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EarthLove

Sacred Earth And Sky

Harvest Time

August 1, 2022 By Nancy L Leave a Comment

Lammas loaf owl with salt eyes, Wikipedia

“Lammas, or “Loaf Mass,” is the Feast of the First Harvest, the Feast of Bread. This Holy Day honors the women who created agriculture and bred the crops we cultivate, especially the grains, or corn. In the British Isles, celebrants make corn dollies from the last of the newly-harvested wheat. The corn dolly holds the energy of the grain Goddess and, when placed above the door or the mantle, will bring good luck to the household all year.

When we think of corn, we think of succulent cobs of crisp, sweet, buttery yellow or white kernels: immature Zea mays, Indian corn. You know, corn. As in sweet corn, popcorn, blue corn, decorative corn, corn bread and corn chowder. Corn!

But, did you ever wonder why it’s corn? “Korn” is an old Greek word for “grain.” Wheat and oats, barley and even rice, are korn. This usage is preserved in the song “John Barleycorn must die.” When Europeans crossed the Atlantic and were introduced to the beautiful grain the Native Americans grew, they, of course, called it “corn.” And nowadays we think of corn as only that, but corn is Kore (pronounced “core-a”), the Great Mother of us all.

Her name, in its many forms — Ker, Car, Q’re, Kher, Kirn, Kern, Ceres, Core, Kore, Kaur, Kauri, Kali — is the oldest of all Goddess names. From it we derive the English words corn, kernel, carnal, core, and cardiac. “Kern” is Ancient Greek for “sacred womb-vase in which grain is reborn.”

The Goddess of Grain is the mother of civilization, of cultivation, of endless fertility and fecundity. To the Romans she was Ceres, whose name becomes “cereal.” To the Greeks, she was Kore, the daughter, and Demeter (de/dea/goddess/meter/mater/mother) as well. To the peoples of the Americas, she is Corn Mother, she-who-gave-herself-that-the-People-may-live. She is one of the three sister crops: corn, beans and squash. In the British Isles she was celebrated almost to the present day as “Cerealia, the source of all food.”

Honoring grain as the staff of our life dates at least as far back as Ancient Greece. Nearly four thousand years ago, the Eleusinian mysteries, which were regarded as ancient mysteries even then, centered on the sacred corn and the story of Demeter and her daughter Kore or Persephone. Initiates, after many days of ceremony, were at last shown the great mystery: an ear of Korn. Korn dies and is reborn, traditionally after being buried for three days. Corn and grain are magic. The one becomes many. That which dies is reborn.

Many Native American stories repeat this theme of death and rebirth, but with a special twist. In some origin of corn stories a woman is brutally murdered, in others she demands to be killed. No matter. Once she is dead, she is cut into pieces and planted. From her dismembered body, corn grows. Again and again, everywhere around the world, the story of grain is the story of humanity. The sacred symbolism of grain speaks loudly to the human psyche. To the Ancients, the light in our lights is the Kore, the core, the soul, the seed, of each being.

… The green blessings of the grains are special blessings indeed.”

~Susun Weed

🌾

#Harvest
#Lammas
#Lughnasadh
#CyclesandSeasons

🌾

Filed Under: Open to Earth Wisdom and Guidance, Sacred Earth, Seasons of the Sun, Share Ideas and Practices Tagged With: cycle, gratitude, harvest, Lammas, Lughnasadh, ritual, season, wheel of the year

Earth Day Event

April 19, 2022 By Nancy L Leave a Comment

Tending to the Animals with
Shamanism Without Borders

Friday, April 22, 2022

A One-Day Virtual Immersion Event with Shamanism Without Borders Community Leaders!

This year’s theme of Tending to the Animals is so close to all of our hearts and we look forward to sharing this in community. Join our Shamanism Without Borders Community Leaders as they guide you through a day of tending to our animal allies, guides, companions and friends.
 
What shamanic tools can we use to support our animal friends? How can we help them? What techniques can we use to heal them? What kind of support do they need from us? How can we connect more fully with our animal allies? How do we honor the sacred relationship that we humans have with animal beings of all kinds on Earth? 
 
Join Shamanism Without Borders in this One-Day Virtual Immersion Event to explore these questions and how shamanic practices and principles can be applied to creating a better world for the benefit of all beings and our Mother Earth.

Register Here

Filed Under: Inspire Nature Love, Open to Earth Wisdom and Guidance, Share Ideas and Practices Tagged With: connect, learn, love, mama earth, nature, ritual

Spring Has Sprung

March 20, 2022 By Nancy L Leave a Comment

The equinox today signals the start of spring in the northern hemisphere.

An equinox is a point of balance in the seasonal cycle. Day and night are roughly equal in length at this turning point. And this year, an almost full moon in Libra is amplifying the shift.

In the chaos of these uncertain times, it is easy to become ungrounded, anxious and afraid. A connection to Mama Earth helps restore balance and calm.

So, take a few moments today to honor this seasonal shift toward life and new growth. Go outside. Breathe in and out. And express your gratitude to Mama Earth for the many gifts of spring.

🌱

#spring
#equinox
#findbalance
#cyclesandseasons
#wheeloftheyear
#newgrowth

Filed Under: Inspire Nature Love, Seasons of the Sun, Share Ideas and Practices Tagged With: balance, equinox, grow, mama earth, nature, ritual, season, spring, sun, wheel of the year

Samhain; Betwixt and Between

October 31, 2021 By Nancy L Leave a Comment

Originally published November 1, 2017


Certain times in our lives are filled with potency and magic. Twilight is such a time, as is dawn. These are magical moments when it is neither day nor night. Birth is another potent in-between time, along with death. These special times mark borders and transition zones. The in-between is a sacred time when magic is afoot.

Here in the northern hemisphere, we find ourselves on the boundary between autumn and winter. The light is slowly fading away as our Sun drops lower and lower in the sky and our nights grow longer. This is another potent in-between time. The ancient Celtic people would celebrate Samhain (Sow-in) at this time.  Some tribes chose to celebrate at the 1st new moon after late harvest. Other tribes celebrated at the 1st full moon after harvest. The celebration of Samhain was a beautiful way to honor the seasonal  transition out of the light and into the dark.

The veils between the worlds grow very thin during this sacred in-between time.  Loved ones who have departed this Earth are believed to be nearby. Many people in Mexico honor this by celebrating Dia de los Muertos  (Day of the Dead) at this time.

Samhain is the perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate the sacred cycles of birth – growth – death – rebirth that are an integral part of Nature.

♾

Some suggestions for acknowledging and honoring the magical in-between time of Samhain:

Take a few moments to honor everything you have “harvested” this year.

Bow to your ancestors and thank them for giving you this life.

Offer love and prayers to loved ones who have transitioned.

Thank the brilliant light of summer and embrace the deep dark of winter.

Listen for spiritual guidance to help you in the coming year.

♾

Celebrate the Magic of Samhain.

Split Boulder Photo by Nancy Lankston

Filed Under: Open to Earth Wisdom and Guidance, Sacred Earth, Seasons of the Sun Tagged With: ancestors, dark, light, ritual, sacred, Samhain, season, sun, wheel of the year

Ahhh, Autumn

September 22, 2021 By Nancy L Leave a Comment

Photo by Lars van de Goor

As the northern hemisphere moves into Autumn, there is a brief period of balance; where day balances night. It is here now. Autumnal Equinox has arrived.

The energies of Mama Earth are beginning to slow and cool here in the north. Every part of Nature knows that Winter is coming.

On some level, your animal body feels this shift, this turning toward cool, dark, slow, yin energies. Your body senses it just as the squirrels and trees and bears sense it.

Honor this beautiful transition with a small ritual; say a prayer of gratitude for Mama Earth and Autumn, cook squash or pumpkin, spread flower seeds in the garden, sit or walk among the beautiful leaves and seeds and nuts in the forest, light a candle at dusk. Honor Mama Earth in some small way for this season of transition.

Savor the shift.
Savor the yin gifts of Autumn.

#Cycles
#Seasons
#Transitions
#TurningPoint

Filed Under: Inspire Nature Love, Sacred Earth, Seasons of the Sun Tagged With: autumn, cycle, gratitude, mama earth, ritual, sacred, season, wheel of the year

Listening to Mother Earth

August 31, 2021 By Nancy L Leave a Comment

It comes like a faraway whisper on the wind; so faint that you may not notice it the first few times. But then, maybe the five or sixth or tenth time, something new registers in your awareness. She’s calling to you. Mother Earth is trying to connect and communicate.

That is my experience of listening to the land; I spent weeks sitting and trying so hard, my mind positively pushing to hear Her. And hearing nothing. But then, one day when I wasn’t trying and striving, there She was, like a whisper on the wind.

Had Mother Earth been talking to me all those weeks and I simply couldn’t hear Her? Probably. We modern humans have become so attuned to loud, regular man-made sounds. But Nature isn’t loud or regular. Earth’s voice is quiet and subtle; more like a fragment of a poem than a linear, logical sentence. And it is a poem written in the breeze, the pulse of stone and the meandering flow of river water.

I suspect that our ancestors who used no clock except the sun, and who lived with Her dirt constantly beneath their feet were much more attuned to Her rhythms and voice than we are today. Living in cities and traveling in fast cars, trains and planes is not exactly conducive to hearing the subtle voice of Nature.

But Mother Earth is still there beneath us, every single day. She is living and breathing and trying to connect with us. We came from Mother Earth; She is our original mother. We are supposed to be connected to her! 

Mama Earth is longing to connect with us again. She has billions of years of wisdom to share with us. We simply need to learn how to listen again.

🌎

Basic Earth Listening Practice

Close your eyes, right where you are. Breathe deeply. Feel the seat beneath you. And breathe some more. 

Extend your awareness down beneath your feet and your seat. No need to puzzle or push to do this. Your animal body is wired for this, to connect with Mama Earth. Simply ask your animal body to extend its awareness down into the dirt and stones beneath you. 

Extend your awareness deep; 10 feet, 50 feet, 200 feet, 1000. Drop your awareness down below the surface where humans have been mucking about. Drop deeper. Go down into the pristine soil and rock of Earth. 

Listen with your entire body. What do you feel in your your toes? Your head? Your skin?  Smell anything? What do you hear? What thoughts or images pop into your head? What emotions come up?

Don’t push for logical answers. Don’t push for any answer. Just ask what She wants to share with you today and then listen. 

It may be completely confusing and unclear the first twenty times that you try to sit and listen to Mama Earth. It’s OK. That’s normal. It takes time to recalibrate your senses and connect.

Be patient with yourself. Building relationships takes time and commitment. Deep friendships aren’t formed overnight. Keep sitting with Her and listening. Eventually you will hear Her.

Once you begin to connect and hear Mama Earth, her wisdom may take many forms. Keep in mind that She may speak in riddles and dream fragments. You may get an immediate ah ha . Or you may not realize what was “said” until hours later. Her subtle, voice may take awhile to percolate up into your consciousness. Be patient. You’re learning a foreign language. Slowly but surely you will begin to hear Mama Earth singing to you.

🌎

This practice can be used to connect with Mama Earth’s living, breathing ground beneath your feet. You can also use it to connect with an old tree or lake or boulder. Experiment and have fun.

Filed Under: Dream a New Earth, Inspire Nature Love, Open to Earth Wisdom and Guidance Tagged With: dream, elemental, learn, listen, love, mama earth, nature, ritual, wisdom

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