Earth-centered Spirituality: Pagan, Wiccan, Druid, Native American, Other

[Whyteferret]

@BloomInWinter
I didn't know that about DNA. I was thinking more along the lines of reproduction.

Great. Now my DNA is f-up. PTSD just gets more special. :eek::)

 

[Whyteferret]

Anyone have interesting plans for Solsitce?

There's a PRIDE gathering I want to go to. There are a few local pagans meeting up there.
I'll see how I feel.

I'm doing a "butt crack of dawn" run. Some meditation. A ritual in the evening

 

[Changing4Best]

I think my post was basically about what happened to me as a child, about the spearhead that was given to me by a native brave who was in spirit at the time. I happened to mention the reading of my Bible in the post as a side note, I did not think it would detract from the thread here to mention that. I'm sorry I may have offended you, that was not at all my intent. The main point of my post was about the spearhead and it being from a member of an earth centered tribe who was in spirit at the time he gave it to me.

I feel as if I belong in this thread too because I was raised Unitarian and was given a choice as a child as to what I wanted to believe. I did not make that choice until I was 49, but that does not mean I don't still feel some ties to the faith of my youth. I think it is a wise thing for a person to look at all the various choices available, before making an educated decision as to what they want to believe and what makes the most sense to them. I am in no way trying to sway anyone away from their beliefs or thoughts on the subject of their various faiths here. I am simply sharing my experiences as they relate to this subject. I am sorry if I offended you or upset you. That was not my intent at all!

I did want to say here that I was bitten by several ticks when I was about 30 (in 1985) and so I have had to stay away from being in direct contact with the earth since my diagnosis of Lyme Disease in 1990. Since then I have tried to stay away from grass and wooded areas, and anyplace that has ticks in it, for fear of getting the disease again, since I almost died from it. For this reason I feel very cut off from Mother Earth and am sorrowful about this, but it must be. However, I had many earth/ spirit -centered experiences prior to my diagnosis which I can share. I hope it will be OK for me to share those here? @BloomInWinter. It is interesting for me to read this thread and contribute when I recall things that pertain. I will be careful to abide by your wishes from now on, however.

 

[Whyteferret]

I think my post was basically about what happened to me as a child, about the spearhead that was gi...

@SheilaKathy
There are different ways to connect to the earth. Can you have a garden? Or potted plants?
You can also collect crystals or gems.
When I lived in a city, it was hard for me to find quiet spaces in nature. I had a lot of plants in my house.

 

[corvidae]

i have tiny pauses during the day to thank the ancestors...feeling extremely connected to the physical place i live is important to me.

also have a stang (um, of sorts) and what i call my "redneck gandalf staff" and (drum roll for big nerd) hermione granger's wand.

so. ahem.

 

[Changing4Best]

@SheilaKathy
There are different ways to connect to the earth. Can you have a...

I'm awful with plants, but I do have a big bowl of rocks that I enjoy having and also a bowl of sea shells. I have 2 fish aquariums, thankfully, but I have fake plants in them due to my inability to nurture plants. I love my fish though! Thanks for your thoughts. At least I do live way out in the mountains, so I often get to go out for rides in them or in the valley here. I relish those rides when I get to take them. I can take a walk around the block and it is a long block, because there are sidewalks at least here in our town. I did take a walk this morning, so I got some fresh air and some sunlight. One of my meds advises not to be in direct sunlight for long though, so I have to be careful of that. Also, I am heat sensitive, again, another issue that keeps me indoors for most of the day. However, early morning walks tend to help me a lot, before the sun is too high in the sky.

 

[ladee]

I am so moosh brained right now, trying to read all these fascinating ways to be on this earth. They are starting to meld into each other in my tired brain... I may end up with some pretty interesting ways to go about my day and life..it won't have a name, it will just be me being present in my life.

 

[UnKnown-Self]

@SheilaKathy
I find being near bodies of water very calming. I am not sure where you are located but the are often places you can go and sit on a bench and feel the water full of life. I have a very small strip of beach I like to go to. But higher up there is a concrete walk way and benches for people to sit on. You probably have something similar in your area.
I want to make a small alter for some special things I have gathered over the years. A crystal, some seeds I have had around 15 years that hold special meaning. A fortune cookie message. Other things that would not mean anything to anyone but me because I felt God in those things and they remind me that the Energy of All that I most often call God and believe to be Love is with me on my journey.
We feel the pull to visit places we feel the Energy. Many have rituals of various kinds with others for a collective feeling of the Energy.
What you need to remember is that you too are the Energy. All that is out there is within you. We Are the Energy just as much as the trees and ocean.
When you take those early morning walks, talk to the God of your knowing like you would a good friend. You can joke:hilarious:, sing:singing:, laugh:joyful: and ask questions:tdown:. Find a way that is comfortable for you :tup: to talk to All That Is. You will get answers:woot:. Just be careful what you ask for :angelic: :hug:

 

[Changing4Best]

The nearest lake is 20 miles from here or so, but we do have a river here in town and a walking trail that goes nearby it. I used to walk the trail, but after my last bout with Lyme, I don't any longer, The reason is that it is only made of gravel and there are all sorts of grasses that grow up through it and there could be ticks there. However, I can see the mountains and the trees and all from the sidewalks. I had never thought of myself as being part of the earth's energy, but now that you mention it, that sure is an interesting thought! I have always thought of myself as having my OWN energy, but not as being part of a bigger energy.

As to talking with God, I talk with Him a lot. We are friends, yes. And I see Him as Love too! Or maybe He is a She. Or maybe God has no gender. Only God knows the answer to that one! ;)

 

[Crow]

Thank you for creating this space. I've dabbled in Wicca and some paegan groups but have fallen comfortably and softly into a earth centered spirituality without all the regimens. I planned to go to seminary back when but was denied bc I was gay. Good thing. I never could get on board with all that. My pedophile brother is a Christian preacher. My other brother is a Norse priest. I study with a Native American teacher who's studied with indigenous peoples all around the world. Next year I plan on taking a year long course in using plants in healing.

 

[Whyteferret]

People tend to be drawn towards an element(s) that reflect their personalities/ spirit or what they need.

I'm much more into earth- hiking, plants, rocks, etc. Earth is associated with healing, grounding, prosperity, earth, stability, animals, home, strength, death/rebirth

Air is related more to thought, intellect, creativity, abstract thinking, teaching, communication, divination

Fire: passion, sex, protection, transformation, anger, energy, work, purification, destruction

Water: dreams, compassion, love, healing, rest, cleansing, psychic, death/ rebirth

Spirit: unification, magic, change, transformation, divinity.

What's so fascinating is the balance in the elements. Too much of one is not healthy. water can flood as well as water crops.
Fire can warm or burn.

It's the same with the associations. Each one has negative consequences if unbalanced.

 

[ladee]

I love to go to a river or a pond, or even a stock pond. I can not do the ocean. There is so much energy and noise, I am not a beach person. I don't fish... the idea of that hurts me.. for the fish. It may sound silly and naive, but it is my truth. I can walk for miles on the back roads, I catch myself doing a lot of deep sighing... relief breathing. I am at peace.. I could live in the woods and be ok... I live in Texas and couldn't do the summers without AC tho !!! A spoiled NeoPagan.
My collection of Petrified wood is quite extensive... I have rocks everywhere... and I love to set out by the big pile of rocks and just go thru them. Feel them. Really look at them... I also collect flat rocks or river rocks.. I paint on those...but would never dream of messing with the integrity of a piece of PW...

I am going to check around my area to see if there are any groups I can join... it would be good for me, physically , mentally and spiritually... I isolate too much...This is just the greatest thread.... I love coming here... we are talking about something besides what brought us here... and I need that too... thank you all for you awesome shares and giving me so much to research and learn... Nameste.