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Saturday, November 17, 2012

Earth is Home


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.

The standard astronomical symbol of the Earth consists of a cross circumscribed by a circle.  Unlike the rest of the planets in the Solar System, humankind did not begin to view the Earth as a moving object in orbit around the Sun until the 16th century. Earth has often been personified as a deity, in particular a goddess. In many cultures a mother goddess is also portrayed as a fertility deity.
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.

Everyone ought to know by now that mankind is destroying the Earth. Most people in America have heard all the arguments about this, all the reasons why, along with many facts and figures describing the damage. The Earth is our home. We were made from it and we are sustained by it

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.
 
 
Earth is Home
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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