The White Moon Gallery Presents
~ GAIA ~
A Level I Final Project
by RiverHawk
for
The Sacred Three Goddess School
(All original material in this project is under copyright protection and is the original property of the author, © 2010)
"Gaia, the original female Earth Spirit, gave birth to all, enables all life to exist, and generates all human blessedness with her bounty. The daughters of Gaia encompass all divine and human female beings descended from Gaia, who exhibit in multiple ways her essential female powers - birth, nurturance, sustaining of life, transformation, joy, creativity, death, wisdom, social order, beauty, inner harmony, and more."
- "Daughters of Gaia, Women in the Ancient Mediterranean World", by Bella Vivante
Breath of Gaia by Josephine Wall, courtesy of www.josephinewall.co.uk
Gaia first appears in Greek mythology as Mother Earth - creator
of all. Homer sings, "Hail, Mother of the gods, wife of starry
Heaven; freely bestow upon me for this my song substance that cheers the
heart!" Gaia emerges from Chaos and gives birth to Uranus while
sleeping. "Earth bore first of all one equal to herself, starry
Heaven, so that he should cover her all about, to be a secure seat for ever for
the blessed gods; and she bore the long mountains, pleasant haunts of the
goddesses, the Nymphs who dwell in the mountain glens, and she bore also the
undraining Sea and its furious swell, not in union of love." - "Hesoid
- Theogony and Works and Days", translated by M. L. West
From this perspective, all things are sacred to Gaia - She encompasses all the
seasons of the Earth, the elements, the animals and plants - She is the center
of all. She shares an affinity with all of the Mother Goddesses from
other cultures - Tiamut, Danu, Asherah, Aphrodite, et al.
I have felt Gaia's call for as long as I can remember. I
love to walk in Her forests and on Her beaches. I am strengthened by
watching Her plants and flowers grow strong.
The pictures above were taken on my morning walks with my canine companion,
Samantha. I would see Her in repose in the ridge above my town, watching
over the life below.
Drawing of Gaia by RiverHawk
Ritual for Gaia
Connecting with Gaia requires no special herbs or candles, no
wands or chalices. The best way that I have found to honor Her in ritual
is just by going outside and be-ing with Her.
Walk into the woods, to the beach, or to the park. Try to find someplace
where you can have some privacy. Sit down, preferably next to a tree.
Quiet your mind for a few moments. Feel your behind in connection with
the ground, feel the solidity of Gaia beneath your feet. Imagine your
roots growing down into the Earth. Imagine your arms are branches
reaching up into the sky.
Breathe in. Feel the strength of the tree at your back. Feel the
energy flowing through your roots; through the tree. Breathe out.
Chant - silently if you must - "I am the Goddess, my feet are
rooted...deep within the earth. My head among the stars, my crown the
Universe. My arms are open wide...to hold eternity. I am the tie
that binds...encircling you and me. I am the Goddess."
Feel the energy build up within you. Release it back into the sky and ground it
into the Earth for the healing of all living things. Let your arms return
from the sky; pull your roots back up into your center. Thank the tree
for sharing its energy with you.
- Ritual written by RiverHawk as inspired by Starhawk; chant
courtesy of Spiral Rhythms.
I also was inspired to write my own song to Gaia, which you can hear by clicking here.
The lyrics are as follows:
Oh Gaia, you are my mother, my sister, my daughter. Oh
Gaia, Great Mother. The Goddess of all the Earth.
In your ground, my feet are planted. My arms stretch to your skies.
My soul sings with your beauty. My heart fills with your love.
Oh Gaia, you are my mother, my sister, my daughter. Oh Gaia, Great
Mother. The Goddess of all the Earth.
In the doe I see your gracefulness. In the hawk I see your courage.
In the tree I see your patience. In the ocean your strength.
Oh Gaia, you are my mother. My sister; my daughter. Oh Gaia, Great
Mother. The Goddess of all the Earth.
"Earth" by Erte courtesy of www.erte.com
References:
"The Earth Path", Starhawk
"The Greek Myths", Robert Graves
"Hesoid - Theogony & Works and Days", translated by M. L. West
"Daughters of Gaia, Women in the Ancient Mediterranean World", Bella
Vivante
"Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist
Spirituality", Carol Christ