by Aatoon Nina Massey

Prayer to Mother Earth

Breathe in your light,

Breathe out love for you. 

Let me walk in rhythm

With your heartbeat, Great Mother.

 I walk by this tree
At the top of my favorite hill
A long path I walk often.

Each day a different season,
A different look.

The rain will stop
And the sun will come out.

The sun beats down
Making me hot and slow.

The leaves turn gold
And fall to the ground.

The snow cools the air.
A white peace descends.

Everything changes.
A comfort, a hope, a wish.

- Aatoon Nina Massey

Standing near a tree, I wonder what it would be like to stand tall, in absolute stillness for hundreds of years. That inner, stalwart strength a representation of meditation at its deepest. Sitting under a tree, I feel that silence & tranquility deep in my heart and soul. A sacred place in nature to visit regularly, to offer prayers for Mother Earth has always been a part of my life. Watching the changes of the seasons, the natural cycles give a rhythm to daily life.

Having a sacred place in nature to visit has been part of the culture of humanity since earlies times. Groves were used in early pagan and Druid for rituals. Visiting lakes, rivers and the sea have always uplifted people. Climbing hills and mountains create a natural elevation of the spirit. Sites that are visited by many begin to gather the spiritual energy of those who offer prayers, whose states of being are lifted by the very nature of the sacred place.

“Patanjali, Buddha, Moses and Jesus did not go to workshops or seminars or even churches. They went directly to nature: sat under a Bodhi tree or on top of a mountain or in a cave. … It is time to return to the source of this inspiration – the earth itself.”
― Dolores Lachapelle, a Deep Ecologist in Earth Wisdom 

Deep ecology is an environmental movement which was introduced in 1973 by the Norwegian and mountaineer Arne Naess. He believed that we need to honor nature for its inherent value, not only for its usefulness to humanity. It’s an idea that was written about in earlier times by Rachel Carson, John Muir, John Burroughs and many more. Many have held the sacred, intrinsic value of nature in their hearts throughout their lives.

There’s a tree at the top of the hill
That stands alone.
Alone it is looked up to.
Alone it has battled the storms.
Alone it gives shade and a cool restful spot
To the animals seeking shelter from the burning sun.

There’s a tree at the top of the hill,
Living alone.
Standing in stillness and silence,
Reaching its branches to the heavens.

- Aatoon Nina Massey

Meditation is one way to deepen inner stillness and silence of an empty mind. Transmission from our teachers can help us drop deeply into a state of inner ease and quietude. If we can be in nature and be fully present, with this deep inner quiet, with whatever is in front, beside or behind us we can enter into the deep listening of the very nature of the forest, the flowers, the sea, etc. An empty mind allows the energetic field to enter our being. We enter a new state of being through the portal into the field of nature.

I lived in Juneau, Alaska for 30 years. I hiked in the surrounding virgin forest, the Tongass National Wildlife Refuge nearly every day. Being outside, no matter the weather is an integral part of daily life up there. This area is one of the last temperate rain forests in North America. The mystical beauty of the light rain was often part of the ramble. Partial glimpses of the mountains and the sea through light clouds added mystery to the days. For years, I would walk the same path. I watched the natural changes of the course of Gold Creek, noticing how its path changed as the weather changed. Ferns and Devil’s cub, a magical healing plant to the indigenous Tlingit people, flourished on the new banks first. Then willow and alder would quickly grow in the early layers of plant succession along its banks. They are very strong and flexible, bending with the wind and storms, and still surviving. The taller hemlock and spruce of the forest often sheltered us from the misty rain.

One summer I had an old friend from high school come visit because he wanted to fish for salmon. Everyday for about 10 days my sister-in-law took us out on a Lund, a skiff that scoots quickly across the sea. We would go where the fish were, sitting and waiting for a bite for hours. Contemplating the beauty of the calm Inside Passage, the mountains, the forest, the eagles, the whales, etc. took me into an incredibly deep place of attunement with the water.

We often had retreats with spiritual teachers at the Shrine of St. Therese. Located right on the water with a retreat center, we could sit each morning of the front porch drinking our tea, watching the calm, quiet sea of the Inside Passage. There would be whales swimming about, eagles and raven flying above, calling out for us to listen to their voices. The air and the breeze were fresh, evidenced by the sphagnum moss hanging in the trees. Together we would enter a field of stillness and purity, brought to us by nature.

There is something about the colors we soak in when we are in nature that is also healing. The ocean can be a light blue, gray, green, etc. depending on the color of the sky it reflects. The sky of course changes as well, blue, white, gray, etc. Green is said to be a healing color, so soaking up the deep emerald green of grass and plants can be invigorating and a remedy for what ails us. And of course, we are often gifted with the vibrant beauty of colorful flowers throughout the spring and summer.

My heart is tuned to the quietness,
that the stillness of nature inspires.
- Hazrat Inayat Khan, Nature Meditations

A tree that I love
Sits alone by the sea
Battered by storms
By the wind and the waves.
It still stands
Roots holding tightly
To the earth it loves
Standing sentinel
To the beauty of the sea.

- Aatoon Nina Massey

Ancient forests growing tall,
Reaching for Father Sky.

Roots growing deeply
Into Mother Earth,

Supporting the life of man,
Giving wood and oxygen.

We give homage to these
Ancient stalwart trees.

- Aatoon Nina Massey

Song to the Willow

Standing alone
Where the land reaches out
To meet the sea,
A little willow tree
Reaches its roots,
Deeper and deeper into the earth.

The wind, rain and snow
Blow hard across the sea.
Its trunk grows tall and strong,
Swaying and bending with the force.
A little willow tree
Reaches its roots
Deeper and deeper into the earth.

- Aatoon Nina Massey