Mother Earth spirituality – Gaia meditation and spirituality

Meditating on Mother earth, Gaia, or the Mother Goddess is a form of nature or spiritual meditation. It provides a oneness with the Earth while encompassing all aspects of nature. This peaceful meditation and spirituality is meant to promote relaxation, while recognizing the importance of the planet.

What or Who is Gaia?

Gaia is the name which was given to the Greek Earth Mother goddess. Although little known among many mainstream religions, the concept of a Mother God or Goddess can be found in within certain religious circles such as Paganism, Wiccan, and Native American spiritual beliefs.

History of Gaia

Up until the dawn of Christianity, the belief in a living, breathing planet known as Earth was commonplace throughout the world. In fact, throughout history, meditating on the Earth goddess was the most popular form of meditation around the world.

The earth was viewed as a female, conscious entity with divine powers. In addition to the names of Mother Earth and Gaia, other names associated with the planet are Ishtar, Great Mother, Magna Dea, and Kujum-Chantu.

How to Meditate on Gaia

This meditation and spirituality is best done outdoors, especially while sitting under a tree. If this isn’t possible, then sit by a window where the sun is coming in. The concept is to be as close to nature as possible for this meditation.

Assume a comfortable sitting position, while keeping a straight posture. After closing the eyes, begin to take long, deep breaths. Only focus on the breath and get rid of any other thoughts that creep into the mind. Now, begin to focus on the body. Experience the oxygen entering the lungs. Feel the warmth of the sun. Take a few minutes to only feel body sensations while breathing.

Next, begin to think about Mother Earth. Imagine how each tree, flower, and plant has roots that go into the soil of the earth. Imagine the energy of the earth running through the roots of these living organisms. Now, visualize yourself as having roots and how these roots are intertwined with all of nature’s other roots.

Feel the energy running through the body that the earth provides. See this energy as a golden light. Feel how relaxing it is. This energy removes all tension and stress while bringing in fresh, invigorating energy. Finally, envision the roots as arms of love from Mother earth and feel these arms surrounding your body, hugging you, and giving warm, glowing love. Enjoy this meditation as long as desired. When finished, take a few minutes to just enjoy nature before returning to life’s daily routine.

Meditating on Mother earth or Gaia is a way to become one with the nature of the planet, while acknowledging the planet as a living organism. It brings peace and relaxation while invigorating the body with Earth’s energy and the goddess’s love.

Learn how to meditate – meditation and spirituality for beginners

Learning how to meditate may seem daunting, confusing, or just plain boring — but the benefits of meditation and spirituality make it worthwhile for almost anyone. Here find information about why to meditate, as well as brief descriptions of five meditation techniques appropriate for beginners. Then, enhance one’s meditation practice by reading the suggested meditation books.

The benefits of meditation and spirituality

In this busy day and age of multitasking, when do most people ever give themselves permission to just be, instead of being and doing at the same time? Daily meditation practice provides a tremendous opportunity for respite from the hectic pace of daily life. Meditation and spirituality provides a much-needed time to focus on clearing one’s mind, relaxing, and simply being. As an added bonus, regular daily meditation has been scientifically proven to reduce stress and increase happiness.

Daily meditation and spirituality practices: meditation for beginners

Once a person has made the proper preparations for meditation practice, it’s time to adopt a meditation and spirituality practice. A number of common meditation techniques are relatively easy for beginners to understand and learn. These include:

Mindfulness meditation, in which one attempts to clear one’s mind of thoughts and remain fully present in the moment. Should thoughts arise, one simply observes them as a detached observer without judgment, labeling them as such and letting them go;
Breathing meditation, in which one focuses one’s attention totally on the inflow and outflow of one’s breath. Sometimes, counting breaths is used as a way to focus one’s attention on the breath’s coming and going;
Relaxation meditation, in which one scans one’s body slowly and methodically from feet to head, consciously focusing on relaxing any tense areas, while also breathing calmly and naturally;
Tonglen or Metta Bhavana, which is the practice of sending good energy to oneself, one’s friends, neutral parties, one’s enemies, and then all humankind and all living beings; and
Passage meditation, developed by Eknath Easwaran, during which one slowly repeats a memorized, inspirational passage internally to oneself throughout the meditation session.
It is not necessary to adhere to only one particular meditation practice to reap the benefits of meditation, though some instructors or books claim this to be the case. The key to beginning meditation and sticking with it is to find the practice that works for each particular individual. For some, this might involve starting out with one meditation practice, and then adopting another as one’s daily meditation evolves.

Anyone Can Learn to Meditate

By learning how to meditate, anyone can discover the myriad benefits of meditation. Several common meditation techniques are relatively easy for beginners to learn and follow. One can choose to use one or more of these meditation techniques in one’s meditation practice. Reading the recommended meditation books can enhance and deepen one’s understanding of common meditation practices.