A step on the Pathway of Love

This time of year is just so... green. Life is fresh and new and full of promise. Flowers shine in every colour. The world is making love to itself, making love to the long day and the warm sun. Just being outside in it makes your heart sing along with the birds, who are celebrating being alive and being here.

I can't help but respond to that. I love being outside with all that aliveness, and when I let myself relax, I feel it flow into me and revitalising me.

Last week, working with my spiritual family, I learned a way to take advantage of that natural aliveness for our healing and the healing of the Earth. My friend JJ led us into a beautiful meditative practice that I'd like to share with you.

We started with a centring meditation of our tradition. The Magic of Connection meditation, or any meditation that brings you to awareness of your body and of the present moment will work just as well.

When we all felt fully present, we chanted 'Mother I feel you under my feet'. This beautiful chant got us in touch with the Earth beneath us, and with the nurturing, healing power that resides there.

JJ guided us to let that Earth power flow into us and heal us. We stayed with that feeling for a while, feeling the gentle but potent healing of the Mother.

We then chanted again, 'Deep into the Earth I go', and reversed the process. Using our connection with the universe through the crowns of our heads, we let healing flow through our hearts and into the Earth. Returning universal love to the Mother who holds us despite all we take from her.

We stayed with that downward flow of healing for a while, giving back to the Earth.

Then JJ invited us to go outside, into the meadow, and choose a place to practice this twofold healing. I sat by some flowering bluebells and felt the strong, gentle healing power of the Earth. I felt my heart open and healing flow back through me to the Mother. Soon, a natural rhythm of giving and receiving developed. It was a wonderfully connecting and grounding experience.

We ended together in a circle again, each bringing a gift from the Earth for our central altar. A sharing circle of experiences ended the practice.

You can do this meditation with your group or alone. It's very flexible and adaptable. You can leave out the chants or do more of them. You can take an offering outside with you for the spirits of place, or bring something inside for your personal altar. You can replace the sharing circle with some notes in your journal.

Or you can keep to the bones of the practice. Just go outside and feel the Mother under your feet. Breathe in her healing, and then breathe the healing of the Universe back to her. Enjoy this beautiful practice.

Shared with permission from JJ Howell.