Planet Earth is Home to about 8.7 Million Species q
Earth
q Earth is Home
horth,
New Moon m, Winter, December,
January, February, Winter Solstice (New Year Yule), Imbolc (Charming of the
Plow), Midnight, Strength,
Acceptance, Light the Darkness, Resting, Green, Hands,
Soil, Body
Boar
Bovine u (Cow, Ox)
Dark God(dess)
Freyr q
(Norse God of Sunshine, Rain & Fertility) "Lord" Yule
Frigg p (Norse Goddess of
Women, Earth, Love & Fertility) Friday
Horse e
Midgard (Earth)
Squirrel
Stag z (Deer)
Svartalfheim (Dark Elves & Dwarves)
Wolf (Skoll, Fenris)
Yggdrasil (Tree)
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the
densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is sometimes referred to as the world,
the Blue Planet or by its Latin name, Terra.
Earth formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago and
life appeared on its surface within one billion years. Earth's biosphere then significantly altered
the atmospheric and other basic physical conditions, which enabled the
proliferation of organisms as well as the formation of the ozone layer, which
together with Earth's magnetic field blocked harmful solar radiation and
permitted formerly ocean-confined life to move safely to land. The physical
properties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, have
allowed life to persist.
Connected to the North, Earth
is considered the ultimate feminine element. The Earth is fertile and stable,
associated with the Goddess. The planet itself is a ball of life, and as the
Wheel of the Year turns, we can watch all the aspects of life take place in the
Earth: birth, life, death, and finally rebirth. The Earth is nurturing and
stable, solid and firm, full of endurance and strength. In color correspondences, both green and brown
connect to the Earth. In rituals Earth
is represented by burying objects in the ground, carving images out of wood or
stone, herbalism or using animal fur and bones.
Creation myths in many
religions recall a story involving the creation of the Earth by a supernatural
deity or deities. A variety of religious groups, often associated with
fundamentalist branches of Protestantism or Islam, assert that their
interpretations of these creation myths in sacred texts are literal truth and
should be considered alongside or replace conventional scientific accounts of
the formation of the Earth and the origin and development of life. Such
assertions are opposed by the scientific community and by other religious
groups. A prominent example is the creation-evolution controversy.
In Norse, the sons of Bor
carried dead Ymir to the middle of Ginnungagap and made the world from him.
From his blood they made the sea and the lakes; from his flesh the earth; from
his hair the trees; and from his bones the mountains. They made rocks and pebbles
from his teeth and jaws and those bones that were broken. From Ymir's skull the sons of Bor made the
sky and set it over the earth with its four sides. Under each corner of the skull they put a
dwarf, whose names are East, West, North, and South. They flung Ymir's brains into the air, and
they became the clouds.
In the past there were varying levels of belief in a flat
Earth, but this was displaced by the concept of a spherical Earth due to
observation and circumnavigation. The human perspective regarding the Earth has
changed following the advent of spaceflight, and the biosphere is now widely
viewed from a globally integrated perspective. This is reflected in a growing environmental
movement that is concerned about humankind's effects on the planet.
What is wrong with us? Who isn’t guilty? We were
given the Earth as a home. One look at its beauty and abundance reveals the
love of our Creator. We as humans are expected to respond with love and take
proper care of the Earth and one another.
It is clear that our lifestyle is destroying the Earth.
Rather than simply living and caring for one another and what we’ve been given,
people in the world are engaged in an all out pursuit of a life with less
effort, more pleasure and a false sense of security, even though it’s all at
the expense of the Earth that sustains us. It doesn’t take any great
intelligence or wisdom to see the pure insanity in
these ways of the world, yet the majority refuse to acknowledge this.
Even if everyone who cared completely repented and
started living a radically different lifestyle, the multitude of people who
simply don’t care would still be destroying the Earth. Besides, even if we save
the Earth, there is still the fact that people are destroying each other and
everyone faces death.
Ok - that may be extreme and off topic, more on
that for Samhain. There is much more to
say about this, but every little bit can help.
If you set the example in caring for this one Earth, do what you can,
maybe we can save our home Earth for just a bit longer. There are a ton of ideas online:
·
Compost your garbage instead of throwing it all away; over
60% of solid household waste is fit for the compost pile, heap or bin.
·
Buy clothes and other linens made from organic cotton.
·
Ride a bicycle.
·
Use eco-friendly household cleaners.
·
Skip the energy-hogging clothes dryer for a drying rack or
clothes line instead; it's easier on your clothes, your energy bill and our
fragile planet.
·
Use rechargeable batteries instead of single-use batteries.
It'll save you some bucks and the hassle of trying to recycle spent alkaline.
·
Use recycled paper.
·
Avoid products with several layers
of packaging when only one is sufficient. About 33% of what we throw away is
packaging.
Over the next three months, focus on Earth and
your connection. Sit outside under the
moon. Recycle even just one item: paper,
cans, fruit waste... Let's keep our
Earth home for as long as we can.
Root of the root,
Mother Matter, for whom nothing is ever lost,
only transformed,
you teach us how to change
and how to sit in stillness.
When life scatters us in all directions
you whisper, "Just be."
You urge us, "Honor the body."
You tell us, "I will never let you go, I hold you
safe forever."
All praise to the humble holy ground.
We are part of you no less
than seed or grass or antelope.
We belong.
May we learn new ways to honor you.
May we heal the harm we have done to you.
In the name of Earth.
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