstrual periods an average of five years earlier than they did twenty years ago. Japanese kids who started eating American beef in their lunches outgrew their school desks in one generation. Pueblo Indians in the Southwest now have soaring rates of obesity and diabetes due to their “Americanized” diets full of fat and sugar. American factory farming practices has so polluted our water table with potent pesticides that hardly any so-called “pure” spring water source can be guaranteed untainted. These same factory farming practices (which stress production over conservation of the land) have so eroded topsoil that vital minerals and nutrients once present on our vegetables (read that “dirt in our diets”) have all but disappeared, leading to an alarming rise in asthma among children. The use of bovine growth hormone in milk products (the only purpose of which is to make cows produce more milk and increase profits in an industry that is already struggling to sell its product for even slightly more than what it costs to produce it) has been shown to lead in some cases to sever endometriosis and increased rates of breast cancer in women. Irradiation of fruits and vegetables could be exposing to gods only know what sort of toxicity. And genetic manipulation of our foodstuffs may well end up altering the food chain as we know it.
We have to wear the latest fashions and so we buy up those fancy new threads made in Taiwan or Thailand by workers who make pennies a week, but so what? We need new clothes! We drive around huge gas-guzzling SUVs to transport our groceries to our homes or our kids to soccer practice. We complain when gas prices go up, forgetting that in other countries gasoline is four or five times the price we pay here. Hey, why shouldn’t I drive a huge vehicle? Everyone else has one! Besides, I feel more aggressive, er, safer on the road when I drive one. We have bigger and better electronic devices that use enormous amounts of electricity and we are so desperate to “stay connected” that we use our cell phones everywhere (even while driving! Gosh, THAT sure is convenient!) that unsightly towers have been erected all over the country just to make sure those signals keep us in touch with our friends, family and business associates and can have those loud, inane, one-sided conversations in public (researchers are exploring the effects of cellular phone use on humans, and the relationship of increased cancer rates to the proximity of cellular towers to residential areas).
We demand newer and bigger homes and so we demolish historic houses, we want a new office building so we take the wrecking ball to the slightly-dilapidated old municipal buildings in the town center, we have to house a new multiplex and so the old art-deco opera house (which costs a lot to heat and besides the paint is peeling) gets torn down so we can put up a climate-controlled glass and cement monstrosity… and those weather-beaten, beautiful old barns? Unsightly! And so hard to keep up! Tear ’em down. I remember in the 1980s, when yuppie greed and wastefulness was everywhere (everyone had a new BMW and snorted coke off its dashboard), and the environmental movement seemed all but forgotten. Then, to appeal to the baby boomers that were perhaps feeling a bit guilty at leaving their morality and ideals behind once their stock portfolios became all important and they needed money to buy Baby Nikes and designer water bottle holders. Then some smart entrepreneurs had an idea: put “green” and “environmentally-friendly” on the package and people will actually think they’re doing something good by spending their money on it! Dolphin-safe tuna! Recyclable container! All natural! Fat-free soda pop! I think the straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when the company formerly known as “Chem Lawn” changed their name to “TruGreen” AND put pictures of killer whales on their vans (whales? Are these a danger in suburban America?). That’s almost as bad as when Kellogg’s took the word sugar out of their cereal names, but Chem Lawn’s act is far more insidious. I mean, we can taste the sugar in cereal. But we don’t go around eating our lawns to see how much pesticide is on them. Here’s a tip: if it has the letters “icide” at the end, IT KILLS LIVING THINGS. It may kill bugs and weeds faster than it can kill us, but all such products are certainly doing a job on our planet, and how many of the diseases that have become more prevalent in the late 20th century and 21st are due to our toxic environment?
WHEW!
Perhaps you think I am ranting to no purpose. After all, issues such as a nation’s nutritional habits , and the loss of topsoil, and sweatshops making our running shoes, are all very complex and there are no easy answers. And of course it is easy to become angry or frustrated or overwhelmed by all this. But what can one small person do? (Besides implement the many earth-friendly tips given in this week’s update compiled by our lovely Dio!) What can we do? It all seems too much to comprehend at times, and depressing.
That is why I leave you with one simple, singular thought, on this Earth Day, 2002.
LIVE in HOPE and WORK for the future.
That means: don’t just see the dirty river or the trash on the banks: see the sparkling water that COULD be there if effort is made now. LIVE as if the Earth is generously allowing us to stay here, and as if She might toss us out on our butts any minute if we don’t clean up our act. HOPE that government and local organizations will start to clean up natural parks and communal areas. But know that all of us can and must WORK to make this happen. That might mean something as simple as picking up a bag of trash every couple of weeks until others start to take the hint. (I have been doing this in my own favorite nearby nature spot: Franklin Park, part of Boston’s Emerald Necklace, an amazing historic park designed by Frederic Law Olmsted, that sometimes has more than its share of trash). Start your own local society for the preservation of your favorite spot! You’d be surprised to find how many others in your community would be willing to clean up a park they also like to use. One tear from Iron Eyes Cody was all it ever took for me… to this day I cannot understand why people litter with impunity. I mean, I really don’t get it. But I am willing to set an example, anyway.
LIVE as if there’s a point to it all, as if a healthy lifestyle is actually making a difference not just to yourself, but to your loved ones, and to all humanity. HOPE that our frenzied consumer culture will evolve and start to see the problems with going too fast, buying too much, and not cleaning up after ourselves. But this takes WORK. Study alternatives to the status quo. Walk or bike to school or your job. Find a farm in your state that raises natural poultry and see if your local stores will stock their products. Turn off your cellphone. Turn off the computer. Take a walk. Smile up at the sky. Hug a tree. Love your Mother.
Go outside already! What are you waiting for? Tomorrow?
Peg Aloi
By Patti Wigington, About.com
Question: Do Pagans Celebrate Earth Day?
I know that there are eight Pagan sabbats during the year, as well as a bunch of Esbats, but I also notice you’ve got Earth Day on the calendar. Is Earth Day even a Pagan or Wiccan holiday?
Answer:
Well, no, it’s not, but then again neither is Tartan Day or the anniversary of Bewitched, but those are on the calendar too. It’s important to note, however, that many Pagans and Wiccans view the environment as something really important. Although it’s not an “official” Pagan or Wiccan holiday, if you’ve sworn to be a steward of our planet, then Earth Day is as good a reason as any other to honor Mother Earth.
The first Earth Day celebration was held in 1970, and sponsored by the Earth Day Network. This annual celebration is a time when people worldwide honor our planet and (hopefully) take a few minutes to try to make a difference in the world.
Some things you can do to make a difference in your own space? Try one of the following:
Regardless of how you observe this day, even if it’s just for a few minutes, take the time to thank the earth for her gifts, and take a moment to be glad we’re part of it.
Today is ‘Earth Day’ and so this one is easy. Today, do something — anything — to improve the condition of the planet. Recycle or pick up garbage lying by the side of the road or monitor your water usage. Turn off faucets when you brush your teeth and don’t run your shower for five minutes before getting in. Try to incorporate one small act of kindness to the earth into every day and soon you will be making a huge difference. Let me be the first to thank you for your excellent efforts.
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
The celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd began in the United States in 1970. Here are some ways to mark the occasion.
1. Plant trees. As the date also roughly coincides with U.S. Arbor Day, over time Earth Day has taken on the role of tree-planting. Planting trees helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cleans pollution, secures soil in place to prevent erosion, and provides homes for a lot of biodiversity.
Pick a tree that you know can survive in your climate. If you’re unsure about what that might be, ask an employee at your local garden shop, or inside the garden department of a big-box store.
2. Plant wildflowers. Choose flowers that are native to your area and plant them in your garden or on nature strips where plants are usually grown. Restoring the local plant life will help attract native bird life, pollinators and local mammals.
3. Make nature crafts at school or home. Get together with your family and or make a bird feeder to encourage the local bird population, which plays an important role in every ecosystem. For an extra-special Earth Day craft, use objects that would’ve otherwise been thrown away to create beautiful works of art. The possibilities are endless:
Turn used guitar strings into a centerpiece.
Make a basket from an old orange juice carton.
Convert an old floppy disk into a Starship Enterprise.
Wear a skirt made out of old umbrellas..
4. Learn more about the environment. Earth Day is a good time to make a commitment to learning more about the environment and how you can help to protect it. Borrow some library books and read up on an issue such as pollution, endangered species, water shortages, recycling, and climate change. Or, learn about a region you’ve never considered before, like the Arctic, the deserts, or the rain forests. Think about the issues that concern you the most and if you haven’t done so already, join a local group that undertakes activities to help protect the environment in your area.
5. Hold educational sessions about the environment. Teachers, professionals, students, anyone who cares about the environment and is willing to teach others, can all provide environmental lessons for others. Most schools already celebrate Earth Day in the classrooms with activities but there are many other ways you can teach about the environment. For example, give a speech at your local library on ; take a group of children down to the recycling center to show them how things are recycled; recite nature poems in the park; offer to teach your office colleagues how to make environmentally-friendly choices at work during one lunch hour. Everyone has environmental knowledge they can share with others.
6. Teach children and others that every day is Earth Day. Anything to help our environment is a perfect thing to do on Earth Day and every day. Don’t restrict yourself to just one day a year; learn about how you can make a difference to environmental protection all the time. And put it into practice – every day!
7. Reduce, reuse and all day long. and avoid items that come in lots of packaging. and producers of food and products – these don’t have to travel as far and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Take your drink container with you, and don’t use any disposable plates or cutlery. Recycle all the things you do use for the day or find other uses for things that you no longer use. Carry a cloth bag for carrying things in and recycle your plastic bags.
8. Hold a garage sale,, donate, or reuse household items. Many of us take up a lot of natural resources with stuff we don’t really need, want or use. Ironically, there’s a still lot of people who don’t have basic necessities. Plus, a lot of your unwanted clutter can be used by local charities to resell for much-needed cash.
Hold a clothing swap . This can be a fun, free way for friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, and the like to find new wardrobe finds. (You can combine with an Earth Day lunch or dinner, too!)
9. Get your children involved. By giving their old toys and games to other children who could make use of them, older children learn two lessons: One is about giving to others, and the second is about reusing and recycling instead of throwing things away.
Learn about product exchange communities like Freecycle and other alternatives.
10. Clean up litter. Rid litter from our roadways. Many groups use the weekend of Earth Day to clear roadways, highways and neighborhood streets of litter that has accumulated since the last clean-up day. Many companies donate gloves and bags for clean-up groups and villages organize bag pick ups. Once the group has collected the trash and placed the recycled bags along the road, get the village public works department to pick the bags up. It’s a wonderful community project. Great for scout troops, rotary clubs and the like.
11. Buy or make Earth-friendly cleaning products Try making up a simple vinegar-and-water counter cleaner, or swapping out your bleach cleaner for a less-toxic orange-based one. Just try it. You don’t necessarily have to give up your heavy-duty cleaners–just try using them when you really need to disinfect, rather than simply clean.
12. Sing or listen to “Earth” songs. There are many Earth Day song lyrics available on the Internet. Many follow well-known tunes. These make a fantastic classroom activity and help younger children to become interested in environmental topics. For listening, iTunes has many songs about the Earth for downloading: try searching for words such as “planet”, “Earth”, “endangered”, “pollution” etc. One example being “Earth Day” by Devin Townsend.
13. Hold an Earth Day fair. Maybe your school, your street, or your local neighborhood is interested in getting together to have an environmental fair. Things to have at the fair include demonstrations of environmentally-friendly products, children’s artwork, healthy/locally grown foods to eat, animal care demonstrations (including wildlife rescue), games for the children made of recycled products, musicians and actors performing environmental music and skits, stalls which are recycling unwanted treasures and books, local environmental organisations presenting their issues and wares. Money raised can go towards a local environmental restoration project or to an environmental group agreed upon by all the participants running the fair.
14. Engage others in about your environmental concerns. Don’t be preachy, just appropriately present some facts and then explain your feelings about them. Encourage them to respond and if they have no opinions or they seem to not know much, help them learn some more by imparting your environmental knowledge in a friendly and helpful manner.
15. Wear green and/or brown. Dress in environmental colors for the day; think “tree”! Wear badges if you have them that carry pithy summaries of your environmental views.
16. Cook a special Earth Day meal. Plan a menu that uses locally produced foods, is healthy and has minimal impact on the environment. Favour vegetable and bean products, as these use less resources to grow than mass-farmed meat. If you still would like meat, look for locally produced, organic meat. Try and completely. Decorate the table with recycled decorations made by you and your friends.
17. Consider to make up for the greenhouse gas emissions you create on the other 364 days of the year. Carbon offsets fund reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through projects such as wind farms, that displaces energy from fossil fuels.
Tips:
Simple things, such as asking young children to use less paper to dry their hands or asking work colleagues to turn the lights off when they leave the office at night are great “small starters” to encourage bigger changes. You don’t need to feel that you haven’t time to contribute; every little changed habit that benefits the environment adds up and you are setting a good example to others.
Search the Internet for many more ideas. Earth Day is celebrated in many different ways. A really good way to find more information is to surf the internet and look at what other people have done. There is so much there that it cannot be replicated here!
The other Earth Day is celebrated usually on March 21, which is the equinox for spring in the Northern Hemisphere and for autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. This Earth Day is supported by the United Nations and the Japanese Peace Bell is rung at the New York United Nations to remind everyone of our place in the human family on our precious planet Earth.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day – January 29
“We grieve more because we have been disconnected from our earth, our first Mother, our spiritual Mother.”
–Larry P. Aitken, CHIPPEWA
Where does all life come from? The Earth. Where does everything return to? The Earth. Where do values come them? The Earth. Many people are lost because they don’t know the importance of connection to the Earth. They connect to money, to relationships, to success, to goals. When we are disconnected from the Earth, we have feelings of being sad or lost. When we are connected to the Earth, we feel warm and secure.
Great Spirit, help me to stay connected to the Mother Earth.
“Our Mother, whose body is the Earth,
Sacred is thy being.
Thy garden grow.
Thy will be done in our cities, as it is in nature.
So be it,
Blessed be.”
1989 by Henry Horton
Mastering The Element Earth….
1- Make a list of things which have the combined qualities of dryness and coolness. However, don’t to this just out of your head. Rather, make a list of
Earth things that you see each day. Practice this for one week. Be sure to record the results each day in your magickal diary.
2- Find a place filled with nature, such as a field or park. Wear as little clothing as you can (if possible, nudity is best), and sit or lie on the ground so that as much of your skin as possible is touching the ground. This is especially easy for women, as they can simply wear a flowing skirt with no underwear and sit on the ground with the skirt spread out. Spend some time contemplating, feeling the coolness and dryness of the Earth. You should do this at least three times within a week.
3- Spend a period of up to three minutes (no more), once a day, imagining that
you are the element Earth. Feel the heaviness, the slowness, the coolness and
dryness of Earth. Feel the way you can absorb the pains and problems of the world (however, do not actually do so). Become Earth. Do this exercise for at
least a week before moving to the next exercise.
4- Once you have leaned to “be Earth”, the next step is to control the element
Earth. Bring the feeling from the previous exercise into your consciousness.
Next, hold your hands 9-12 inches apart, palms facing each other. Imagine a
bottle or box between your hands. Now, as you exhale, visualize all of the Earth
element which is in you going out with your breath and into the container
between your hands. Three to five breaths should be enough to fill it. Then,
with three breaths, inhale it back into you and go back to normal consciousness.
THE TEST
The next time you feel lightheaded, overweight, just heavy and lethargic, do
this exercise. If you feel lighter and better, you have succeeded, with the test
AND with mastering the element Earth.
6 Wolfmonath
Day of Kore Underground
Colors: Dark brown and white
Element: Earth
Altar: Set with a brown cloth, a white candle, a bowl of earth saved from the Day of Kore’s Descent, a cup of well water fed by an underground stream, a dead twig, and the figure of a serpent.
Offerings: Dried flowers. Shed skins of snakes. Seeds that will be planted in spring. A promise to bring joy into a dark place, even at the peril of your own life or happiness.
Daily Meal: Dark, coarse bread. Root vegetables. Poppy seeds. Millet. Nuts and seeds.
Invocation to Kore Underground
Cold lies the Earth
And all things upon it,
And our spirits are chilled
With the sight of Earth asleep.
The Maiden of Spring lies
Deep underground with her bridegroom,
Lying with the Lord of Death,
Lying with the ghosts of our ancestors,
Lying with all that is forgotten,
And we are called merely to endure
Cold and darkness
As She willingly goes below the Earth
To bring comfort and light
To the realm of cold and darkness.
Let us never forget
That even in the time of winter
We can, as She does,
Give of ourselves
To bring light to the darkest places,
To endure them with faith in the cycle of life
And never to fail in our hope
Of the coming of the Spring.
Chant:
Kore Kore Kore Proserpina
(Let one chosen for the work of the daily ritual carry the bowl of earth from person to person about the hall, and let each one take a bit of the earth and rub it on their faces, and let it remain until the evening ablutions. Then let the water be poured as a libation to Kore into the remainder of the earth, and be carried outside and poured onto the Earth itself. Gather new earth, which will be saved until the day of Kore’s return.)
Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 14
“It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth… The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing, and healing.”
–Chief Luther Standing Bear, TETON SIOUX
Touching the earth – getting grounded, centered. There is magic in touching the earth and feeling her healing power. This is especially healthy to do during a troubling time when our minds are racing or can’t stop thinking or are locked onto fear or resentment. When I need to feel free I can go to the Mother Earth. The Mother Earth is full of life and love. She always gives her powers to those who come to her. The Mother Earth is alive.
Today, my Great Spirit, let me remember to touch the earth. Let me slow down and live just for today. Let me be gentle, patient and kind.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day May 11
“[The Old People] would gather words as they walked a sacred path across the Earth, leaving nothing behind but prayers and offerings.”
—- Cleone Thunder, NORTHERN ARAPAHOE
Whenever we walk on the Earth, we should pay attention to what is going on. Too often our minds are somewhere else, thinking about the past or thinking about the future. When we do this, we are missing important lessons. The Earth is a constant flow of lessons and learning, which also include a constant flow of positive feelings. If we are aware as we walk, we will gather words for our lives, the lessons to help our children; we will gather feelings of interconnectedness and calmness. When we experience this, we should say or think thoughts of gratitude. When we do this, the next person to walk on the sacred path will benefit even more.
My Creator, today, let me be aware of the sacred path.
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Elder’s Meditation of the Day May 8
“We must all become caretakers of the Earth.”
—- Haida Gwaii Traditional Circle of Elders
Mother Earth is the source of all life. We should not only be concerned about the part of the Earth we live on, but we should be concerned about the parts of the Earth that other people live on. The Earth is one great whole. The trees in Brazil generate the air in the Untied States. If the trees are cut in Brazil, it affects the air that all people breathe. Every person needs to conscientiously think about how they respect the Earth. Do we dump our garbage out of the car? Do we poison the water? Do we poison the air? Am I taking on the responsibility of being a caretaker of the Earth?
Great Spirit, today, I will be aware of the Earth. I will be responsible.
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By Erica Sofrina,Founder of Earth Spirit Adventure Travel
In celebration of Earth day I thought I would talk about how important this element is a part of the ancient teaching of Feng Shui and give you some ways to celebrate this energy by bringing it into your home and life.
Every summer I take a group of people to the Big Island of Hawaii on what is called my Five Elements Immersion Retreat. It is a way for people who yearn to experience their earth connection to spend 10 days opening to a deep and personal experience of water, earth, fire, metal and wood by being being taken into a powerful experience of them with some incredible teachers. One of my favorite parts is our earth adventure where we climb deep into an ancient Lava tube where we drum and open to the sounds of the earth. Our Hawaiian guide sings a hauntingly beautiful Hawaiian chant, and we begin to hear the voices of the ancestors. With each experience I gain a deeper understanding of our connection to mother earth and the wisdom she has to impart. Being in the earth like this and hearing the heart-beat of the drum , seems to awaken something deep within me that is beyond the limitation of words. I understand how we came from and go back to the earth and feel deeply appreciative that she continues to sustain us in spite of how we have abused her gifts to us.
In Feng Shui the Earth is represented by the TAI CHI (Yin and Yang) symbol and relates to our Spiritual, physical and emotional stability. It is about balancing the opposite forces in our lives and remaining grounded and centered. The Earth is a nurturing and stable energy and the hub around which all the areas of our life evolve.
Earth is the base and considered the most stable of the Five Elements, the rest of which are fire, metal, water and wood.
The places we live and work are built from earthly materials such as wood, clay, brick, and stone. The foods we eat that nourish our bodies come from the earth.
When we want to get centered in our lives the best thing we can do is to get out into nature. No matter how we feel our energy field often comes back into balance by just spending 10 minutes in a beautiful natural setting.
When we can’t be in nature, wherever we are we can do a grounding exercise to connect us to the earth (found at the end of this article) When I do, my sense of stability is restored and what ever is going on in my life comes into perspective.
The energy of earth is downward as well as a gathering inward motion like the energy of the soil which holds things in place, making them more solid. It’s effect is one of nurturing, providing a sense of peacefulness and stillness.
Whenever we are feeling scattered in our lives we can also bring the Earth element into our homes. This is a part of the Five Elements practice that comes out of Chinese medicine and is at the heart of Feng Shui.
We can do this by adding squares and cubes, long flat horizontal surfaces and heavier objects. The colors would be the more ‘toasty’ versions of yellows, gold’s and earth tones. The materials that are more earthy would be materials that come from the earth such as tile, stucco, brick and ceramics.
The heavier the object looks, the stronger the Earth vibration. Cushy fabrics such as velvets, chenille and corduroy in earthy colors as well as earth-toned area rugs and carpeting will create a more earthy atmosphere.
Low ceilings will hold the energy in and give the room a calmer feeling as opposed to vaulted high ceilings that will life the energy upwards and energize it. We can visually lower the ceiling with fixtures and objects hung around the room at the same level, creating a ‘line between heaven and earth’. This will bring the energy back down into the space rather than sending it upwards as in a cathedral.
Bedrooms, Living Rooms, Dining Rooms, Family Rooms and Bathrooms are room that would benefit from having the calming influence of the Earth elements. Add colors and objects in earth tones and made of earth along with more muted lighting. Our earthy spaces should feel like we want to curl up by a fire with blanket, a hot cup of tea and just chill.
The Earth is at the center of the Bagua which is the map used in certain schools of Feng Shui to chart the energy centers of the home. The center of our home should feel solid, yet be open and uncluttered enough to allow the energy to flow easily around it.
For my readers who would like more information about the Bagua and how to apply it to your home floor plan click here for your own free Color copy with instructions.
I invite you all to spend some time this week connecting deeply to the earth. Walk barefoot on her, go for a hike, lay on your back and meditate on all of the bounties that she so graciously brings to us each day. Express your gratefulness for how abundantly provides for all of her children.
Grounding Exercise:
Erica Sofrina is the Founder of Earth Spirit Adventure Travel which takes people to powerful places like Bali and Hawaii to experience their Earth/Spirit connection. To find out more about Erica Sofrina’s Earth Spirit Adventure Travel Retreats click here.
On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth™. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Together we will stand united for a sustainable future and call upon individuals, organizations, and governments to do their part.
Attend a local Earth Day event and join one of our Earth Day campaigns as we collect A Billion Acts of Green® and elevate the importance of environmental issues around the world.
Little Things
-Julia A. Carney
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our earth an Eden,
Like the heaven above.
Earth day is right around the corner–what better time to take a hard look at your plastic consumption?
Plastics seem to invade every aspect of our lives, and the kitchen is no exception. From cooking to storage to packing food for on the go, there are places that we can ditch the plastic in favor of safer, more Earth-friendly materials. This Earth Day, take some time to inventory the plastic in your kitchen and see if your kitchen can go plastic free. What a great way to make your Earth day action last the whole year!
Plastic is no good for the planet, and it’s no good for people, either. Plastic pollution is a serious environmental problem. It pollutes our waterways, causing ocean dead zones and killing countless numbers of aquatic life. You don’t want plastic coming in contact with your food, either, especially hot or acidic foods. Plastic cooking utensils and food storage containers can leach toxins into the food that it touches. No, thank you!
Luckily, there are lots of simple ways to get plastic out of your cooking processes. One word of caution: if you’re getting rid of plastic that you already have, like ladels or tupperware, see if you can come up with crafty or creative ways to reuse them elsewhere, rather than sending them to the landfill. That plastic still exists, even if it’s not in your home!
Ready to ditch the plastic in your kitchen? Here are 10 tips to get you going!
1. Store your food in glass or metal. Instead of plastic Tupperware containers, chose metal or glass food storage. Glass Mason jars are great for storing bulk items like beans, grains, and nuts. You can also check retailers like The Container Store. I’ve seen some great glass and metal food storage options there.
2. No more baggies! When you’re packing lunch, choose reusable glass or metal containers instead of plastic baggies or plastic Tupperware containers.
3. Choose reusable. You don’t need plastic forks and spoons in your lunchbox! Grab metal utensils from your own utensil drawer instead.
4. Get rid of plastic cooking utensils. Ditch the plastic tools like spatulas and serving spoons in favor of metal ones.
5. Skip the processed food and produce in plastic bags. Processed food almost always means disposable plastic packaging, so choose whole foods wherever you can. When you’re hitting the produce section, don’t buy fruits and veggies in plastic wrap or those plastic mesh bags.
6. Forget bottled water. Chances are you already don’t buy bottled water, but just in case there are any hold outs out there, this is a no-brainer. Bottled water is expensive and the plastic bottles are unhealthy. Choose filtered tap water in a reusable glass or BPA free metal bottle instead.
7. Bring your own bag to the grocery store. You probably also already have reusable grocery bags, but what about when you’re in the bulk or produce aisle? Skip the single-use plastic bags in favor of reusable produce bags instead.
8. Buy dishwasher detergent that comes in a cardboard box. Dishwasher detergent often comes in a plastic container. Skip the plastic and opt for the powdered stuff in a cardboard box. Even better? Make your own dishwasher detergent!
9. Make your own dish soap. No need to buy dish soap in a plastic bottle, either. You can make your own dish soap at home! I know, the Dr. Bronner’s in this recipe comes in a plastic bottle, but many co-ops offer bulk refills of Dr. Bronner’s, so at least you only have to buy the one bottle. If anyone has suggestions for getting around this one, I’d love to hear them!
10. Skip the nonstick. Did you know that the nonstick coating on pots and pans is actually plastic? Instead of nonstick, choose cast iron or stainless steel so you can cook plastic free!
Earth Day is the day when millions of people in 172 countries all over the globe share their appreciation for our beautiful planet. What are you giving back to the earth this year?
You might believe that one person can’t do a lot. But if we take the time to change a few small behaviors, we can make a difference collectively.
Here are six ways to be part of that effort.
Precycle before you recycle.
Precycling is the art of returning a thing to the earth before it was even taken, saving our resources and creating a brighter future. What kinds of things can you precycle? How about bottled water or plastic grocery bags? You can drink water out of a reusable water bottle, and pack your groceries in a reusable cloth bag. You’ve just precycled, preventing two plastic items from ending up in the refuse stream. Less demand for these items leads to less production.
Flick a switch.
This is simple. Begin to make it a habit to turn off the lights whenever you are leaving a room. Turn off the water when brushing or even while soaping up in the shower, then turn it back on to rinse off. Turn off your car ignition when you’re waiting for someone. Every time you flick the switch, you are also flicking a switch in your brain that helps to reinforce the behavior and turn it into a good habit—the habit of conserving.
If it ain’t broke, don’t replace it.
Before upgrading to the newest iPhone or a bigger-model flat-screen TV, ask yourself if it will make your life better than if you simply kept the model you already have. Take a moment to really visualize all the earth’s resources it took to make these items. You could save some of earth’s resources by simply waiting six months or a year before replacing something old with something new. At the end of that time, assess whether the quality of your life was seriously compromised by hanging on to that older model.
Change the demand.
Our system of supply and demand is a good thing. That is, when we demand goods that are actually, well, good—good for our health, our home, and our planet. By bringing greater awareness to what we consume, we change the demand that must create a new supply. Consider organic food, which does not use pesticides or hormones. These are not only better for our home planet, they are also healthier for our “home bodies.” Increasing the demand will change our common agricultural practices so the supply naturally shifts for all our benefit.
Want what you already have.
We sometimes think that “stuff” will make us happy, like a shiny new car or another pair of shoes. But who and what really makes you happy: your pets, your family, your friends? Your work, your leisure activities, your home? Right. This Earth Day, think about those you love, as well as the things around you that make your life easier, more fun, or more comfortable. Give thanks for all that you have, instead of wanting more.
Declutter your life.
In celebration of Earth Day, walk around your house and get rid of everything that’s not useful or healthful. Go through your bathroom, closets, drawers, kitchen cupboards, garage, basement, porch, and yard. Recycle everything you can, and donate the rest. Cleaning up your immediate environment will make you feel happier. Keep your empty space empty. The earth will thank you.
Barry Dennis is an internationally known inspirational speaker and spiritual teacher. His new book is The Chotchky Challenge: Clear the Clutter from Your Home, Heart, and Mind…and Discover the True Treasure of Your Soul (Hay House, April 2012). Learn more at http://www.BarryADennis.com.
Witches Of The Craft® 
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