Viewpoint April 2007
Honoring the Divine Mother
by Bhava Ram
"May there only be peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life." —United Nations Secretary General U Thant, Burmese diplomat; March 21st, 1971, on the first international recognition of Earth Day.
For more than three decades now, global awareness has grown around the need to protect the Earth, to be more mindful about our stewardship of the environment and what we can do as individuals. Still, we lose consciousness; we forget. Car engines are kept running at the drive-up windows at the bank or while waiting to pick children up at school. We over-consume; we waste. It's not that we are evil, we just forget. The stress and fast-pace of our daily lives takes over and we fall into our daily patterns and lose awareness.
We are also often unaware of the subtle ways in which we might be harming our planet. The contents and packaging of products we buy can have toxic consequences that we overlook.
Our food and clothing may come from corporations who exploit third world environments and societies. Our investments in mutual funds may include holdings in companies motivated by greed that plunder and pollute with reckless abandon. We just don't always see it unless we are devoted and vigilant. It is far easier to feel anger towards the obvious exploiters and polluters of the world, yet true change begins not with protesting the actions of others, but in changing our own lives.
The Vedic wisdom of Yoga and its sister science of Ayurveda offer us several pathways into greater remembrance and personal transformation. From a Vedic standpoint, Earth is much more than a spaceship revolving in the cosmos. She is Mother Earth, a manifestation of the Divine. From this same perspective, we are much more than passengers on an impersonal planet; we are manifestations of the Mother and embodiments of the Divine. In effect, we are the Mother and she is us.
Ayurveda, the holistic medical system of the Vedas, views the physical body and all of nature as manifesting from earth, air, fire, water and space. Mother Earth is the womb from which these elements arise and to which they all return in the elegant cycle of life and death. To love and honor Mother Earth, we must love and honor our bodies as physical manifestations of Her grace. By eating junk food and the products of factory farms we not only support companies who exploit the environment, we harm and pollute the Mother by harming and polluting ourselves. Eating fresh, organic and locally produced food not only promotes health, it is social activism for Mother Earth. Since we are Her, any way in which we purify ourselves helps to purify Her as well.
Ayurveda also beckons us to align our lives with the natural rhythms of nature as a pathway to healing, inner balance and personal growth. It suggests that we awaken at sunrise, honor the sunset, take time to get outside and drink in the moon and stars at night. It asks us to observe the seasons and to realize that we are an integral part of these eternal cycles. This brings us into deeper harmony with the sacredness of Mother Earth and the sacredness of our individual lives as well.
As we spend more time immersing ourselves in nature we spend less time in the more unconscious and toxic pursuits of consuming, acquiring and being manipulated by the mass-marketing culture that seeks to control us and does much damage to Mother Earth along the way. This, too, is social and spiritual activism.
Yoga deepens the connection. The central ethical principle of Yoga is Ahimsa, or non-harming. Violence and war cause the greatest harm to the Mother, while peace is the greatest medicine possible. A sustained and devoted practice of Ahimsa creates a lifetime commitment to healing ourselves, healing humankind and helping to protect and heal Mother Earth.
Yoga also teaches us to transcend the ego and understand that it is not all about us. An awareness of, and alignment with the divinity of Mother Earth is central to this process. As we truly come to understand that She and we are one, we realize that there is something far more important than our individual dramas and desires. Ultimately we grasp that we are much more than our egos, our bodies or our minds; we are pure consciousness that is eternal and truly Divine.
As a meditative practice to cultivate a personal connection with Mother Earth, find a quiet place to lie down, perhaps outside in nature on a warm day when possible, and close your eyes.
As you allow your body and mind to let go and relax, feel the support beneath you. It might be your bed, the floor, the grass in a park or a sandy beach.
After a few gentle breaths, take your awareness of this support all the way to the core of Mother Earth. See that molten core as Her heart. Then visualize a golden flame, like a candle flame, at your heart center right behind your breastbone. As you breathe in, take a thread of golden light from Her heart into yours. As you exhale, send your light back to Her heart.
When this connection is fully established, deepen your breath in a gentle and smooth way. Inhale and feel the light of Mother Earth growing brighter, filling your entire body, permeating every cell of your being. Exhale and feel your light filling Mother Earth, luminous and radiant, permeating every cell of Her being. As you continue, open yourself to the experience of your oneness with nature, the sacredness of your being merging with the sacredness of Mother Earth. Know that you and She are one, and that you are a manifestation of Her, and embodiment of the Divine.
Let this practice remind you that every day is Earth Day. Every day is an opportunity for this deeper and divine awareness. Every day is an invitation to open your heart and soul to the wonder and oneness of all that is.
Bhava Ram is certified in Ayurveda and Yoga by the American Institute of Vedic Studies, registered at the E-RYT 500 level with the Yoga Alliance, and holds certificates in the Yoga Sutras, Yoga Therapy and Vinyasa Krama. He is co-founder of Deep Yoga with his wife, Laura Plumb. They see private clients for healing, retreats and seminars in Ayurveda, Yoga and meditation. Deep Yoga is offering a Life Mastery Training series this May, along with a Teacher Training for certification with the Yoga Alliance. For information please see www.deepyoga.com or email Bhava at bhava@san.rr.com.