Earth-Based or Earth-Centered Spirituality

Do we worship the earth? Not necessarily, but we believe that any sustainable spiritual philosophy must include respect for life. It must encourage us to develop practices that enable us to live in a respectful relationship with the world that sustains us.

Our approach to our spiritual work and to ritual is earth-based rather than humanistic. We look at the elements — air, fire, water and earth — as if their primary gift is to invite us to be aware of the world around us, rather than to provide us with metaphorical keys to the world within us.

Yes, the elements give us clues to our "elemental" nature, they are associated with aspects of our humanness. In astrology, tarot, and Jungian psychology, they provide us with insights into the nature of mind, spirit, emotion and body. Yes, the world around us does give us clues to the world within us, but with the blessing of sacred land and abundant nature, we focus on the world of nature as a way to understand the nature of the world. The elements invite us to deepen our connection with nature. They might even be invoking us, calling us forth into their Circle of Life.

Rituals lay patterns in our souls. They form our instinctual responses. With that in mind, we honor the elements rather than summon them. We open to the sacred rather presume to invoke it. We believe that life is sacred and that one of the purposes of ritual is to enable us to get out of our own way. When we do that, we can connect more fully with the power and beauty of life. Ritual doesn't create or invoke wonder but it can, if we want it to, enable us to open to the wonder that is ever present in the world. If we reach, if we stretch, we can touch the fingertips of mystery.

Touch the fingertips of mystery, experience wonder, connect with the divine; magic requires us to live fully and listen deeply.