Today, I think of Gaia, that wondrous mother of us all.
Before, in another lifetime, I took to running, preferring the natural beauty of the tree-lined neighborhoods near my home on the outskirts of Miami. When the stresses of the day weighed me down, what eased my mood was nature. I could (and still can) be seen placing a flat palm on a tree trunk.
I didn’t care how crazy I seemed. It gave me peace.
That was before I knew what I know now, and what I know now validates everything I felt then.
We, as children of Gaia, need her.
Yes, we are children of God, but our mother is under our feet. She is not just our mother, she is our energy source. When we lock ourselves into a city of brick and mortar, we hide ourselves from our truth. We get sick, we gain weight, we daydream of a different life we would like to have “when we retire” and can make our reality like our dreams.
We are told to ground ourselves, to connect with the earth that birthed us. So we change our diet and “drink plenty of water.” We practice yoga in the park or spend the day at the beach. But something is still missing for us.
Sometimes, we think yoga at L.A. Fitness will ground us, but that never did it for me. That building transmitted heavy, ungrounded energy for me.
Others, like new-agers, use crystals and chakra work to help us ground better, which is truly connecting to Gaia and our sisters in Crystal form. What I’ve noticed, though, is many of us are confused with this, especially when we’re just starting out.
I have a better suggestion for healing our root chakra (the first one) and connecting with Mother Earth ….
Step into nature and make an offering to Gaia.
Camping on Mt. Shasta in October, 2015.
Yes, I’m serious. Sometimes, when I couldn’t find the time for a run, I would walk to the cluster of trees at the end of my cul-de-sac and talk to the trees, thanking them for their beauty and protection. … yes, I’m a real tree-hugger!
As for an offering, sometimes it was as simple as a thank you. Now, with the guidance of my teacher, El Juglador, my offerings are tobacco, which I return to the Earth from which it came, or some similar sacrifice.
I’m not talking about garbage thrown out of a car window, I’m talking about a methodical offering, like the indigenous peoples of the world offer. Garbage is garbage and no amount of excuse will be enough for those people who uglify our planet.
As a kid, a commercial truly impacted me. It was an old native-American looking out over the destruction of his former ancestral lands. That commercial validated the little seven-year-old in me who found paradise with the butterflies in the grove of Key Lime trees in my back yard.
I ask you, my friends, to step into nature today and thank Gaia for her gifts. Like the mother she is, Gaia will love you forever.
Namaste, my friends,
The Dragonfly’s Student
The Dragonfly's Student 