The White Moon Gallery Presents
MOTHER EARTH
By AmberSage
As I have progressed through these levels of learning here at the White Moon, I have been at times, jealous of many of my sisters as I have read about their conversations with the Goddess. Everyone I felt had been successful in developing a deep relationship with a particular aspect of Her except for me. Don’t get me wrong, there have been several aspects of the Goddess that I have felt very comfortable with, but nothing like the relationships my sisters had seemed to forge.
This all changed one day as I knelt in my herb garden. I was sitting in my garden enjoying the dirt on my hands and the warmth of Mother Earth when I realized that I have had “my Goddess” with me all along! She is in the true sense of the word, the Mother of all of us…..She is Mother Earth. I could feel Her joy and gentle laughter as I made this connection and a voice from within chided me, “silly child,” it said. “It’s about time you realized it was I who came to you when you called!”
And indeed She has! When I am restless and anxious, I go outside and dig in Her soil and She comforts me. When I need to feel connected to something bigger than myself, I walk barefoot along the grass, smell the flowers, or sit with one of the many trees in my yard, and She grounds me. When I need to cry, I lay on Her and give Her my grief. She takes it from me willingly and uses it to fertilize my plants. When I am happy I dance on her and twirl until I fall down and listen to Her heartbeat, beating steadily on. She cradles me in Her arms and lets me know that I am Hers, and She will be here for me always.
Even as a child, I needed to be out with Mother Earth. Shoes were something I discarded (and still do!!) as soon as the snow melts I need to feel her under me when I walk.
She has seen me at my happiest and my saddest, yet She never judges me, instead She shares my joys and comforts me when I am troubled. She thanks me for tending to the trees and plants in my yard and for taking care of her four-legged creatures. These creatures are a part of Her and have been a part of my life since I was born. I grew up in a house where we had every animal imaginable and still found time to take care of the wild ones in our backyard.
Today, I make sure my wild friends have plenty to eat and I always make sure I leave something out for them. I do this to let my Mother know I care about Her and all Her children. This is my way of giving thanks to Her for all she has given me.
My connection to Mother Earth has grown deeper these past few months now that I have come to realize that She is my Goddess; and that I have had conversations with Her all my life. I give thanks to my Mother and I praise Her everyday. It is when I am out with Her that I find the answers to my questions and the solutions to my problems…She has never let me down, and I know She never will.
Mother Earth Associations:
Colors: Green, Brown, Gold
Flora: All plants, trees, shrubs, herbs, grass, weeds
Animals: All that walk, slither or crawl
Seasons: All….especially the Harvest Seasons and Celebrations
Goddesses: Demeter, Freya, Kore, Ceres, Iyatiku, Minerva, Tamra, Malkuth, Papa, Ningal, Hybla, Gaia, Gujeswari, Aine, Larunda
Mother Earth Meditation:
This meditation is best done outdoors, but if that is impossible, gather as many “earth” items as you can.
Items needed: Incense: sweetgrass or sage, or a smudge stick, fresh fruits or vegetables to leave as an offering or a mix of tobacco leaves, sage and cornmeal (a traditional Native American offering), a candle and a crystal.
Find an outside spot that calls to you where you won’t be disturbed…this spot should preferable have some trees and/or flowers in it. Take your time and study the trees, see if you can feel one calling you and inviting you to sit under it. When you have found a tree, ask its permission to sit under it and thank it.
Cast your circle and call on the four quarters….smudge your circle with the incense or smudge stick. Call upon Mother Earth to be with you as you sit and contemplate your own “Harvest.”
Place the candle in front of you and light it, (if you’re doing this outside you might want to bring a tray or find a large rock to place it on [asking permission first, of course!]) sit quietly and look into the candle for a few minutes. Close your eyes and take several deep grounding breaths.
Picture yourself at the entrance of a large cave, you are carrying your candle and you are not afraid. You walk into the cave and notice a large tunnel to your left; you begin to walk towards the tunnel. As you continue walking, you notice that the tunnel is sloping downward, at first it is a slight slope but as you continue the slope becomes steeper and steeper. The air is a bit cooler down here, but it is not uncomfortable, you continue walking…walking. You notice a wooden door in front of you and a wonderful smell greets you. As you raise a hand to knock on the door, it opens.
A lady is standing in the doorway….”come in my child, come in,” she says. You look at her and realize she is very old, but ageless. Her eyes can see right through you. She ushers you in and tells you to take a seat. You sit in an old rocking chair and look around. A fire is going in the hearth and it takes the chill out of the air, dried herbs are strung from the rafters and hang over the whole room, squashes and gourds cover the counters and baskets of berries sit on her table.
A mug of warm tea is placed in your hands. The mug is made from a dried gourd and the smell coming out of it is wonderful. “Drink this child,” she says to you. “This is my special tea and it will help you to go within and find the answers you are seeking here today.” You take a sip, it is warm and delicious. It has a fruity taste with a hint of nuts in it. You realize as you sit in the chair with the tea that you have come face-to-face with Mother Earth. She looks at you and smiles as if she can read your mind. “Relax child,” she says. “Cast of your worries for now and sip your tea.” Slowly you sip the tea until it is all gone; you place it on the wooden table in front of you and begin to rock slowly in the chair. Back and forth, back and forth. As you rock, you begin to feel lighter, rested, free from all the worries you have been carrying. You close your eyes and rock some more.
You hear Mother Earth speak to you; her voice seems to come from all around. “Think about your life child. What are you harvesting? What are you tending? What things or people are you weeding out of your life? Are you satisfied with your garden? If not, what can you do about it?”
You sit and rock thinking about the questions she has asked. What good things are you harvesting? What can you do to help this harvest along? What parts of your life are you giving a bit extra attention to so they will grow and flourish? What else can you do to help these aspects of your life grow? What needs weeding out in your life? Is there a commitment that no longer serves you? Can you let go of this commitment in order to let a more fruitful one into your life?
After you have thought about these questions for a while, you open your eyes and discover you are alone in the room….as you look around, your eyes fall on a spot in the corner of the room. You stand up and take a closer look….before you are the most beautiful flowers you have ever seen, they are bright blue, purple, pink, orange and yellow and no two are alike. There is a small sign in front of the flowers that says…Special Harvest. Next to the sign are a small trowel and a basket of crystals. You reach into your pocket and feel your crystal; you know what you must do. You pick up the trowel and begin to dig a hole. When it is deep enough, you drop your crystal into the hole with a word of thanks and bury it. As you turn to put the trowel back, something catches the corner of your eye. You turn and look….the crystal you planted has turned into a beautiful flower. You hear laughter and a voice says, “Thank you my child for the wonderful gift.” You thank Mother Earth in your own special way and open the door you came in. Slowly you make your way back up the tunnel and into the cave; you step out into the entrance and slowly come back. Take a few deep breaths, ground yourself and open your eyes.
Once again, thank Mother Earth for her message, open your circle, put out your candle and thank the tree for helping you by leaving your offering.
Bibliography:
365 Goddess by Patricia Telesco
Meditation by AmberSage