April 22, 2008

• Happy Earth Day!

  Earth, divine goddess, Mother Nature, who dost generate all things and bringest forth ever anew the sun which thou hast given to the nations; Guardian of sky and sea and of all Gods and powers; through thy influence all nature is hushed and sinks into sleep… Again when it pleases thee, thou sendest forth the glad daylight and nurturest life with thine eternal surety; and when the spirit of man passes, to thee it returns. Thou art indeed rightly named Great Mother of the Gods; Victory is thy divine name. Thou art the source of strength of peoples and gods; without thee nothing can either be born or made perfect; thou art mighty, Queen of the Gods. Goddess, I adore thee as divine, I invoke thy name; vouchsafe to grant that which I ask of thee, so shall I return thanks to thy godhead.
                                               –the Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, Barbara G. Walker, from 12th century English herbal

  The first Earth Day took place in 1970 as a result of the Ecology Movement. Since then, it has been held each year to help encourage recycling programs, the use of solar energy, and to increase community awareness of important environmental issues. As a day dedicated to Mother Earth, it is a time for witches throughout the world to perform Gaia-healing rituals. But up until recently, the Earth had always been a sacred entity, revered above all other deities.

  Once upon a time, the Earth was held in great regard, as a singular, nurturing entity to whom we owed our lives. Have you ever wondered why older people may sometimes express disapproval when someone spits on the ground? This may stem from the belief that spitting on the earth is like spitting on your mother. It shows your lack of respect and gratitude for the gifts we have been given.

  In ancient Rome, they believed in the Genius Loci, the spirit of the place. Every place has its own patron spirit. Sometimes this was a god or goddess (Athena protected Athens), and sometimes it was lesser, unidentified spirit, but this spirit was always to be respected and honored. Like household spirits in European and Slavic countries, if you disrespected such entities, your luck could be turned upside down. A helpful home spirit could become quite vicious. Aside from messing up the house, destroying your food, and treating you to some nasty tricks, the household spirit could also make you sick, destroy your prospects, and send you to the poor house in short order.

  There was once a custom of assigning a protective spirit to watch over a building when it was first erected. This was done in early times by ritual sacrifice. Many scholars feel that this is where the superstitions surrounding phantom dogs come from. There is no evidence that humans were ever sacrificed for the durability of a building, though some assume that this was the case before animals were used in their place and folktales exist of such. In Slavic countries where earthquakes were common however, there was a custom of stabbing a man’s shadow at any new construction site so that his spirit would preserve the building. Such a person was supposed to become a vampire upon death though, so I can’t imagine this was ever a very popular method of ensuring the building would not fall down. Another vampire myth is also that the vampire must rest in the earth it was buried in. This evolved from an ancient belief that people should be buried in the earth they were born to. Many ancient peoples died in the lands they were born to rather than give way to invaders. They felt their lives were worthless if they were not reunited with the earth of their homeland at death.

  The Japanese also seek to propitiate the spirits of the earth (Kami) whenever they change the landscape. This is what feng shui is all about. The Japanese hold a ceremony called Jichinsai in order to calm the spirit of earth when they build a new building or other installations. The Kannushi, a priest of Shinto, prays for the success of the building. It was believed that if someone built a new house without permission from the spirit of the earth, the spirit might get angry and destroy the building.

  Up until the Renaissance, English farmers still revered Erce, eorthan modor (Earth, mother of earth) when sewing their crops. Just as Russian farmers still call on Mati-Syra-Zemlya (Moist Mother Earth). Rather than swear an oath on the Bible, a Russian peasant would clutch a bit of earth to his head and invoke the curse of the Mother if he broke his vow. Even the Greek Gods swore by the Mother Earth (Gaia or Rhea) when they sought to make an unbreakable vow.

  Some Christians criticize Pagans for worshiping the earth saying that we are worshiping the creation, not the creator. But early man made no distinction between the two, and why should there be? The Earth supports us and nurtures us in every way. Without the Earth, we would not be here. It existed before us and would be perfectly capable of existing without us. As a race, humanity has forgotten gratitude. More reverence is due the mother of us all.

  What is the best thing about having a Pagan friend?
  They worship the ground you walk on.

  ---

  April 22nd

  The Lyrids meteor shower began on the sixteenth and will continue till the twenty-fifth. It peaks on or around this day and is associated with the comet Thatcher.

  ---

  • 2:28 pm
  • 3 Comments