by D. Anderson

Created on: February 06, 2009

The best thing to do to bless your environment is to respect it. By following a pagan path or lifestyle probably this is part of your belief system already. It seems most pagan paths have a basic guideline of respecting the earth and all its environments. Popular paths such as Native American/Shamanism; The popular "witch" paths of Earth, Cottage, Green, Hedge and Kitchen Witchery, Hinduism and Wicca are just a few in which there is a respect of the earth taught to its followers.

But, you don't have to be on a pagan path to bless the environment. Simply living "green" is the best method. Avoiding the use of harsh chemicals, recycling, not littering and doing what you can to not waste commodities like electricity, gas, and water. By treating the environment as you would any living entity you are blessing it. In the Wiccan path there is a reed that states "And if it harm ye none, do as thy will" which basically means to not harm anyone or anything. Many following a Wiccan path or a solitaire or eclectic path take this statement to also mean yourself, the earth and animals.

However, there are spells, rituals and tips that can be done to bless the environment that are popular in the pagan paths. For example, it is believed by many pagans that when using herbs or food items as altar offerings it is an insult to dump the remains in the trash. Instead, toss the food items onto the ground. Often, this is stated as part of the ritual. I have in my collection of information a ritual for Imbolc:
"On the altar, burn the white and silver candles and pour some milk into the chalice. Take a few sips from the chalice, leaving some milk in it, and then take it outside to pour the remaining milk onto the earth while reciting:
"For Brigid Goddess, I bless with milk the sacred Earth, to nurture us with healing, fertility and the gift of birth.
"Return to the altar and give thanks or ask for blessings from Brigid and then extinguish the candles" (direct quote from 'The Copper Cauldron: Magick for the Kitchen Witch' by Deanna Anderson, a forthcoming title from Andborough Press).
By returning food, drink or herbs to the earth you are giving back to her as well as blessing her. For those not following a pagan path a simple mention of the earth and her environment in a prayer will help to bless it. There are often sometimes world-wide earth prayer days in which groups of people all over stop at a pre-designated point in the day and pray for her and send her healing powers. A search of the

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