Friday, November 30, 2007

Mama Says Om - Earth

"For some of us, our love for the world is so passionate that we cannot ask it to wait until we are enlightened."
Joanna Macy


This week, the theme at Mama Says Om is "earth" and just seeing the word there leaves me lost (well almost) for words and in the grip of feelings too intense to describe. I suppose I would have to classify myself as one of those nut cases who occasionally sinks to her arthritic knees and kisses the ground she is kneeling on. I admit it cheerfully.

What is meant by "earth" anyway? Is it the dark and fragrant soil beneath our feet? Is it garden plots, wooded hills, city parks, farmers' fields and arroyos? Is it berries, branches, seeds and sleeping roots? Is it the granite bones of the planet and its fiery heart far below?

It's all that and much much more. The earth is the mother of us all, our Old Wild Mother, and our mother tends everything in her keeping. We ourselves are part of the earth and the earth is part of us. Our fragile skin and blood and bones, the river veins, muscles and sinews of the planet on which we stand, the great dome of the heavens above us and the life giving air moving in and out of our lungs, the rocks and trees and other beings with whom we share our home - all are one in this great and shining web of life of which arrogant humankind is such an incredibly small and thoughtless component.

Yearning for wholeness, we can turn now and look back on the long journey we have taken to come this far, and we know that we are not separate at all. To borrow a few other words of Joanna Macy, who is one of my favorite Buddhist writers, deep ecologists and all round wise women, "we are our world knowing itself", and when we understand that, we realize that we really can come home again - indeed, we have always been home, and we never departed.

This is for the earth, the mother of us all, and it is for us too, for we are part of the earth. I just wish we could get our act together and take better care of our mother and each other - we ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

Written for the wise and earthy mamas at Mama Says Om.

6 comments:

Lil said...

OMG Cate, this is such a beautiful ode to Mother Earth! Thank you...what a wonderful send-off post for the site...

peace and shakin' the tree,
Lil

Rain Trueax said...

Inspiring words. I had the most beautiful dream the other night. I was in some sort of communal situation and a lot of plot went along with it but the thing I remember most vividly was spading up a garden spot and the soil was that loam that breaks apart beautifully. No clay in it, just gorgeous, wonderful dirt to plant flowers and vegetables later. I had spaded up one bed and was working on the next when I woke up. Too bad my own soil where I live is not so lovely.

Anonymous said...

Dear Cate, Your words I must read over and over again. So beautiful.

Some say, "words cannot explain" but this is not your case. Your words explain very well and draw a picture in our minds.

Thank you so so much
Louise

Shelli said...

I knew you would write something stunning with the theme of "earth." I love that quote - "we are our world knowing itself."

mandaroo63 said...

Beautifully written. I agree. And, it's so important that we share these views with our children, & to share our love of this earth.

Donna said...

Beautiful.....