Honoring Mother Earth
My love of our Mother Earth has deep roots. I knew my grandmother only as an old, stern woman. But, long after she passed on, among old family papers, I found a poem she wrote about her love of “The Mountains” (see below.)
Her son, my father, took us camping every summer, as his family did when he was young. He studied the very essence of earth – her blanket of soil that nurtures all life. (He was a soils scientist and professor at a major university.) He participated as a lecturer in one of the first classes on ecology.
Later in life, I was drawn to Native American spirituality for its deep honoring of and connection with Nature, and learned much from their teachings, prayers and ceremonies.
Today, I want to share art and poetry that express love of our one and only home, the source of all known life, Mother Earth.
EARTH CHILD’S PSALM
By Rahima Warren
Mine eyes are fitted to the curves of Thy hills and valleys.
They are made to love Thy green leaves and blue skies.
Mine ears are shaped to delight in
the sounds of Thy waters flowing,
Thy creatures singing.
My cheeks are made to blush at Thy winter’s kiss.
Of Thy stone, my bones.
Of Thy waters, my blood.
Of Thy feast, my flesh.
Of Thy winds, my breath.
Of Thy fire, my mind.
Of Thy love, my soul.
O Mother Earth,
Most Sacred Mystery,
I am wholly Thy child.
I give Thee thanks for my life.
Healing the Earth by Rahima Warren
by Grace Arkley
I want the grand old mountains,
With snowy heads upreared;
I want a cozy mountain glen
With tiny camp space cleared.
I want the chirp of mountain birds,
The call of mountain quail,
The silver splash of leaping trout,
The wild rose by the trail.
I want the sunlight on the brook,
The shadow on the hill,
To watch white cloud in blue, blue sky
From canyon deep and still.
Oh, the mountains, the mountains,
I love you from my heart.
Oh God, when I go to heaven,
Let the mountains be my part.
Contemplation Questions
- What do you love about our planet?
- Did anyone teach you about our Earth when you were young?
- Where does your heart long to be: in the mountains? by the sea? among red rock canyons?
LOVE the poetry but especially your mother’s. I was raised at the base of the Rockies and have come to learn that I’m a mountain girl. I feel at home when I come into their towering presence. Thank you for sharing this on this glorious day.
XXOOX
You’re most welcome, Monica! The Sierras are my home mountains, but the Rockies are Amazing! So wild and powerful, raw yet elegant! You can really feel the power of Mother earth there. Have you ever heard the mountains sing? I did once on a cold, snowy morning when no one else was up. Wow.
Wonderful remembrance of Mother. I long to be in the mountains as my name partly means “elevation” and I’m in Florida and I need the contrast 😉
Hard to find much elevation in Florida, I guess? Hope you can find your way to some beautiful mountains soon!
Thank you for this beautiful post, Rahima.
When I was a young child, I used to always say, “I’m going to live in ______ when I grow up,” having never been.
Well, it took me a long time, but I’m here.
Thanks, Midge! Glad you fulfilled your childhood intention! Does it meet your heart’s longings?
These poems are lovely, reflecting a beautiful intimacy with the sacred earth. You ask about places of connection. I grew up on Vancouver Island in a small sawmill town, literally at the end of the road. When I moved to Ontario, I found my true ‘soul-home’ on the amazing granite-striped islands of Georgian Bay. Part of the Canadian Shield, these are some of the most ancient stones on the planet. The energy is remarkable. This is what finally, after many years of whirling, drew me to ground. I am grateful. Once rooted, I draw on this land for inspiration and energy, regardless of whether I’m there or not…
Glad the poems spoke to you, Andrea! Thanks for sharing about your home-stone place on Earth. That’s how I feel about my most sacred cathedral: Yosemite, here in California.