I had the most gorgeous day on Sunday hosting a Ceremony for the Love of the Earth with my One Spirit Minister sister Revd. Suzanne Dance.
It was our offering for Skye's Climate Fèis http://www.climatefeis.org ... a festival focused on climate action, a fringe event of COP26 which will be in Glasgow in November.
We sat with the grief of the climate crisis... listened to a message from water... had a conversation with nature... reflected on our place in the Universe... and held a Council for All Beings, based on the amazing work of Joanna Macy.
We cried and laughed, shared quotes and poems, inspired and witnessed one another, meditated and spent time outside and heard the voices of rabbit... ammonite... hummingbird... fern... chicken... fish... slow worm... and the interconnectedness of all things.
"Find the joy and freedom" they said... "from a place of deep time, feel the appreciation for being alive"... "learn from nature"... "sing your song"... "fall deeply, fully wholly into being"... "raise your vibration"... "reverse the bad decisions"... "the earth will always be here"... "slow down"... "there's beauty in the unknown"... "we are connected".
Profound and important messages for us at this time, I feel. Deep gratitude to the beings who joined us and for their messages
I often find myself feeling heartbroken at the quote "When the children ask 'When the earth was dying, what did you do?' How will you answer?"
And for the first time I feel like I have an answer... or at least the seed of an answer. THIS. This work. Ceremony for the Earth. I feel called to it... as I feel called to my work with Women's Aid.
The abuse of the feminine feels intrinsically linked to the abuse of the earth. We have put our needs before hers again and again... taken from her without asking... considered what she gives 'resources' instead of the gifts they are... raped and pillaged.
There will be more of these ceremonies to come... maybe there'll be a way to offer it at Glasgow's COP26 fringe event in September...
A message that came loud and clear for me during the ceremony was that what the earth needs most of all is our love... our joy... our ceremony... our appreciation... our gratitude... our song... our dance... our art... and for us to do our healing work because as we heal she heals.
Please let me know if you'd like to experience A Ceremony for the Love of the Earth...
♡