Planet Earth by Sanmonku
Praying for the Earth by Paul Swatridge
– adapted & developed from a talk by Lewellyn Vaughan-Lee in 2012.
At this time there is a real need in the physical and spiritual body of the Earth.
Creation itself is calling to us, sending us signs of its imbalance and distress. Imbalance that we can see in the tsunamis, floods and droughts, as they become more frequent.
The Anima Mundi (Soul of the World) is crying out.
Those whose hearts are open can hear this cry, a cry from deep within creation.
Just as our own soul can cry out for help at times of deep need, such that we are taken by prayer to implore to a higher power for direct help, a direct conscious connection that bypasses ego and words, going straight from our heart to the divine. In this same way, when our hearts are open, we can create a direct connection to the soul of the world.
Human beings, who are supposed to be the guardians of the planet, who long ago learned the sacred names of creation, have forgotten this reverence and their responsibility as guardians. Instead they have been systematically and heedlessly desecrating and destroying the Earth on a global scale. And now the Earth and its waters are dying.
The Earth needs us to acknowledge its sacred nature. It needs our prayers more than we know. It needs us to understand that it is not just something to use and throw away.
Real sustainability is not just on a physical level, it is also spiritual. It is not spiritually sustainable if it doesn’t nourish our souls; there is an emptiness, a desolation, there is no longer the joy that belongs to life.
The Earth needs us to help it connect with its own sacred source. We are the conduits who can create these connections in a new way. No longer the patriarchal order imposing from above; now is the time for the sacred feminine energy of Shakti – organic, life-giving, nurturing and infusing everything with love. We hear the cry of the world and like a mother with her child, we respond.
We are the ears and eyes of the divine.. Through us the beloved, the creator, can see directly into creation. If we can see with the eye of the heart, we can feel into the core of creation and recognise our responsibility to care for our planet with compassion, instead of blindly following the materialist path to destruction.
Even if we have forgotten over the centuries, it is still in our DNA. We can reconnect with the sacred substance in creation as the indigenous peoples of the world have always done; we can hold the earth within our hearts, nourish it with our love, offering it to the divine.
Each one of us has the possibility to make a direct connection and to make a difference, through the grace of our love and devotion. This way we can reunite spirit and matter, making a difference where it is most needed in the world. There are many ways to do this. We each have our ways to pray. Here are some suggestions to consider:
Acknowledge that the Earth is not unfeeling matter, but a living being that has given us life – a sacred life.
Remember that the Earth has a soul, as we have a soul.
Know and trust that the power of the divine has the potential to heal and restore creation.
Let ourselves be guided by the cries we hear, to offer our love and attention where it is needed, remembering the sorrow and suffering of the world and asking for the healing to flow to wherever it is needed.
Sit and breathe and feel the quiet energy and rhythm of our heartbeat as we breathe. Remember that our breath and the breath of the world are one. It is breathing through every leaf, every plant and tree, through the lungs of all living creatures, even through the earth itself.
As we breathe, let the love grow in our hearts – our love of creation. This is where, as we hold our focus, the reconnection takes place and the healing begins.
It may seem too late to prevent destruction on a physical level and we may feel too small and powerless to make much difference on the outside. But we can all do the powerful inner work in this way.
It is our inner sacred relationship with the Earth that we have neglected for so long and it is this that is most needed now.
