Honoring the Earth: Sacred Life
Our time this morning will be divided into two segments, both honoring
Sacred Life and the celebration of Earth Day. The first segment is Unity
based, the metaphysics of elements of the world and an exploration of our
duality thinking. The second segment is Indigenous based, a prayer and
meditation shaped from Lakota prayers which arise from a sense of Oneness
inherent in their beliefs.
So we begin with the metaphysics. In the beginning…there was the void. In
the nothingness there was perfect Oneness. Then there was light. Genesis
says God created light but then Genesis says God separated the light from the
darkness. But God didn’t create darkness. And so our dualistic writers of the
Bible began the process of creating the illusions of separation. Darkness is
simply the absence of light. It is a material plane appearance. The separation
goes on with the heavens separated from the earth and the land separated
from the waters. The most important lesson that really arose for me in
preparing this sermon was the depth and breadth of our belief in separation.
And for many of us, the belief that barriers and separation are necessary.
Unity’s primary teaching is Oneness. As we find in the Revealing Word: “There
is one Spirit; one principle of life, love, intelligence, and goodness in, through,
and over all, even God, the good omnipotent. There is but one Mind. Every
individual and the various phases of character that make that individual are
but states of consciousness in the one Mind. God, Spirit, is the only presence
in the universe, and is the only power. It is in, through, and around all
creation as its life and sustaining power.”
I really wished Jo Sieger was here today because I wanted to do a chant we
have done in the past: Air I am, Fire I am, Water, earth and spirit I am.
Mountain I am, Stream I am, Moon and Stars and Sun I am. But even
without the drumming and the chant, let’s look at some of those elements.
Sky or heavens is the realm of pure ideals--the spiritual plane and Earth is
the realm of thought forms--the material plane. Yet in metaphysics, each of
these is merely a state of consciousness. And humans are the expressions
integrating the two planes and constantly moving in awareness between the
two states of consciousness. Those states of consciousness still exist in one
mind. We are one with one mind.
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Water, in the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary has lots of meanings. It can be
life, vital energy. It can represent cleansing, as we wash away that which is
impure. It can stand for unexpressed possibilities, teeming below the surface.
And water may represent weakness and negativity. Water demonstrates
instability although its flexibility may be as much a strength as a weakness.
Fire as a cleansing agent represents the destruction of evil and error or the
purification of our thoughts and beliefs. The fire of Spirit may also be divine
energy. Fire, interestingly is the positivity to the negativity of water.
Both water and fire represent energy and the activity of Spirit. One Spirit.
Sun represents the realm of consciousness that has been illuminated by
Spirit. The great Light of Spirit. The energy of illumination.
Stars I found very interesting. Stars represent the revelations of Truth that
are as yet still remote. The human mind cannot conceive of the wonders and
immensity of the universe of stars in the heaven. The Eastern Star is the
symbol of our inner conviction of our divinity. This is the star that led the
wise men to the birthplace of the baby Jesus. This consciousness of our
divine inheritance is a wondrous revelation of Truth when we first come upon
it. And no less amazing each time we awaken to that Truth.
And still we find ourselves discussing One Mind, One Energy, One Spirit we
are all a part of. Yet the Bible begins right in Genesis dividing and separating.
Herein lies the challenge of life on the earthly plane. Most of us begin with
duality thinking. Our minds are not initially taught to hold the mystery of
balance as if it were oneness. This is not the practice in Eastern and
indigenous traditions. There is more emphasis on balance, all inclusiveness
and oneness. We have to acknowledge that others find the concepts of
oneness more natural than we do. Also, I believe that our “civilization”
process emphasizes separation. The more concrete there is, the less grass
and trees there are. The farther away from the source of our food we are, the
less reverence and honor we give it. We have no concept of the care, the labor
and the spirit in our food. We have numbed ourselves to the conditions of our
brothers and sisters. We have pillaged the bounty of the earth and turned our
backs on our own actions. Separation is how this is possible. We do not see
ourselves as connected to what we destroy and we do not own our connection
to the consequences of our actions. We do not love in the abundance we take
away. We choose who our brothers and sisters are and disconnect from all
else.
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And here I find myself returning to what was my first knowing: God, Great
Spirit, Wakan Tanka, in everything; everywhere present. There is a blessing to
have begun life connected in belief and in practice. To sit beside the tree and
the stream and listen—to be one with the tree and stream. To gather the eggs
from the chickens I feed and water and to pick the peas from the plants I
sowed and weeded is to honor the life giving life to me. To feel the love of the
wind brushing my hair, the support of the earth beneath my feet, the
nourishment of the sun upon my face is to be one with Great Spirit. To honor
that the beauty and wisdom in the butterfly is equal to that in the fox and the
bear which is equal to that in the horse and the eagle. Whether I can walk in
the grass or sit in my living room, I breathe into oneness.
In Oneness, I can find no peace in killing for the sake of saying I can kill.
Hunting for sport is beyond my comprehension and this kind of dominance
has no nobility. In Oneness, I can find no honor in ignoring the conditions of
migrant workers used to harvest crops; the conditions of farmers in other
countries farming without fair trade agreements; the conditions of animals in
corporate farms and slaughter houses. I am aware that no matter what I eat,
there must be honor. In Oneness, what we spill into our waters and farmlands
is toxic to me. In Oneness, the conditions of the worst spots in the world are
in the cells of the body of the Universe I am a part of.
And so, before we become hopeless and feel helpless, let us look to the stars
for new revelations. In Oneness, all that I honor is honored. In Oneness, the
choices I make to honor the life that gives me life lifts the consciousness of all.
I can notice local farm suppliers, free range and fair trade designations and
choose with a sense of honor and gratitude for what nourishes me. In
Oneness, the peace that I make with my brothers and sisters of every ilk,
creates peace in the world. In Oneness, the little piece of land that I tend
becomes the seed of heaven planted here on earth. In Oneness, when I give
back more than I take, it is the leaven in the whole loaf. In Oneness, the voice
that I lend to peace and love and justice becomes the voice others join. I am a
powerful channel through which the One Spirit expresses.
Earth Day is truly about the mindfulness practice of Oneness. It is about
paying attention to the conditions around us and to the choices we make. It is
about being mindful of our actions and our attitudes. It is not a time to feel
helpless and hopeless but a time to claim our power to create the awakened
world of peace, harmony and abundance we speak aloud each Sunday. What
if each of us affirmed that vision every day? Could the vision of ULV become
the collective vision we act upon every day? What could earth be like if every
day, “We co-create an awakened world of peace, harmony and abundance”?
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As we consider this potential, I want to move into a time of prayer and
meditation using words drawn from Lakota prayers to the four directions and
to Great Spirit. In the Indigenous practice of knowing our Oneness and living
from that Oneness, let us prepare for a time of reflection by singing, All Things
Are Possible.
Wakan Tanka, Great Spirit, it is I. Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the
wind, whose breath gives life to all the world. Hear me; I need your strength
and wisdom. Thank you for today’s sunrise, for the breath and life within me,
and for all of your creations. Honor this, my prayer.
As the day begins with the rising sun, I ask, Spirit keeper of the East, Brother
Eagle, Be with me. Fly high as you carry my prayers to the Creator. May I have
eyes as sharp as yours, so I am able to see truth and hope on the path I have
chosen. Guide my step and give me courage to walk the circle of my life with
honesty and dignity.
Spirit keeper of the South, Wolf, Be with me. Help me to remember to love and
feel compassion for all mankind. Help me to walk my path with joy and love for
myself, for others, for the four legged, the winged ones, the plants and all
creation upon Mother Earth. Show me it is right for me to make decisions with
my heart, even if at times, my heart becomes hurt. Help me to grow and nurture
my self worth in all ways.
Spirit Keeper of the West, Brown Bear, Be with me. Bring healing to the people I
love and to myself. Bring into balance the physical, mental and spiritual, so I
am able to know my place on this earth, in life and in death. Heal my body, heal
my mind and bring light, joy and awareness to my spirit.
Spirit Keeper of the North, White Buffalo, Be with me. As each day passes, help
me to surrender, with grace, the things of my youth. Help me to listen to the
quiet, and find serenity and comfort in the silences as they become longer. Give
me wisdom so I am able to make wise choices in all things which are put in
front of me, And when time for my change of worlds has come, Let me go
peacefully, without regrets, for the things I neglected to do as I walked along my
path.
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Mother Earth, Thank you for your beauty, And for all you have given me.
Remind me never to take from you more then I need, and remind me to always
give back more than I take.
Let me walk in Earth’s beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and
purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things Spirit has made and my ears sharp to hear
your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the things taught to all people.
Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that I perceive as against
me.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
Guide me to seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.
Give me compassion and do not allow pity to overcome me.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest
enemy, Myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come back to you as
pure as it was sent out into the world.
And so it is.
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