nature

nature

Be the change

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Molly

Spirit of my longing heart, help me to become a force of history. Like a drop of water let me merge and mingle in the currents of my particular time and situation and not hold back, but join what nurtures the earth and soaks the seeds of justice and peace. Let me be the flash point where the light begins to travel at great speed, igniting compassion, that others might see the power of goodness. Let me rush with the winds of change across the desolate plains of greed and selfish desire. Grant me the wisdom to know that the winds of eternal hope blow through my words and deeds. Let me join the sky with its watchful eye and be a witness to life affirmations wherever I see them. Give me the strength to say yes to even the smallest act of mercy. With these powers of earth, of light, of wind, of sky, I will change myself and become a gift of love and power to the story of humankind.
–Stephen Shick in Be the Change: Poems, Prayers, and Meditations for Peacemakers and Justice Seekers

I love prayers like this–written in broad, sweeping language that encompasses any manner of belief systems and that calls upon the natural world and our inherent sense of the mystery and magic of being alive with a sense of reverence and the sacred.

Right after I originally typed this up, I came across a quote by Rachel Carson in Alexandra Stoddard’s Gracious Living in a New World: “What is the value of preserving and strengthening this sense of awe and wonder, this recognition of something beyond the boundaries of human existence? …Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

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Most of this content was originally posted at Talk Birth.

Categories: nature, prayers, quotes, readings, spirituality | Leave a comment

Woodsprayer

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Molly

Deep breath…aaaaahhhhh….

I quietly gaze into the depths of a forest
and see nothing save beauty and peace.
Birdsong fills my ears.
A gentle breeze brushes against my cheek.

Seeing from inside the seeing,
I drink the dark riches of the woods.Would it be that every day
I could see my own face so clearly in these still waters,
And meet the emptiness–which is also my very own heart–
that is carried in the boughs of pines and in the gentle
music of crickets.
–Cass Adams in Life Prayers

I’ve had one of those bad days. A day in which I let myself down repeatedly, was snappy with those I love, was crabby and distracted and sometimes mean (to myself and to others). In short, I was not who I want to be, wish to be, or how I would like to see myself. I feel disappointed with my lack of accomplishments on my to-do list (that really needs to get done) and then also frustrated by my own unrealistic standards of what I “should” be able to do on any one day. I settled at my altar space for a few minutes and read the above in the book Life Prayers that I read a little of each day. I also have a nearly daily ritual of going down to the priestess rocks in the woods—though, on days like today, I don’t have “enough time” to do that, even though it is on those days that I really, really, need to go. So, I went. In truth, this time in the woods restoreth my soul, there is no other way to describe it.

I go down to the woods to pray. Thinking about the sacred way. And, we need this way to survive.