{"id":66,"date":"2013-05-15T03:17:40","date_gmt":"2013-05-15T03:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blessingsabound\/?p=66"},"modified":"2013-05-15T03:19:01","modified_gmt":"2013-05-15T03:19:01","slug":"the-blessings-of-the-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessings-of-the-earth.html","title":{"rendered":"The Blessings of the Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some days I just feel a bit \u201cschlumpy.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes I can pinpoint a reason \u2013 perhaps I didn\u2019t eat well the day before, or maybe I\u2019m resisting doing something I know I need to do, or maybe I couldn’t find clarity on a certain issue.\u00a0 <\/span>But other times my conscious mind can\u2019t figure out why I\u2019m in the doldrums.\u00a0 <\/span>What do we do when we are in these slumps?<\/p>\n

\n

Yesterday was such a day for me.\u00a0 <\/span>So was this morning.\u00a0 <\/span>I knew I needed to shift my energy.\u00a0 <\/span>So here is what I did.\u00a0 <\/span>I began the morning with some inspiring music.\u00a0 <\/span>Music can have an awesome power to affect our moods and our energy.\u00a0 <\/span>I also did a bit of cleaning so that my environment would be more pleasing.\u00a0 <\/span>After that I went outside.\u00a0 <\/span>For me personally, this is key.<\/p>\n

\n

We are spiritual beings, but we are also mammals.\u00a0 <\/span>When we were created, I don\u2019t think God intended for us to spend most of our days in boxes.\u00a0 <\/span>These four-walled houses, offices, and stores were our invention.\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes we can do just fine in our little boxes.\u00a0 <\/span>But sometimes I think our spirit yearns desperately for fresh air, for earth and trees and sky.<\/p>\n

\n

I have created some sacred space in my backyard.\u00a0 <\/span>It is kind of a medicine wheel\/prayer circle.\u00a0 <\/span>I happen to live in the desert at the moment so I could simply draw a circle in the earth and mark the four directions with a stone or crystal.\u00a0 <\/span>For those of you who are blessed to live where there is beautiful green grass, stones are probably the easiest way to create a circle.\u00a0 <\/span>But we don\u2019t necessarily need to create sacred space.\u00a0 <\/span>All we have to do is find a place that feels good and safe and happy.\u00a0 <\/span>It may be a backyard; it may be a park; it may be the shore; it may be a woods.\u00a0 <\/span>But please, do yourself a favor and seek out a place that feels special to you.<\/p>\n

\n

Once you are in that space, simply sit.\u00a0 <\/span>Or if it\u2019s particularly warm, perhaps lie down.\u00a0 <\/span>Just sit.\u00a0 <\/span>Just lie.\u00a0 <\/span>Say prayers if you want but then afterwards, just be.\u00a0 <\/span>Just sit in silence and breathe in and out.\u00a0 <\/span>You may or may not become aware of a gentle breeze or the sun\u2019s penetrating rays or the songs of the birds or the clouds dancing in the sky.\u00a0 <\/span>But rest assured, the Earth is speaking to you.\u00a0 <\/span>She is comforting you.\u00a0 <\/span>Because if the Earth is our Mother, then surely we are her children.\u00a0 <\/span>And surely she wants to offer you her love and comfort.<\/p>\n

\n

Just allow these ministrations of the Earth to nourish your spirit.\u00a0 <\/span>Be in a place of not doing.\u00a0 <\/span>Let yourself receive this grace.\u00a0 <\/span>After a time of sweet solitude, you may find yourself feeling remarkably refreshed.<\/p>\n

\n

Now you can return to the \u201cregular world,\u201d if you choose, and be about your day.<\/p>\n

But please, once in a while, allow your spirit to be refreshed in the natural world.<\/p>\n

It is free medicine for our soul.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

May you be blessed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some days I just feel a bit \u201cschlumpy.\u201d\u00a0 Sometimes I can pinpoint a reason \u2013 perhaps I didn\u2019t eat well the day before, or maybe I\u2019m resisting doing something I know I need to do, or maybe I couldn’t find clarity on a certain issue.\u00a0 But other times my conscious mind can\u2019t figure out why…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":553,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,30,49,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blessings","category-nature","category-sacred-space","category-the-earth"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Blessings of the Earth - Blessings Abound<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Blessings of the Earth - Blessings Abound\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some days I just feel a bit \u201cschlumpy.\u201d\u00a0 Sometimes I can pinpoint a reason \u2013 perhaps I didn\u2019t eat well the day before, or maybe I\u2019m resisting doing something I know I need to do, or maybe I couldn’t find clarity on a certain issue.\u00a0 But other times my conscious mind can\u2019t figure out why…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessings-of-the-earth.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blessings Abound\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-05-15T03:17:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-05-15T03:19:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cgreb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Blessings of the Earth - Blessings Abound","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Blessings of the Earth - Blessings Abound","og_description":"Some days I just feel a bit \u201cschlumpy.\u201d\u00a0 Sometimes I can pinpoint a reason \u2013 perhaps I didn\u2019t eat well the day before, or maybe I\u2019m resisting doing something I know I need to do, or maybe I couldn’t find clarity on a certain issue.\u00a0 But other times my conscious mind can\u2019t figure out why…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessings-of-the-earth.html","og_site_name":"Blessings Abound","article_published_time":"2013-05-15T03:17:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-05-15T03:19:01+00:00","author":"cgreb","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessings-of-the-earth.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessings-of-the-earth.html","name":"The Blessings of the Earth - Blessings Abound","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-05-15T03:17:40+00:00","dateModified":"2013-05-15T03:19:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/#\/schema\/person\/4672554c4db616f163f9590175024cb4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessings-of-the-earth.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessings-of-the-earth.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/2013\/05\/the-blessings-of-the-earth.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Blessings of the Earth"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/","name":"Blessings Abound","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Blessings Abound","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blessingsabound\/#\/schema\/person\/4672554c4db616f163f9590175024cb4","name":"cgreb","description":"Cynthia is a grateful, creative, spiritual, healer who has her hands in many interesting pots. 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