I realized after reading a quote and watching a talk by geneticist/author/teacher David Suzuki, a few months ago, that I had had a precognitive dream relating to the sacred nature of the Earth.

I had the dream January/2/2014:

“Light in the Mountain.”

It is my job to bring people to a lighted mountain in a frozen place. We come to the mountain and the light emanating from it is a beautiful sight. We realize that the light is coming from inside the mountain; that it is filled with spirit that casts its light on the snow and darkness all around. Later, I realize that my brother in the dream (not my waking life brother) is really the one who has planted the seed in my mind to find the mountain in the first place. (EOD)

Later that day, I was reading an essay by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee and came across this quote by David Suzuki:

“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity—then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective.’”

I posted the Suzuki quote on my FB page, and my friend Anne sent me a link to a talk Suzuki gave in Perth, Australia. In the talk he tells a story about a group of people who live at the foot of a mountain that they believe to be a god in their mythology. Unlike us, they will never strip mine or abuse that mountain in any way because is the very essence of Spirit in their culture. Then it hit me! David Suzuki is the brother in my dream! He is leading me and others to the ‘light’ within the earth, and warns that we are dimming it by our over consumption, strip mining of its resources, and rampant addiction to more and more things. I do believe that the earth is not just here for our consumption, that it is a sacred entity in its own right, and the very foundation of all life here.

Case on point:

I have recently returned from a visit to Saint Petersburg, Florida where I have a son and daughter-in-law (in Tampa) and a lot of extended family and friends. As is the custom while I’m there, we make many forays to the beach and the beautiful Gulf-of-Mexico that borders the barrier islands around Saint Petersburg. Later, I posted some of the pictures I took at the shore. A friend commenting on one, taken at Sunset Beach as the sun dipped into the ocean, wrote, “Lots of Eros on this beach.” As soon as I read that sentence, I realized that, yes, the Gulf-of-Mexico along the shores of Saint Petersburg is like a lover to me. It draws me back again and again to experience the sun and water and breezes on my skin, to dig toes into the sugar white sand, to hear the gulls and laughter of children playing along the shore, and to feel fully alive and embraced by the beauty that surrounds me there. I know when I am there that the Earth is a being with a Soul, patiently waiting for me to embrace her – in any way that I am capable – with gratitude for all she gives me/us.

I leave you with a poem I wrote about waters of the Gulf during a difficult time in my life:

“The Sea”

“When my mind needs quieting,

I head for the shore.

Nothing waits for me there

Beyond the sounds of gulls, waves,

And children’s laughter in the distance.

At the water’s edge

My racing heart slows to a rhythmic beat

Until worry must give up its hold

Or go crazy with the monotony

Of holding on.

Dolphins playing in the distance mock

A solemn countenance,

So that there is little to do but

Wiggle toes in white sand and

blow kisses to the shore.”

 

Ciao,

Jenna

Link to David Suzuki’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2b7SpLpN5A#t=227