What exactly is earth-based healing? How can earth-based spirituality help us heal and grow?
Earth-based spirituality is a nature-based path of connection, remembering, healing and growth, rooted in animism.
Animism is the world view that sees all life as alive and interconnected. Each tree, rock, plant and animal has a spirit, and therefore a healing gift for the world. We are not separate from nature, and therefore, when we connect with our non-human kin, we remember our own medicine, too, and that we are not alone, that we belong in the family of this Earth world.
This is an ancient way of being that has existed in cultures all across the globe and is a foundation in many paths of witchcraft. It is very much alive in Indigenous traditions.
I feel one reason it is so popular today, is that we are in a crisis of isolation and have a deep hunger for belonging.
Social media, pandemic mandates, capitalism, and all the ‘isms’ have all contributed to this sense of isolation and separateness that has escalated in recent years.
My hope is that as we move into a new paradigm, as challenging as it may be, more folks will wake up to the fact that this deep hunger for belonging cannot be satiated through social media. Human connection is essential to our well-being and many of us are only satisfied with connecting with people in real life. Beyond that, I feel many of us have an even deeper need for belonging that connections with other people cannot fill- It is the need to feel a kinship with nature. There is a need to belong to the land we walk on and our animal, plant, tree and rock kin. This is our original relationship to the source of life- without the human mind and its drama- we need to remember our belonging with the land.
Deep down in our bones, we know we too, are wild.
The cleansing rain, the soft mossy earth, the whisper of a raven’s wing, the haunting song of humpback whales, the crackling flames of a bonfire- all live within us. We are Earth and Earth is us. When we spend time in the woods, there is often a deep remembering. Remembering the ancestors and how they lived, and of our own belonging to the earth. A remembering of the ancient wisdom trees hold, and the sacredness of the life of a deer- just as sacred as our own.
Life becomes magical when we remember our own inner wildness.
When I say ‘wildness’, I mean our innate connection to the Earth, which can be very quiet and introspective, not necessarily dance-around-the-bonfire-naked kind of wild, though that may be included too!
When we re-ignite our remembering of our kinship with the earth, our sense of belonging grows. It is hard to feel alone when we remember this.
How Do We Practice Earth-Based Spirituality?
The great thing about this practice is that there is no one way. Each individual will have their own unique way of practicing. At its foundation, it is about connecting with nature regularly, and intimately. It’s about going beyond the physical and into the energetic and spiritual essence of animals, plants, crystals, rocks, bodies of water, landscapes, sacred sites and more. It is a deepened sensitivity and intuitive listening to the world around us- to feel what’s beyond the surface and into the heart and soul of the living beings that surround us. It is also fundamentally about being in reciprocal relationship with the being around us- not feeling superior or ‘other’, but being a friend or family member with the beings around us.
One’s practice can entail listening to and talking to plants, and getting to know their energy and medicine. It can include connecting deeply with animals, and working with animal spirits for protection, energy, or healing in daily life. It can entail observing the equinoxes, solstices and moon cycles, connecting with the ancestors of the land, and much more.
Some folks are solitary, while some like more formal gatherings. Some prefer structured rituals, while some keep it loose and just live in tune with the earth and its cycles more intuitively. Someone living on a farm or in the woods will have a different practice than someone in a big city. Neither way is right or wrong, all are valid.
For me, my earth-based practice includes a lot of attuning to the energies I feel from the earth and its cycles as well as the moon. Connecting with the spirits of trees, rocks, animals and the elements is central to my practice, as well as observing my emotional and embodied experience during moon cycles and seasonal cycles.
I don’t really spend time doing spells, but I have a lot of regular rituals- such as visiting local trees, talking with them, learning from them and giving offerings to them. I try to visit trees almost daily.
I also grow plants in my garden and like to take care of them and listen to them, harvest them and make teas, smoke cleanse, and herbal charms.
I also take regular sojourns to the spirit realm to connect with animal allies and do different rituals of connection with them.
I have many rocks and crystals in my space as well, which I enjoy placing on my body for healing, or wearing for protection, or adding into a healing pouch.
How Does an Earth-Based Path Help Us Heal?
Earth-based spirituality is healing because it is about being in relationship with the world around us. It heals our collective isolation wound. It helps us remember that we belong. Being in relationship with our non-human kin is the foundation of its power.
When we see plants as kin, we don’t wish to harm them, we respect them. This is a form of un-colonising our conditioning. True witchy power doesn’t come from using plants, herbs or crystals to fulfill a personal desire, but from having a respectful relationship with them and treating them as friends or family. They may wish to help you fulfill a desire, or they may want to teach you something, help you heal, or they may simply wish to simply ‘be’ in the environment, or work with insects and animals and not with humans.
Our non-human kin may be called ‘healing allies’ or ‘spirit allies’ or guides that help us heal or deal with a challenge in the present. Their medicine, or the special qualities they carry serve as reminders of a part of ourselves that wishes to come into wholeness.
Each aspect of nature, including us, are an expression of Spirit which flows through everything. Sometimes along our human journey, we forget, suppress or reject aspects of ourselves- to survive, to fit in, or to ‘succeed’ at goals that we set for ourselves. Over time, those aspects may call to be remembered, loved and integrated. These shadow aspects of ourselves, often contain gifts and medicines long forgotten or suppressed over generations in our lineage.
When we answer the call to remembering our kinship with aspects of nature, we are remembering our connection to the whole, and to our own wholeness.
In reality, we are completely whole, and perfect, just as we are. We are perfect and whole just as nature is. We only need to simply exist. Yet, we forget this, and need reminders.
Our kin in nature help reflect back to us forgotten parts of ourselves that are ready to come into integration within ourselves.
For example, we may have gone through some painful breakups that have left our heart untrusting and closed to intimacy. Connecting with a Rose Quartz crystal- and developing a relationship with them over time, can help us heal our heart. Working with Rose could also help, as these allies hold the energy of unconditional love. They can help us remember how to love ourselves again and open our heart to more true connections.
Another example could be that we’ve forgotten our confidence, and thus we may find working with a wild cat like a lion ally or another animal can help us remember this aspect of our nature. Or perhaps we work with the element of fire or sunlight to help ignite our inner flame of strength and confidence.
If we are in a situation where we need to get more grounded and sustain strength over a long period of time. In this case, an Oak tree may help us remember our strength and help ground us.
If you were embarking on a journey- whether a new educational program or traveling, you may find a bird ally helpful, as they resonate with freedom of movement and perspective. Each bird is so unique however, that there will be a specific one that carries an energy you would most resonate with.
How Do We Know Which Ally to Connect With?
Trust your intuition and curiosity. Perhaps you keep noticing a certain tree lately? Or, an animal keeps showing up in your dreams? Or you find yourself craving baths, being near water or wanting to cleanse?
Experiment and notice how you feel. Remember, this is an innate part of you, your inner wild one that has always been there, waiting to be remembered.
It doesn’t have to be complicated, and we don’t necessarily need a human teacher to intermediate between us and the earth. However, it is always great to learn from others! Especially Indigenous folks, when it comes to this land here on Turtle Island.
I believe we all have an inner spiritual guide or healer within that leads us to exactly where we need to be, and shows us what we need. We just need to listen, and to notice what we are being shown. Notice your dream symbols, notice your desires, notice repeated symbols in your environment. Be curious!
What area of your life do you feel drawn to healing or improving? What type of energy does this area need? What animal, element, crystal, herb or tree carries a similar energy?
Here are some more ways you can bring some Earth-Based rituals into your life:
–Walk in a nearby park or forest and allow yourself to be drawn to a plant or tree. Get to know them, sit with them, talk to them, become friends. Bring an offering of animal-safe food or herbs, or offer loving words of gratitude, song or even a kiss or a hug.
–Choose a crystal you are drawn to. You may also find a rock on the ground and ask if you can take them home. Hold the rock to your heart or wherever on your body you intuitively feel their energy. What is their energy like? How do they make you feel? Rocks hold the wisdom of time and the land they are from. Read about their origins and properties, wear it or keep it nearby.
–Get acquainted with an herb you are drawn to. Connect with them outside, if possible. If not, connect with them as a dried herb- either as is, or in a tea or tincture. (Of course be sure to check out the medicinal properties if you are ingesting it!). What is their energy like? If they were a person, what would they be like? How do they make you feel?
–Keep a Moon journal. Note the phase and how you feel during that phase. You may wish to read my blog posts on honouring the moon cycles here and here.
-Let the elements heal you. When the sun is out, take some time to receive the healing light of its rays into your heart, mind, belly. Feel the warmth and light fill any areas of sadness, fear, emptiness or malaise. If grief, wistfulness or overwhelm come over you, spend some time near water for cleansing and renewal. Even just listening to a recording of ocean waves can kindle our remembering. When experiencing anxiety, confusion or overwhelm, spend some time grounding in the earth. Take off your shoes and feel it under your feet. Lean against a tree or sit on a rock to remember your own stability.
As our practice grows over time, we start to feel a greater kinship and belonging- not only to the land, but also to ourselves. When we connect to all the beauty and medicine that exists around us, we remember that it is the same beauty and medicine we carry within.
If you are looking for some support to help you embark or continue on your earth-based spiritual journey, I am here to do just that! I take you on a guided journey to find your allies, through my one-on-one program: Nourish Your Spirit. In a series of 6 sessions, we uncover the healing needed through a Tarot Reading, learn grounding, centering, energetic cleansing and protection practices, and find a crystal, animal, herb, tree and elemental ally for you to work with. Contact me for a free 30 min consult!
In kinship,
Serena
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