by Jen Leech

Created on: July 17, 2009

Can an Earth based belief system ever not be connected to the environment? No, they will always be spiritually linked. When we hear the Mother Goddess speak to us from within the Earth and in the movement of seasons turning the eternal wheel of Time, how can we do anything but cherish and protect the world she has built around us. The rivers and trees are expressions of the love and beauty of the Goddess, and are ours to take care of. When a seed sprouts and grows into a plant, and a tree blossoms with fruit, She is there. So to it is with an oil spill in a lake, or a littered park. There will always be ways for us to honour the Goddess with our envoronmental stewardship. Our respect for the Earth is emulated by how we care for it, and nurture it's healthy growth.

As we progress in our Spiritual journey it is only natural for that to effect every part of our lives. We begin to see the world through a different light. We see people as Spirits sharing this experiance on Earth. We see our actions as something that has a tangible effect on the world around us. When we can see that we have the power to effect posative change in the world, it is our moral responsability to do so.

This is not to say that all Pagans have a completely mirrored set of beliefs. In fact, the opposite is true. Get a bunch of Pagans together and you will find a group of people who are both like minded, and incredably differant. What is it then that unites us? Why can we almost all say that we care about the environment? 'An Harm Ye None, Do What Ye Will' from the Wiccan Rede encompasses this eloquently. It's a zero footprint kind of idea. Spiritual footprints are different though. An action can leave a literal footprint on the environment around us, effecting the lives of those we live with, or clearing out negative energy, leaving positive warmth and light in it's place. We have the blessed opportunity in our daily lives to cause significant change. This change can be positive or negative. As followers of an Earth based religion we can only look at environmentalism as something to embrace with open arms.

When you look out the window, or step out your front door, remember to look for the beauty and eternal Love of the Goddess, emulated through the pristine and irreplacable natural world. Let your protective instict take over and do everything you can to take care of this beautiful worltd that we have been blessed to live in.

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