THE ELEMENTS SERIES, EARTH
Earth-based Spirituality is at the centre of my life, my work, my practice. Part of Earth-Based Spirituality is attuning ourselves to the cyclical nature of the year; to the patterns found in ourselves and in nature; to the energetic cycles within and around us.
Earth-based Spirituality honours all life and gives us insight on what the seasons of our lives are telling us to begin working with, rather than against these natural tides. It is my greatest pleasure to demystify the elements in this series and encourage you to take note of the magick that lives around you, because luxury is the abundance that we see and experience all around us.
Earth
In this series, I will go through the elements individually but one is never separate from the other - they live harmoniously with one another while holding true to their unique and individual qualities and energies.
“The earth is our mother, we sing. Mother earth, mother nature - she is the literal womb of life, providing all that we need. Her living soil feeds us; her rocks make our bones; her minerals are in our life’s blood. The very heart of Goddess spirituality and of other indigenous transitions is the recognition that the earth is sacred.” from The Earth Path, Starhawk
The Earth is the container of past, present and emerging wisdom. She literally holds all life, fertile within the dark soil, the deep roots, the underground maze from which her mysteries emerge, visible to us in the flowers, the trees, the fruits, the herbs she births. But connecting with the Earth element is not only about connecting with what we see, with what she produces, but connecting with the depths from which the seed first lives. Connecting with the Earth is developing a relationship with the darkness and the void.
“When [the Earth’s cycle] is devalued, when what is sacred is abstract, removed from earth, transcending life and death without being marked by the cyles of life, the earth and women are both denigrated and both become victims of exploitation, assault, and rape.” (The Earth Path, Starhawk)
Developing a relationship and respect for the Earth, for the shadows and darkness that are within a first step toward reconciliation and return to reverence for that which is sacred. Grounding and being held by the Earth is a popular practice but I invite you to Earth Observing*.
When you are outdoors, find a quiet path on which to tread and begin to feel the earth beneath you. This exercise uses your sense of smell and helps to attune you to the subtleties around you. As you walk, take in big sniffs of air or of the earth beneath your feet. Take note of what you smell and notice the state in which she is in: is the Earth around you vital, sick, tired? Begin to feel into that as you move and change space.
Something else that allows us to dive deep into the subconscious realms is a practice I like to call Psychic Sleep, a.k.a. Yoga Nidra or Yogic Sleep. It is an ancient practice that can make one feel like they have had hours of deep sleep. It is a guided journey where you are asked to place your awareness around the body and on different prompts. While you place your awareness in different places and on different experiences, your nervous system is able to completely settle, switching off the flight or fright response; your mind is relaxed. This places you in a lucid dreaming-like state where transformation and deep relaxation can commence.
A single 30 minutes of Psychic Sleep is equivalent to hours of deep sleep. During this meditation, you will be laying down or sitting (whichever is most comfortable for you) and guided on a journey to allow your body to come to a complete resting state. In this state, you are not asleep but not quite awake. The goal throughout this journey is to allow your nervous system to completely settle by placing you in this state of consciousness where deep healing and restoration can take place. When you are in this state you are able to connect with your psyche and fine tune your intuition and authentic self. This is a time where claircognition, clairaudience and clairsentience is at its peak.
Through this slow and gentle pause your psyche and intuition (the subconscious) is able to expand and you can connect with the universe and your authentic self (the spirit, the magnetic body, the soul). It is also a beautiful practice to do to send healing through the body especially when done in conjunction with the full moon. It is extremely beneficial for those who suffer from anxiety and have trouble sleeping.
The Earth is the Crone Archetype, associated with the season of Winter and the Night, where everything, although appearing barren and still above ground, is, in actuality, fertile with creative genius from your creative centre. Connecting with earth is an invitation to integrate the subconscious, to peel away a different layer of conditioning and connect with the fertile void within. Trust, surrender and offer yourself to realms unknown and to your unique wild. When a woman is in her sovereign, she expands beyond the Earthly realm; she is expansive. Dissolve into the dreams of Mother Earth.
Keywords: release, dream, fertile void, darkness, depth, night
The Earth has always been a point of connection for me and my practice of Earth-based Spirituality has deepened my reverence and admiration for what we can receive from the vast natural world, she who gives us so much. There is a purity and respect that comes from adorning your space with elemental magick and that awakens and reminds us of our connection to everything.
-Brooke, Founder of The Ritual
* Adapted from The Earth Path by Starhawk