We think of ourselves as ‘in’ landscape, but sometimes we forget that landscape is also in us. We are formed by the ground we walk on: that which lies beneath our feet, that which holds us, supports us, feeds us. Ground is where we stand, the foundation for our lives. Whether it is hard and cold or warm and soft, ground is the foundation of our being in this world.
Ground is the safe place at the heart of us; we ‘go to ground’ when we are trying to hide or escape from something which is hunting us. We ‘hold our ground’ when we stand firm against something which challenges or threatens us. We ‘have an ear to the ground’ when we are properly paying attention to what is going on around us. To ‘keep our feet on the ground’ is to be realistic, not to get too big for our boots. Without ground, we are nothing.
Life bursts forth Flowing all around Tiny green buds First flowers of spring Magical new Life.
Ancient dance Fertile dance Yin & Yang unite Life blooms With natural joy.
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May Day, or Beltane, is the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. This date marked the beginning of summer for the ancient Celts. It was a day of dance and song – a celebration in gratitude for fertile fields sprouting with new life.
Blessings to our beautiful Earth on this magical Beltane cross-quarter day. So grateful for our original Mama, the planet who birthed us all.
“We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our Mother, we send thanksgiving, love and respect.
Now our minds are one.
The Waters
We give thanks to all the Waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms – waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans, snow and ice.
We are grateful that the waters are still here and meeting their responsibility to the rest of Creation. Can we agree that water is important to our lives and bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to the Water?
Now our minds are one.
The Fish
We turn our minds to all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.
Now our minds are one.
The Plants
Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.
Now our minds are one.
The Food Plants
With one mind, we honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them as well. We gather together in our minds all the Plant Foods and send them a greeting and thanks.
Now our minds are one.
The Medicine Herbs
Now we turn to the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning, they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send thanksgiving, love, and respect to the Medicines and the keepers of the Medicines.
Now our minds are one.
The Trees
Standing around us we see all the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who each have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and many useful gifts. Many peoples of the world recognize a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life.
Now our minds are one.
The Animals
We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world, who walk about with us. They have many things to teach us as people. We are grateful that they continue to share their lives with us and hope it will always be so. Let’s us put our minds together as one and send our thanks to the Animals.
Now our minds are one.
The Birds
We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them the gift of beautiful songs. Each morning they greet the day and with their songs remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader and to watch over the world. To all the Birds – from the smallest to the largest – we send our joyful greetings and thanks.
Now our minds are one.
The Four Winds
We are all thankful for the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.
Now our minds are one.
The Thunderers
Now we turn to the west where our Grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.
Now our minds are one.
The Sun
We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.
Now our minds are one.
Grandmother Moon
We put our minds together and give thanks to our oldest grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of women all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. Let us gather our thanks for grandmother Moon together in a pile, layer upon layer of gratitude, and then joyfully fling that pile of thanks high into the night sky that she will know. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.
Now our minds are one.
The Stars
We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to all the Stars.
Now our minds are one.
The Enlightened Teachers
We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring Teachers.
Now our minds are one.
The Creator
Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.
Now our minds are one.
Closing Words
We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.
“As I grew to understand the gifts of the earth, I couldn’t understand how ‘love of country’ could omit recognition of the actual country itself.
The only promise it requires is to a flag. What of the promises to each other and to the land?
What would it be like to be raised on gratitude, to speak to the natural world as a member of the democracy of the species, to raise a pledge of interdependence?
No declarations of political loyalty are required, just a response to a repeated question:
Can we agree to be grateful for all that is given?
… What happens to nationalism, to political boundaries, when allegiance lies with winds and waters that know no boundaries, that cannot be bought or sold?”
You don’t have to connect with Mother Earth. You have never been disconnected from Her. Before you even knew what it meant to know, you have known Her. You know Her in you, as you, as your very own breath.
Before She turned into “other”, an abstract concept, something you would have to evaluate, deserve, miss, awaken to, or even “return to”, She has birthed you, nursed you, fed you; She has held you close;
“Our bodies remember that we lived in trees and forests. We need to crawl and climb and run if we are to develop our intellectual, emotional and spiritual capacities. We did not emerge from an austere iceberg of a distant planet, but in the particularities of this Earth and its forests. When we wander through the mountains climbing and running, our bodies remember these deep patterns of behavior intrinsically tied to all we are.”
You know me… I’m the one you never bothered to name.
earth with a small e I, the first and most powerful of the Gods. Even after you saw my loveliness from up there… my comely blues, my wisps of clouds, the generosity of my life-giving waters… Even then you didn’t name me.
I had a name once. In this culture’s genesis I was Gaia.
I am a cosmic body born out of cataclysm and catastrophe. I was seeded and, alone among the Bodies, was willing I nurtured the seed in my awesome womb…
I am the Matrix You are in and of my body I am the Mother I am the Daughter I am the Lover But scorned, I am also Lilith, the Maid of Desolation. And I dance in the ruins of cities.
I am sorry… I am sorry for you, I am sorry for me. But then it’s the same thing isn’t it? …
