Happy Earth Day!
The sun is finally shining through my window here in Vermont, as I write this for the Earth. This has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. What a more perfect day to speak of regeneration, both personal and of the land. For many, the past year or so has been a time of trials and tribulations, of new challenges and frontiers, of confronting the old parts of ourselves and the lives around us that were not working anymore. We learned to let go of what was not healthy and was preventing us from living our best lives. During times like these, where one can feel exasperated and alone, one can always rest in both the Sanctuary of Self, but also the Sanctuary of our Sacred Earth.
I believe the Earth is Sacred, and you are, too. That we are all connected and one. How we are to ourselves, others and the Earth are all interrelated. We are all related. This is the foundation of many sacred, peaceful, earth based and often indigenous belief systems. It is today that I honor these traditions and my personal experience with the planet and nature by the offering of this article, my small token of gratitude to our Earth for all she is and all she generously gives to us. It is to nature I have run for solace, healing and guidance since childhood. She has always embraced me with an open heart and unconditional love; she has provided both physically and in spirit. This nurturing relationship has carried me through every challenge and joy. It is to the Earth we owe our lives. Yes, one may say that God, Goddess, Great Creator is the one who created the Earth and, however my understanding is that the Earth is a creation worthy of respect and reverence. Not only is honoring and caring for the Earth directly connected to our bodies and spirits, the Earth is also a creation, a Temple given to us by the Most High, The Creator, God, or whichever Name you use to describe your spiritual and/or religious practice or belief system. We all have this in common: EARTH.
We all live on her, to my knowledge we were all born here, and it’s common sense to use our prized human intellect and increasingly kind collective heart powers to apply the science and art of sustainability and environmental science to saving the planet before it’s too late. Let the collective consciousness bloom together as we each open to loving ourselves and the Earth in better ways. We all deserve to be happy and healthy. This year already, I am seeing people from all over the world speak up about saving soil, nutritional density, clean water and air, animal and human rights, and advocating for justice in their arenas. This is beautiful. This is love.
Today my child and I took a walk today through the 10 acres of N’Dakinna land here. We appreciated the moss, the evergreens, the sprouting dandelion, coltsfoot, irises, daffodils, the flowing water, and Manôgemasak. We noticed the way the power company had cut the trees that follow the power lines. We cleaned up cans of forgotten dreams, cool whip containers and cigarette boxes. These may seem like small acts of caring for the Earth, but when we all treat each other and the earth with more respect and reverence, it adds up in undeniably positive ways. We heal the roots of disconnect with tender awareness and love. This is how we save both the soil and our souls.
We are certainly blessed to call this home and to have the honor and responsibility of stewarding the land here. This includes not only caring for the earth, the soil, the plants, but also loving and tending to the Spirit of the land and of the Sacred beings that dwell within. There is the science of soil, of natural farming and regenerative practices, and there is the soul of regeneration. The two are intrinsically linked. As we continue to see people and organizations working for the good of the community and the earth, we will continue to experience the blossoming of a more benevolent and more beautiful consciousness on this planet, and dare I say, universally.
Let this be, on today, Earth Day of April 22, 2022 my Declaration of Love, a regeneration of my Vows to Honor and Care for our Sacred Earth. The Earth shows us that she is capable of amazing feats, not only regeneration of both soil and biodiversity, but also of human spirit. These past few years have tried many of us, in different ways, reasons and seasons. One thing I have learned is that it is essential to connect, to stay connected. This is how the mycelium works, the sacred networks in the soils, the artfully balanced and intricate ecosystems that dance life forth for us to enjoy and live. It is only right that we care for Earth, each other, and ourselves. By cultivating abundance, sustainability, equity, peace and higher consciousness, we can co-create a better world. We can grow mindsets that resolve war and human rights violations worldwide. We can cultivate internal and external gardens of conscious creativity, joy, love, beauty and more through education and earth honoring practices.
On this Earth Day I am reminded of my own regeneration and that I am here to help the Earth and all of you. I am reminded of my need to honor what I know to be true in the realms of self-care and self-love because I intimately know how it feels to regenerate from root one. By embodying the practices we know honor ourselves and each other in the best possible ways, our individual drops create an ocean of change, a paradigm shift into a new dimension of global love that transcends and transforms. An era that highlights the best in all while uplifting together what we can.
Through these individual and collective processes, we regenerate the parts of ourselves we thought we lost: our hope, our peace, our passions, our positive connections. If the Earth can do it, we can too. For me, the Earth is proof enough that love is real. Heaven is real, and it can be right here, right now on this Earth if we so let it. Let this be my promise to never abandon myself, the Earth or this Sacred Mission, again. Today let us remember how much we have to give thanks for, to regenerate ourselves and the Earth, and collectively harness the Common Good for the Greatest Good of All.
Infinite Earth Blessings to you all on this Beautiful Day! For All My Relations and the Earth: I love you!
Reverently yours,
Stefanie