I grew up in a non religious family and went to a secular school, but as a child I found I had my own religion and as an adult I know it to be the oldest and wisest of religions – I worship Mother Earth. Through some stroke of good fortune, I was born in the 20th century and have avoided thus far being burned at the stake.
I get my answers from nature. When life seems altogether too complex to move through, I stop, I breathe, I take a walk and visit colonies of birds and animals that manage their lives quite successfully without greed and gluttony and without religion. When the sun shines brightly their wings stretch to the sky in gratitude and when it lightly rains it’s time to play and celebrate the day. Life, in its simplest form is complex and beautiful beyond what we can grasp through greed and gluttony.
This week I visited a forest that I helped plant when I was 15 years old. I was surprised at its lack of magic, just rows of trees towering over a field of grasses. It made me think about how humans train ourselves to believe that we can destroy habitat and ecosystems and just rebuild them when we need to. Nothing could be further from the truth. Plant trees we may, but the magic is reserved for Mother Earth herself.
All over the world on earth and in the sea, human beings are destroying the remaining natural forests on earth. There is not one continent that can hold its head high claiming it is not involved. Old growth forests and rain forests are our source of air, yet we’re willing to destroy these last magical places so we may buy junky furniture from Wal-Mart, drive that car to the amusement park or take the latest price break on a favourite product without knowing where its ingredients are sourced from.
I look at the birds, supplement and medication free, seemingly happier than me, nothing but the day to enjoy and the sun to worship and I ask myself, who is more successful? I’d have to say the birds. May they continue to have a small place on Planet Earth to call their own and may human beings start to realise that the constant need to destroy for the sake of greed must come to an end. Resources are finite. Air, is finite. You can’t breathe cheap junky furniture from Wal-Mart and you can’t grow a natural growth forest, no matter how good your intentions are.
It is my hope that our eyes are opened wide to the beauty of earth and what is at stake if we continue to try to find happiness through purchases and ‘progress’.
May the graces of magic be bestowed upon us. Earth, Fire, Air and Water – ever after.