Earth Day: Connection to Earth starts with Birth

Today is Earth Day, 22nd April, I have no idea why it falls on today, and I find it weird we have a day to remind us to look after the earth that for many people will just pass by because they had no idea there was even an earth day.

Earth day is everyday isn't it? It is our home, it is our natural surroundings, we speak of the earth as though we are separate but while we live here we are so connected, we are a part of the earth, our body is made of all the elements the earth is, as are all our fellow relations such as the trees, plants, four legged, two legged, winged friends, and those who live in the sea.

I had a conversation with my 7 years old daughter last week whilst we were colouring a friends new colouring book 'Spirit of Nature Shamanic Colouring for Children', within this book was a medicine wheel. I started to tell her what a medicine wheel was but she said she already knew from ceremonies we attend and the alters and medicine wheels I have around the house (goes to show action and living something is so much better in teaching than any other teaching as I had no idea how much she has absorbed of my own practices). Anyhow, this conversation led us to speaking about the elements of life and how each element supports our bodies; earth being our body, our bones, water being our blood, air our breath, and fire (fire she wasn't sure about - its a hard one), but I suggested our heat that helps our energy flow and enables us to keep moving. We then compared this use of fire to the plant in the cafe where we were sitting that stood next to us who uses heat and sunlight in a slightly different way in that they continue to grow, yet we stop growing like the the plants, but we are active, and our body renews. Interesting thoughts and a great conversation with my daughter.

So to bring this back to earth, these elements make up what we are, our bodies, our lives and everything on earth that needs one or all of these elements to survive. Some say these elements are living beings too, Sandra Ingerman, a Shaman in America, told a story on a recent podcast i listened to of the wind being the first being on earth ( I cant recall which one but ill leave a link to her podcast below).

Just think for a moment how your thoughts could change, and way of seeing the world, when you think of the wind as a 'being', and the trees as your relations. When you start to open your heart to these beings how differently you feel about them, how you begin to care in a different way.

You begin to see the world differently.

This starts with our children, our children need to form these relationships with other beings to learn to care about them, to learn they are not separate but they share their beautiful home with these beings too who have as much right if not more to be here than us. These beings hold so much wisdom within them of their natural world, from generations of living memory from their own ancestors, that our children can learn from because they were on this earth much longer than humans.

So going back a bit further to the root, I firmly believe that our connection to earth starts with our birth. Coming into the world with love, calm, ease, in a protected safe space. All of our birth being honoured, our space being sacred, and our placenta being honoured, protected and buried at birth. This may sound a bit nuts and far fetched to you, and you may wonder what it has to do with connecting with earth. I feel if the parents and baby can feel connected, not disconnected at birth by having a fully connected protected empowered birth experience and transition, plus space for that experience. You are then creating a more conscious family, conscious child, and they will feel settled in exploring their surroundings from a grounded rooted protected place. This is one reason why placenta burial is so important and sacred in many traditions around our world. Our ancestors lived with the natural world around them, we live inside brick houses, or high up in apartments so far removed from the outside world. We no longer built our own homes from natural materials in our environment. Many of us don't even have the sun on our skin each day, we live and work indoors. No wonder we feel disconnected as a society, we suffer depression and many other illness quite probably because we aren't living our natural lives with the earth as nature intended, we have created too much distance, and this needs to change. It needs to change for humanity, for our grandchildren, and for saving our beautiful home.

We are our children's ancestors and we can make a difference now!

So make every day your earth day, be with her, think of your home planet in your daily actions, in your life rites, your life experiences. Allow your children space to form relationships with other beings that aren't in captivity but living free on the earth and learn from those beings, so that your children's naturally gifted patterns within their body can grow through the connection with the earth they are meant to have.

Our connection with Earth really does start with Birth!

Blessed earth day, today and every day!

My daughter during a three hour visit to Falmer pond where she was just with her imagination, and freedom.

Recent Placenta burial for a beautiful girl - may she feel connected to life through the action of protecting and honouring her placenta by gifting it back to our earth for safe keeping,

References:

Sandra Ingermans Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-shamans-cave/id1445355814

Catherine Athena Shamanic Colouring Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spirits-Nature-Shamanic-Coloring-Book/dp/1913402045