Today, 22 April, is known worldwide as Earth Day. First devised in 1970, Earth Day is now celebrated in over 190 countries, and is a day to reflect and take action, to honour the Earth and demonstrate support for environmental issues.
Since Druidry can be described as “a spiritual path rooted in the green Earth” (John Michael Greer), Earth Day can be seen as a sacred festival.While one might suggest that for a Druid every day is Earth Day, it is worthwhile having an annual marker to provide opportunities for personal reflection and collective action to honour, protect and support the living Earth.
Pagan writer John Halstead has an article on HuffPo looking at eight ways Pagans can celebrate Earth Day, which has a good mix of the spiritual (ritual, honouring the gods) and the practical (activism, composting, learning about Nature) which is well worth a read.
Over on his Patheos blog, John also has been running a “countdown to Earth Day” series, looking in-depth at various ways we can work for change to defend the Earth, not just today but each day of the year.
One important start is standing up to be counted, to make your voice heard. One way to do that could be to sign the Pagan Community Statement for the Environment, which currently has over 8,000 signatures.
One thing I always like to do on Earth Day is take time to consider the fragility and beauty of this planet, our Earth Mother, and my relationship as part of the great web of life that connects us all. This helps to inform my daily actions, everything from cycling to recycling.
What are you doing for Earth Day this year?