Our Mother Earth
When we speak of our mother, the Earth, we mean far more than
just the physical planet: we speak also of the biosphere - that
region on, above, and below her surface where life is possible.
Gaia is the traditional name for the Earth and her biosphere
as a living, even sentient, being. We have chosen that name
for ourselves because we understand that, when all else falls
away, Gaia is the one who bears, nourishes, sustains, and
finally receives us as we begin, live, and end our lives.
Without her we would not be.
However, modern industrial society is well on its way to
destroying the biosphere on this planet. The earth, the planet,
will remain through any of our activities; but the life at her
surface is in real danger. In this age we perceive that honoring
the Earth means, more than anything else, protecting and defending
her from the forces that would destroy her, for whatever reason.
Therefore, we live our lives out of a dedication to the principle
of ecology, with the understanding that humanity is just one of
Earth's species - not her dominators, but her loving children.
We incorporate practices such as these into our individual and
corporate lives:
- We use products that caused minimal harm to the environment
in their production, do minimal harm during their use, and that
will do minimal harm when their useful lives are finished.
The trouble is, we all use products that harm the environment
in some way; it is nearly impossible not to, nowadays. For
example, computers damage the water as their integrated circuit
chips are made, motor vehicles damage the air with every mile
they are driven, and disposable diapers are filling the earth
with nondegradable plastic and, literally, with shit every day.
We act in ways to minimize these damages, even where they
cannot be eliminated.
- We recycle. We acquire possessions with an eye to their
eventual re-use or disposal, and we recycle, rather than
discard, things whenever possible. When one is thinking of
buying something, it is often helpful to assign it a "junk
score" - how many years (or months, or whatever) will it be
until the article is junked or winds up in a garage sale.
Things with a low junk score, like things that cannot be
recycled, may not be good ideas.
- We educate ourselves and those around us about the current
dangers to the Earth and about the ways that those dangers can
be reduced or eliminated.
- We use resources sparingly. We are aware that we all
consume nonrenewable resources daily: with each gallon of
gasoline we buy, each time our air conditioner or heater
comes on, and at many other times we’re not even aware of.
Our goal is to consume as little of these resources as
possible, but without sacrificing quality of life.
- We do our best always to live in harmony with the Earth,
not in opposition or rebellion against her. Where possible,
we choose houses that use natural sunlight, wind, and shade
for heating and cooling, rather than artificial means. Some
of us choose to be vegetarians, while others remain omnivores;
but whatever our food choice, we remember that mother Earth
has provided it all for us.
For obvious reasons, we associate the Mother Earth with the
northern direction and the element of earth, which is the
element of the body.