Earth – the ground we walk on – the only home we have – the place all sustenance springs from. Earth – a small rock, teeming with life, floating through infinite space. With Earth Day celebrations throughout the week, it was an easy pick for this week’s mindfulness focus.
There are all kinds of activities to be involved in this week, however this post is not about those activities. (Click here if you need Earth Week activity ideas.) My plan with this experiment is to use the focus word to go deeper in contemplating the word or concept.
A Small Beautiful Planet
As a starting point, I’m finding ways to remember moment to moment that we live within a fragile ecosystem. NASA posted pictures of our planet that are both beautiful and breathtaking. Taking the time to look at those pictures and holding them in my heart as I go about my day creates a framing point.
This is all we have. There are no other habitable planets close by. It’s a mystery why there are still humans who are so nonchalant about what sustains us, but I know I don’t want to be one of them. Keeping that awareness uppermost in my mind this week is part of the practice.
Elemental Building Block
In many spiritual traditions, earth is an archetypal element. So while we have the physical presence of earth, we also have the poetic concept of a an energetic form that represents healing, health, bones, sinew, balance, strength and solidness. Contemplating those energies is part of the practice.
Earth as Connectedness
And somewhat related to the archetypal concept of earth is connectedness. Connectedness means we are all IN the circle of energy encompassing our planet. Nothing is out. When we tune into connectedness we experience the invisible threads weaving everyone and everything together, providing support, nurturing, and wisdom.
We can direct our minds to contemplate the connections on this tiny planet in our daily lives, simply holding the awareness of this network in our hearts.
So my practice this week is to simply be with the word and concept of earth in all of its forms and meanings.
For more information on my weekly focus word experiment click here.
Footnotes and More Information
If you need ideas for activities to honor the planet, check out billion acts of green on the Earth Day website for ideas.
History of Earth Day at Wikipedia
