Including the Earth in Our Prayers

A Global Dimension to Spiritual Practice

Including the Earth in Our Prayers describes the need for a spiritual response to our present ecological crisis and divisive world. This is a shift from the story of separation that defines our present materialistic culture—that we are separate from the Earth which is a resource to be exploited—to a new story of oneness and interconnection with the Earth and all of her inhabitants. This story returns us to a reverence for the sacred nature of creation, which will return joy, wonder, and meaning to our lives, as well as bringing real sustainability for all of life. The central theme of this book is that our individual spiritual consciousness is a vital contribution to making this shift, an alchemical catalyst for real change and transformation. The book describes different ways awakened consciousness can help the Earth in its time of crisis, working with the world soul as was known to our ancestors and to certain Indigenous peoples, uniting the inner and outer worlds, and working with love not just as a personal emotion or feeling, but as a spiritual power in life. This book describes in detail the attitude we need to participate in this spiritual or subtle activism, for example realizing that our spiritual practice is not just about us, but can be a real contribution to the whole of life. And how prayer and thanksgiving nourish not only our individual life but also the Earth and all of creation. It also looks at the danger of this present time as our materialistic nightmare covers the Earth in a dark cloud of forgetfulness of the sacred nature of the Earth and our own soul—and what this means for humanity and the Earth. Unless we go to the root of our present self-destructive ecocide we cannot make the shift that is needed to heal and transform the Earth, we cannot awaken into the future that is waiting to be born. Including the Earth in Our Prayers affirms the need for real change founded upon sacred principles, and the contribution we can each make through our prayers and spiritual practice.