‘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 say 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 the Sioux Nation
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. We have forgotten that we are part of her. What we do to the earth we are also doing to 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 anymore. 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.
- Sit under a tree and become consciously aware of that tree. Introduce yourself to it. Open to its energy.
- Go for a walk by a river or creek. Sit for a while and just watch nature.
- Swim in the ocean. Let the water cleanse and revitalise you physically, emotionally and energetically.
- 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 or workplace where they can remind you of the outside world.
- Place some cut flowers in your house. Flowers heal and nurture us with their colour, scent and energy.
- Play with crystals – wear them, put them beside your bed or on your windowsill, and hold them!
- Sit at a look-out on a hill or mountain. Let peace wash over you. Feel the Earth breathing in and out.
- 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.
- Dance in the rain.
- Play with a pet. Animals are wise, loving souls with so much to give us.
- 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.
- Pay attention to the cycle of the moon and how that makes you feel.
- 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.
- 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.
- Meditate and consciously connect into the grounding, healing and stabilising energies of Mother Earth
- Go outside at night and look at the stars and Moon. If you can’t see them from where you live, consider taking a weekend away in nature to reconnect with the night sky.
- Sit by a campfire and listen to the crackle and dance of the flames.
- Watch an insect, bird or small animal going about its day. Allow yourself to become quiet and calm and open to any lessons that the creature shares with you.
- Visit a wild space. A place where there is only nature. Let it fill you with peace.
- Sit in the sunshine and let the warm rays of the sun enter your body with their healing light. Feel yourself relax and unwind.
