Happy Earth Day!

Isn’t it odd that “Earth Day” sounds a lot like “Birth Day?” Like if I said it to you fast and jubilantly enough, you might blush and respond, “Oh, thank you!” forgetting that, in fact, it is not your birthday.

Or is it??

I would say it is, in a way! It’s Earth Day, and as we celebrate this mighty planet we have the great honor of inhabiting, so too may we extend the honor to our own beings—an extension of the whole.

“We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean ‘waves,’ the universe ‘peoples.’ Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.”

~Alan Watts~

Isn’t this glorious life meant to be a celebration? Why gather here if not to enjoy in the earthly delights? Is this not a party that continues to rock every day, intoxicating us with the beauty of every breath?

Or is this planet a giant mess? Rife with war, disease, poverty, crime, and hatred? Are people, animals, and Earth herself being oppressed and exploited daily? Do we numb out with drugs, alcohol, social media, and other addictions to distract us from the suffering? Are great atrocities occurring in the name of power every time we turn our heads?

***

Boyle, Ireland. Lough Key Forest. The wind lapping wee waves onto the shore of Drumman’s Island. Bluebells cover the earth. Mighty western red cedars twist and turn in ways that defy logic, reaching for the heavens. From this sea of blue but purple bells twinkling, the rhododendrons explode in ecstasy. For the seasons change and times turn.

My host Joe relayed an old Irish saying, “If you don’t change with the times, time will change without you.”

Well, that’s true. For change is the only constant.

But what of Lough Key Forest, which the stalwart citizens of Boyle fought to keep the same? Objecting against over-commercialization, opting to enjoy Earth’s natural resources rather than the income materialization provides.

Let’s surrender to change and be discriminating about which changes we embrace.

The clovers and mushrooms bid us the best of luck with it all. The buzzing bees remind us to enjoy the sweet nectar of this present moment. The birds and beings beyond the veil say, “Fare thee well, traveler.”

And so we go in surrender to the tides of change.

***

“We are at the moment looking at space as something to be entered by the tremendous thrust of a rocket because that is the attitude of attacking the unknown. And that causes us not to realize that we are already on the most magnificently equipped spaceship, which could hardly be improved upon. It has got a source of temperature and energy just at the right distance from it. It’s beautifully equipped with oxygen, with food supplies, with all kinds of delightful things to do while on the journey…. and it’s traveling through space at a colossal speed… and it’s called the planet Earth.”

~Alan Watts~

The earth we live with largely depends on our perception of it. It relies on our relationship with ourselves at our deepest core.

You want to journey to the center of the earth or explore the outer reaches of space? Then go within. Everything you seek is contained right here.

I’m putting my hand on my heart as I write this to you. It can be scary to really go there. I’m right there with you.

***

A Ceremony for Earth Day:

Would you like to sit in ceremony together, to honor this special day for our Great Mother’s Birthday?

You might bring an offering to the earth and her nature spirits. What does your heart move you to offer?

Please join me as I take off my shoes. Let’s place both bare feet on the ground, naked in reverence and connection. We’ll practice Earthing for a few moments, to allow the ground’s abundant free electrons to merge with our bodies. Allow any stress, inflammation, or toxins to leave your body. Breathe in and enjoy the natural healing properties of being connected to the earth and enjoy a deeper understanding of our human nature.

Now let us reflect on some specific being of nature—a tree, flower, body of water, an animal, an element…what draws your attention and imagination?

What qualities do you share with this nature being? What qualities do you admire? Can you honor it by exploring it in great detail?

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning~

You can journal about this, speak it aloud, or simply contemplate.

When finished, take a few moments to honor the earth, giving gratitude for all of the gifts and sustenance we receive from her. Then take a few moments to honor your own dear heart, for your body is an extension of the glorious Earth body.

***

“If the earth is man’s extended body, to be loved and respected as one’s own body, those who do no greening of themselves will hardly bring about the greening of America. The idea of ‘greening’ involves color, flowering, freshness of spring, and, above all, respect for what is organic and vegetative as distinct from the mechanical and metallic.”

~Alan Watts~

Whatever world you see is an opportunity to celebrate. Witnessing a glorious sunset explode the sky into fireworks of color? You can rejoice and honor yourself—being interconnected to this vibrant beauty means you yourself radiate glory. If you witness the devastation of a coral reef, the rainforest, or any of the great cathedrals of nature, you can take that as a signal to reconnect. Inquire about the energies beneath these actions. (Greed, power, and attachment, to name only a few.) What would cause such destruction of our beloved Earth? And where do these energies exist within ourselves? We must purify them at the source. So long as we are witnessing them, we can be sure that we can release them.

“As above so below.”

When we relate to this planet as a larger part of our own bodies, we treat all bodies with respect.

“As within so without.”

When we celebrate all that appears as a co-creation of the divine, we all get to show up to the best party ever thrown. The host of this gala is the whole of the interconnected universe. You are an honored guest. And when we rejoice in the celebration, the trees wave to us with their dancing leaves. The animals frolic in the fields in delight. And we all get to eat a many-layered cake of goodness with extra frosting made of bliss.

“As the universe, so the soul…”

~Hermes Trismegistus~

Blow out the candles and make your wish.

Happy Birthday! I mean, Earth Day!