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Life Arts    H4'ed 4/22/10

Photo-Essay: Homage to Mother Earth on Earth Day

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On Sunday April 18 I just started walking around, then driving around Norfolk, Virginia and the Ghent section of Norfolk in particular, taking shots of the gloriously blossoming azaleas, tulips and other flowers as they basked in the warm sun. Norfolk is known for its azaleas especially, and there is an International Azalea Festival here every year in late April-early May.

Then it dawned on me that this was so close to Earth Day, April 22nd, that I might as well hold off on posting these shots until this day, so this is what we have with this post, my homage to Mother Earth, Grandmother, Gaia, Terre-MÃ re, Madre Tierra, Ð"Ð degrees'"Ð ' Ð --Ð Ð Ð Ð , Moder Jord, to coin a few phrases.

The amazing beauty, shape and colors of azaleas, just to mention one of Nature's marvelous floral creations, leads one to ponder, "Is there a greater artist in all the Universe?" What incredible intelligence and sensitivity goes into the design of an azalea, or a tulip. Do not all Nature artists, in turn, simply try to emulate, express or interpret our Great Mother's infinite creativity?

And just realize what it might mean if millions of us all decided to regularly pay homage to Mother Earth! I think you would begin to see a fundamental change in the way humanity relates to its Mother, her air, her skies, her seas, her soil, and I think you would begin to see a change in the way she relates to us. Robert Wolff, in his wonderful article posted on OpEdnews today, Earth Day, The Rights of Mother Earth points out that what is needed now is reciprocity. For too long now we have abused and misused Nature to levels beyond normal criminality. What, for instance, can be more vicious and nihilistic, more hateful and destructive, than blowing the tops off mountains in West Virginia to enhance one's profits in the bloody coal business?

Dishonoring and disfiguring Mother Earth, torturing, exploiting and slaughtering her flora and fauna, oceans, atmosphere and even geology are, in the end, self-destructive, so it is really our own self-interest that is at stake here. Let us begin then, collectively, a new relationship with Earth, actually the only proper one there ever was, one of love and respect, as the ancients knew and taught. Otherwise, we are the ones who will suffer most.

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I am a student of history, religion, exoteric and esoteric, the Humanities in general and a tempered advocate for the ultimate manifestation of peace, justice and the unity of humankind through self-realization and mutual respect, although I am not (more...)
 
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