I was recently asked how I reconcile being a Christian with also being a critic of Christian theology, traditions, and culture. I am asked this often and my answer is always the same. I have not found reconciliation and might… Read More ›
Mother Earth
First Light: Brigid and the Bear by Sara Wright
Winter light pauses so briefly. Now Chickadees are chirping and wild doves are pairing up. Birds are starting to sing love songs to the earth as she turns towards the light. By early February light is streaming into the house… Read More ›
Mother Goddess and Mothers Hold the Key
I am of my mother – from the swirling stars of the cosmos through the long passage, contacting and expanding – birthed of her body, nourished by her love.
Maternal Gift Economy: Webinar Gifts by Carol P. Christ
In the 1960s and 1970s, American-born Genevieve Vaughan was living in Rome with her husband, philosopher Ferruccio Rossi-Landi, and their three daughters. When Rossi-Landi, using Marxist models, began to write about language as a form of “exchange,” Vaughan was inspired… Read More ›
Election Musings by Janet Maika’i Rudolph
On Friday, Nov. 6th, the day before the Biden/Harris race was called I spent a day in a deeply meditative state. I live in the NY City metropolitan area and it was a beautiful day. I mostly sat in my… Read More ›
Lessons From Birch & Mother Earth—Grace, Resilience, and Rebirth by Mary Gelfand
When I moved to Maine from New Orleans 15 years ago, I was delighted to discover how many birch trees were on the property where I lived with my new partner. Previously I had had little contact with these beautiful… Read More ›
Her Magic in the Stone Circle by Glenys Livingstone
My ancestors built great circles of stones that represented their perception of real time and space, and enabled them to tell time: the stone circles were cosmic calendars. They went to great lengths and detail to get it right. It… Read More ›
Forward, Upward, Inward: A Spiritual Response to Right Now by Rachel Hollander
Brother Francesco, known to the world as Saint Francis of Assisi, left us many sweet and lovely poems and songs. In “The Canticle of the Sun,” he wrote about the gifts of nature. Brother Sun, his light and radiance. Sister… Read More ›
“Calling All Women” to Save the Earth, signed and shared by Carol P. Christ
I contend therefore that we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advanced investigation of their effect on soil, water, wildlife and man himself. Future generations are unlikely to condone our lack of prudent concern for… Read More ›
A Ritual to Bless Our Children by Barbara Ardinger
It was maybe twenty-five years ago that I first got addicted to the Sunday morning news/talk shows. I’d turn on the TV at 7 a.m., watch an hour of local news, then Stephanopoulos at 8 a.m., then MSNBC until noon… Read More ›
Low Impact Giving as a Holiday Gift to Mother Earth by Lache S.
As the winter months approach, at least one “Christmas” gathering will be on my schedule. As this holiday has been co-opted by consumerism as evidenced by my memory of the throngs of sales and shoppers in large shopping centers to… Read More ›
We are Mauna Kea: The Continual Protest for Maintaining Sacred Land by Anjeanette LeBoeuf
It seems like there is a perpetual debate over acquiring land for progress and growth versus the protection of land that has ties to religion, customs, and cultures. The history of America is littered with stories and events that deal… Read More ›
Life’s a Garden by Jassy Watson
Gardening is one of my greatest loves. The rhythm of the earth revealed in this little piece of Eden in sunny Queensland Australia, pulses in the cells of my being. Through close observation of the natural cycle of all life… Read More ›
‘Anjea’ – A Prayer in Paint for the the Protection of this Ancient Sacred Land by Jassy Watson
ANJEA is an Australian Aboriginal fertility Goddess. She is an animistic spirit known to the tribesman of the Pennefather River, Queensland, Australia that is located on the Western Cape York Peninsula. Not much is known about this Goddess or spirit…. Read More ›
Restored in Beauty by Carol P. Christ
The path leading to the Klapados Waterfall begins at the edge of an open meadow in the pine and oak woodlands of a mountain in the island of Lesbos. After driving several miles on a very rutted dirt track, we… Read More ›
The Wages of Greed and Hubris by Barbara Ardinger
Historical note: I took the name Formosus (r. 891-896) from one of the popes of the Dark Ages. After his death, his body was exhumed, dressed in papal vestments, and put on trial for political crimes. The corpse was found… Read More ›
A Love Poem for My Mother, On Earth Day by Candice Rose Valenzuela
I wrote this poem in observance of Earth Day, April 22nd 2014, and it was inspired by the work of Audre Lorde, Starhawk and Christine Hoff Kraemer in their discussion of the powerful erotic pulse underpinning our connection with ourselves… Read More ›
A Sojourn in Antartica by Marcia Mount Shoop
Ok, so it’s not Antarctica, it’s Indiana, but it sure feels like Antarctica lately. At least it’s what I figure Antarctica must feel like: bone chilling wind that can cause hypothermia and frost bite in a matter of minutes; everything… Read More ›
IS IT ESSENTIALIST TO SPEAK OF EARTH AS OUR MOTHER? by Carol P. Christ
The charge of “essentialism” has become equivalent to the “kiss of death” in recent feminist discussions. In this context it is taboo to speak of Mother Earth. Yet, I would argue there are good reasons for speaking of Mother Earth… Read More ›
September: Holy Month by Barbara Ardinger
The Venerable Bede (673–735), a Christian scholar and historian of Anglo-Saxon England who lived 200 years before Beowulf was written, describes the heathen beliefs and customs of his time. Because his interest is in converting the pagans, however, he says… Read More ›
Creiddylad, Welsh Goddess of Flowers and Love by Judith Shaw
May Day/Beltane (Calan Mai to the ancient Celts) is almost here and our hearts turn to thoughts of love, flowers and the bounty of our Mother Earth. Both Beltane and Halloween/Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) were liminal or threshold days, considered to… Read More ›
Bird Watching and Geology in the Body of Goddess by Carol P. Christ
The notion of the earth as the body of Goddess has taken on deeper meaning for me in recent years. I have felt connected to nature all of my life. Yet often, though not always, I have related to nature… Read More ›
Connection to Ancestors in Earth-based Theology by Carol P. Christ
“I am Carol Patrice Christ, daughter of Jane Claire Bergman, daughter of Lena Marie Searing, daughter of Dora Sofia Bahlke, daughter of Mary Hundt who came to Michigan from Mecklenburg, Germany in 1854. I come from a long line of women,… Read More ›
Touching Roots: An Incredible Lightness Of Being by Carol P. Christ
A few days ago, a German-speaking friend spoke with an Eiloff relative of mine who lives in St. Nikolaus, Saarland. My relative remembered hearing the story that Heinrich Eiloff, my 2x great-grandfather, emigrated to the United States in the mid-1800s. … Read More ›
Inspiration by Jassy Watson
This “Mountain Mother” painting is an ode to women’s earth wisdom and is my prayer for reclaiming of that wisdom to heal the earth and all her beings. When I am inspired to paint I can think of nothing else,… Read More ›
Solstice Comes But Once A Year, Now It’s Here! by Carol P. Christ
Actually it comes twice, once in midsummer, the longest day of the year, and once in midwinter, the longest night. Winter Solstice is also known as the first day of winter. For those of us attuned to the cycles of… Read More ›
Reading Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as Matricide and Theacide by Carol P. Christ
When I read Plato’s allegory of the cave as an undergraduate, I was told it had something to do with the idea that the “form” of a table is more “real” than the table itself. I must confess that I… Read More ›
Fun With Bumper Stickers By Barbara Ardinger
I was driving through one of the more conservative corners of Orange County, California, a couple weeks ago and went past a very pretty brick church with a tall, proud steeple and signs in the front yard giving times of… Read More ›
Painting Pachamama and Gaia by Angela Yarber
Pachamama prevails. Her body is one with the Andes and she births the caverns, canyons, and rivers that sustain the earth. This month, the indigenous people of the Andes celebrate a high holy season in Incan mythology, honoring their beloved… Read More ›
“AS WE BLESS THE SOURCE OF LIFE, SO WE ARE BLESSED” by Carol P. Christ
Blessing the Source of Life harks back to the time when shrines were built near springs, the very literal sources of life for plants, animals, and humans. The prayer “As we bless the Source of Life, so we are blessed,” based… Read More ›
