“Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.
And I sa the sacred hoop of my people was one of the many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy…
But anywhere is the center of the world.”
~ Black Elk Holy Man of Sioux

As we move into the energies of 2019 we have a potent opportunity to reconnect with the Earth, to understand our ourselves as belonging to her rather than merely living upon her.

We will come to see clearly that what we do to the land and the sky and the oceans we also do to ourselves.

We cannot separate ourselves from the Earth.  She provides for us in so many ways; the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the materials from which we house and clothe ourselves.

Over time many of us have become distant friends with our planet.  We no longer hear or understand her.  Some of us don’t even visit her in her natural spaces any more.  And yet she continues to love and nurture us.

These ideas might help you reconnect with the Earth, and all she has to offer us.  The energy can be used for healing, balancing and grounding us, and for opening us up to higher levels of awareness.

1. Sit under a tree and become consciously aware of that tree.  Introduce yourself to it. Open to its energy.
2. Visit a river or creek.  Sit for a while and just watch nature.
3. Go outside and take yourself for a walk. Even in the middle of a city. No matter what the weather. Feel the breeze on your face, or the sun or the snow. Look up at the sky and orient your body to that. Connect to the moment.
4. Swim in an ocean, lake, river or stream.  Let the water cleanse and revitalise you physically, emotionally and energetically.
5. Collect some interesting stones that you find on your walks.  Perhaps you’ll be blessed with a feather or a pretty leaf too. Place them somewhere in your home where they can remind you of the outside world.
6. Place some cut flowers in your house.  Flowers heal and nurture us with their colour, scent and energy.
7. Play with crystals – wear them, put them beside your bed or on your windowsill, and hold them!
8. Sit at a look-out on a hill or mountain. Let peace wash over you.  Feel the Earth breathing in and out.
9. Plant a garden, even if it’s just a few herbs in a pot.  Nurture those plants. Let their tending be a meditation on mindfulness and nature.
10. Collect some houseplants for your home or office. Houseplants clean your air and have been proven to lower stress levels too.
11. Dance in the rain. Like you did as a child. Never did? Well then, it’s long overdue.
12. Play with a pet. Animals are wise, loving souls with so much to give us.
13. Celebrate each season. Enjoy the heat of Summer, eating watermelon and swimming, Enjoy Autumn and the falling leaves – the refreshing change in the air, enjoy Winter with slow foods, short days and cold nights, and then celebrate Spring, when new life emerges, leaves and flowers burst forth and the sun begins to sparkle again.
14. Pay attention to the cycle of the moon and how that makes you feel.
15. Take a picnic to a favourite park or nature place. Take some friends, a pet or a book, but leave your phone, laptop and worries at home.
16. Visit a Farmers Market and buy some fresh, seasonal organic produce to nourish yourself and your family. Understand more about where your food comes from, and how it can heal you.
17. Breathe. Pay attention to the flow of air into and out of your body. Once you are in mindfulness with your breath look around and connect to the trees or plants that are keeping your air clean and oxygenated. (If there is a scarcity of trees consider a houseplant, support the people who are tree planters, and activate for changes to legislation so that there are more green spaces where you live.)
18. Meditate and consciously connect into the grounding, healing and stabilising energies of the Earth