earth mother speaks of the cave

The Earth People were celebrating their first harvest. Their hands were stained purple from the blackberries. Their fingernails contained dirt from gathering nuts and roots. Flowers and greens sat in baskets woven by the same hands. Everyone sat around the fire to listen to stories from the Earth Mother who sat calmly with the stars in her eyes. A curious child, a young girl, approached and asked shyly, "Earth Mother, can you tell us the story about you going into the cave?"

Earth Mother began slowly, calling into memory her life before. "My people. We sprawled across the Earth with such intensity. Such speed. Such a lack of consideration to the land and sea. They forgot how the spirit of the Earth burned bright within." Her eyes watered with tears as she relived some of the painful history deep in her memory. She sat still for many moments while the moon traveled overhead. The people waited.

"Listen to my story, children," she said. "Remember that you are created with the Earth's spirit too. Do not forget. Live freely with love in your hearts to follow the path."

The fire burned softly as she pulled some of the flame into her palms. She begin to shape the light with her hands to show them the age before and weave her story within.

"In the age of information, we lived in ignorance. It had been many years since we were faced with global war and major concerns. We got comfortable. We focused our energy on what we could take, buy, or sell; instead of what we could make. We forgot the names of trees and the animals who lived in them. We created food in factories instead of receiving what the Earth offered from the land. We forgot the language of Truth and how to follow the Path."

Earth Mother paused here. "I was one of these people until I heard the Earth calling to me to awaken. A burst of energy moved through me. Light within began bursting outward until I was all shine. I looked around for the first time and became full of rage because of the way people continued to live. I tried to awaken those around me, but it was too late. They had moved beyond the edge into forgetfulness."

"First the summers got hotter and the winters grew colder," Earth Mother continued. "Then the forest fires burned longer, bringing the rains that brought the floods. The Earth filled up with water. Islands disappeared. The coastlines became part of the ocean once again. People gathered and moved into the mountains to escape the rising water."

Everything happened very slowly. The systems that the people had created with so much misplaced pride failed. By the time the people realized the depths of their fall, it was too late. The people had forgotten the Earth and they no longer knew how to adapt and thrive.

The storms intensified. The newly sown fields and midnight gardens that were planted as soon as we realized the necessity of them were destroyed by strong storms and extreme weather. People began to starve. There was much sickness. Everyone was fighting for a bit of space to live, seeds to grow, and the ability to hold onto any remnants of the past.

They pleaded with the Earth for more time, but it was too late. Too much had been taken by the people The time had come to bring balance back to the land, water, and the air. For the salt in the oceans to erode the inventions, the plastic, the trash, the pride, everything that had been created and abandoned by humanity. Even the rains needed time to cleanse the acidity that was building up in the clouds."

Earth Mother paused. Silent and still. The people waited. After several minutes, she spoke again: "Soon after I was awakened, before the fall, I walked away from the community where I was living. I wanted to find the places that were still wild and untouched by human folly. I wanted to plead forgiveness from the Earth for all of us. I wanted to learn how sustain the beautiful breath of humanity into a future that suddenly seemed so dark and out of reach.

The Earth heard me and sent me deep into the mountains. I walked into the center of a cave and stood still. The cave sealed, but I wasn’t afraid anymore. I sat down and closed my eyes to wait.

The rains continued to pour bringing the sea level higher and higher. Then the land disappeared completely beneath the surface of the ocean except for a few remaining islands where some birds, turtles, plants, and a few more lifeforms found refuge. I was contained safely in the mountain aware of the Earth and all its changes. I continued to wait.

Many moments of darkness passed until the cave opened once again. I remained still until my eyes saw the first ray of light coming in to dispel the shadows. I felt the deep wrinkles that had grown upon my face. My hair had nearly vanished and all that remained was white and brittle. Much time had passed. But, when I rose, I felt something renew inside of me. Something alive and pure. I felt light. I no longer had to carry the darkness of the past with me. The Earth was ready to begin the next cycle of life and I contained the spirit that would create it.

This is how I brought you, Earth People, into the world. I was to create a new people out of all the elements, instead of just clay like it was tried before. This would create a balance between the elements: space, fire, air, earth and water. A new people to carry the Earth's spirit; the eternal light shining within."