|
Giving
Back to Gaia
By
Loba
Let us lay our bellies on the ground, becoming one with her wild
smells.
Let us raise our arms to the rising sun,
and feel that warmth glowing in and out from our hearts.
Let us sit and take in the nourishment of her body, slowly,
with every morsel of food we eat, by holy candlelight.
Let us float naked down wild rivers,
closing our eyes to feel the current sweeping over us.
Let us engage Her deeply, every chance we get,
and be forever finding new chances...
chances to invest our hearts and souls,
our minds and bodies,
into prayers of conscious, ritual appreciation.
–Loba
Prayer
is conscious communication with the inspirited whole. We pray
for that which we need, and for the well being and blessings of
others. Pray for peace and an end to environmental destruction.
It's important to acknowledge our needs – and to feel
worthy of asking for assistance with them.
 We
may ask many things of Spirit or the Goddess, and yet what we
need most from Her may be simply a deeper awareness of the reality
of our unbroken connection to her living being. A more intense
awareness of our connection to the All – to the ancestors,
the elements, the spirits of place and supportive beings. We may
fail to notice the help and blessings that exist not only right
in front of our faces, but right there inside our hearts! So when
we make requests in our prayers, they can include simply noticing
the support that is around us, and within us... and the ability
to take it in! While the magical, natural world is always reaching
out to us, it is also our responsibility to reach back. And to
remember the connections that are ever-present, lifting the veil
of our doubt and confusion long enough to feel and to own the
truth of our oneness!
Even more vital than our entreaties for assistance, insights and
blessings are our prayers of gratitude and giving back! Such prayers
can be verbal or wordless, in solitude or in company with other
people – connecting deeply with the inspirited universe through
a deliberate process of acknowledgment and celebration. And they
need not be elaborate, but simply “thank you's.”
Thank you to inclusive Spirit, providing us with our sacred feeling
bodies, our life experiences, our home, our place, our mission
and love that's true! For the people in our lives and the
chances we're given, and for supportive families when we're
so lucky! For the challenges and difficult lessons that we may
forget to count as blessings. And for the reverent peoples and
tribes that gave their heart-full prayers and presence for thousands
of years before us.
Here in this special canyon the spirits of the Old Ones seem incredibly
accessible, informative, and powerful. Many a guest or quester
has reported hearing distinct drumming, flute playing, laughing
and singing. In turn, my own prayerful melodies have joined with
the echoes of vibrations that have emanated from these enchanted
cliffs for the past thousands of years. The songs of the
ancestors do not die, so long as we remember to listen for them
and allow them to continue singing through us! Mine are songs
of gratitude, continuing an ancient legacy of prayerful love.
In these moments I feel my voice reaching out into every nook
and cranny of the canyon, carried on wild winds to the ears of
alert creatures. And I intend that every time I bless this place
with heart and voice, that Mama Gaia will vibrate with pleasure,
and glow with the warmth of my promised caring. That I may contribute
to and affect the inspirited whole through my own sacred singing
being.
In the repetition of these small yet profound acts of caring,
may we feel a devotion to the well being of all creatures, devotion
to the sacredness of every inch of Gaia's beautiful body!
May our willingness to sweep away the debris, help us to clear
that which clutters and clings to the spirits of us all!
All of the natural world is constantly giving, with no holding
back the river flowing! The hummingbird zooming from flower to
flower! The sun shining like there's no tomorrow! Clouds bringing
us their rain! If we're to remain a part of this reciprocal
gifting cycle, we have to both acknowledge and accept the gifts
of every moment and overlook nothing! Our prayers of gratitude
help to make us worthy of all that the natural and magical world
provides. By fully taking in the gifts, and by fully giving back
through service and gratitude to the All, we're bound to the
body of Gaia as well as the will and intention of Spirit... grounded
in the prayer of Forever... that is, the universal flow.
Loba
is a priestess, writer, and presenter of the annual Wild Women's
Gathering in June. For more information, contact her at mail@earthenspirituality.org
|
Earth
