Happy Earth Day!

Gratitude to Mother Earth sailing through night and day!

Here is an episode of NOVA describing the ways that the elements of Mother Earth, air, fire, and water interact to create our planet-home.

And here, in honor of National Poetry Month is one of my all-time favs by Zen-poet, Gary Snyder:

Prayer for the Great Family
(after a Mohawk Prayer)

Gratitude to Mother Earth, sailing through night and day–
and to her soil: rich, rare, and sweet

in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Plants, the sun-facing light-changing leaf
and fine root-hairs; standing still through wind
and rain; their dance is in the flowing spiral grain

in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Air, bearing the soaring Swift and the silent
Owl at dawn. Breath of our song
clear spirit breeze

in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Wild Beings, our brothers, teaching secrets,
freedoms and ways; who share with us their milk;
self-complete, brave, and aware

in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to Water: clouds, lakes, rivers, glaciers;
holding or releasing; streaming through all
our bodies salty seas

in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to the Sun: blinding pulsing light through
trunks of trees, through mists, warming caves where
bears and snakes sleep–he who wakes us–

in our minds so be it.

Gratitude to the Great Sky
who holds billions of stars–and goes yet beyond that–
beyond all powers, and thoughts
and yet is within us–
Grandfather Space.
The Mind is his Wife

so be it.

Gary Snyder

As you know I am a lover of the earth and at my tree farm sanctuary, we have been blessed to capture some great glimpses of our wildlife neighbors as they activate the motion-sensitive camera along the trail.

 

Bobcat caught on wildlife camera

You will find, if you take Beauty as your teacher,
it will teach how to recognize the value of everything,
Beauty has a storehouse of positive energy.
Let yourself be aroused by the beauty of something
and you will feel an in-flow of positive thoughts and feelings.
Make everything you do a contemplation of beauty
and you become an advanced mystic!

James O’Dea

 

There are two does … did you notice the second one?

Here is a post from the archives that celebrated an earlier Earth Day …  reminding us of the Clarity that can be our creative focus throughout April leading to the inherent gift of Wisdom that naturally follows each May … on we go.

 

Turkey caught on wildlife camera

METTA-Loving-Kindness Meditation ~

May we, and all living beings, be happy/joyful,
May we be peaceful/calm,
May we be free/liberated from suffering and the causes of suffering.

coyote and bear caught on the wildlife camera

 

May You Be Peace Full ~ Iona