Mother Earth: Ground of Being

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.- William Blake

My earliest experiences of spiritual insight occurred in the sanctuary of the natural world. Long before I found the divine in worship and meditative practice, I encountered the sacred in the harmonious and peaceful milieu of a quiet creek that ran beyond my childhood home. This special place offered the promise of stillness during those times as a child when I retreated from the family drama in the house. In this natural environment I could see, touch and appreciate the harmonious interaction of many living things. In contrast to a volatile home environment, life in the creek followed predictable, comforting patterns. The scent of trees, the songs of birds and frogs, and insects were soothing balm to a young heart stung by angry and frightened human voices. The gentle current of water beckoned me to follow its path and I did. In this flow I was buoyed, carried and led along a path of tranquility. Perhaps unknowingly I was drawn by the promise of something untouched, unexplored, a life and life force beyond the confines of life as I knew it at home.

Encountering the sacred in nature predates the earliest written scriptures. The ancient indigenous people did not need a special day to honor the Earth. It was a daily practice rooted in an ongoing realization. At some point, for reasons not clear, God was sent to reside exclusively in the heavenly realm and became an absentee landlord who reigned above and apart from the earth. As part of this relocation process, mankind was awarded dominion over the earth and its creatures for its benefit. What has followed is not surprising, since once anything is seen as Godless, all manner of insensitive, loveless behavior in relationship to it is easily justified.

But there is a new consciousness emerging that is restoring the sacred view of the earth. It is even born out by the latest quantum scientific observations, and reversing the old science that viewed the universe as a great, meaningless machine. More and more of us are sensing the invisible web that connects all of life, restoring our sacred vision to all of nature, that now bridges the wisdom of the earliest people to the awakened heart and informed mind of today's conscious earth dwellers. Akin to all spiritual practice, it involves a shift in perception, having eyes to see beyond appearances, and availing ourselves of an intuitive knowing of the presence of the divine in every place and every thing. Once we experience this omnipresence of spirit, God comes off the cloud of unknowing and becomes a local, present-moment reality and all the earth becomes holy ground.

We're all susceptible to this vision. In a moment, a sunset, or an expanse of wildflowers, or any beautiful expression of nature can break us open to seeing anew. Like Jacob in the Jewish Torah, we suddenly recognize that "the Lord is in this place - and I did not know it," and we can understand Jesus profound utterance that "the kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."

If we give sway to the intuitive awareness that recognizes the sacred all around us, we are doing perhaps the most we can possibly do to heal our relationship with mother earth. And with a renewed sense of love and appreciation, we will find all the right ways to bless and serve this hallowed land, our earth home.