Though even ceremonies of desire are waning from our culture, still, we can go further and become acquainted  with the practice of ceremony which seeks no-benefit at all. We can draw forth again,  from our ancestors and wisdom cultures,  the simple and profound rituals offering gratitude for all that we receive from other realms. Primarily, specifically, especially, from the vast ecology of the natural world that sustains life on Earth.

Jen Costa, of Elder Moon School of Herbal medicine, leads us through the process of making medicine from the bark of healing trees.

When I first moved to Champlain Valley Cohousing in Charlotte Vermont, I was shown a large oak tree out in the forest land owned by the community. We walked through the thick forest of young trees and underbrush that had grown around a tree they called the Mother Oak, shading her from the sun and taking nutrients from the soil. I was stunned by her majestic presence 

In this dawning of a New Year, greeted by the luminous full moon, who drew so close to Earth and opened our hearts with her beauty, ONE wishes you awakening, blessings and resolve in 2018.

Druidry is an ancient and evolving spiritual path that originated in the British Isles. Druids align with the spirit of the earth below, the moon and stars above and the elements around and within us. Trees are our teachers and Nature is our church. We gather in groves as well as circles of standing stones to do our magic.

A few days before our harvest of Christmas trees, I make an offering. I offer prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving to each and every tree and to the Spirit of the Land. ... I found one of the elders that was tagged to be cut and gave my offering of beads standing in front of this most gracious being.

Thank you for your instruction to stand strong, to be exposed and seen in all your irregularities. My strength is to be like you in these ways.

Poem by Rachel Baird on the subject of evolving out of a duality consciousness, and the spreading of unity consciousness-our natural state.

We offer gratitude to the Life-giving Trees. You whose green breath sustains our breath. You who have created the atmosphere in which organic beings can thrive.  Thank you, trees for the music you make with the wind, for the way you gentle the rain into the earth, for your sheltering, protection and inspiration.

Our sanctuary garden is at Derrynagittah in the west of Ireland, 29 acres of magical land deOur sanctuary garden is at Derrynagittah in the west of Ireland, 29 acres of magical land dedicated to the sacred. I moved here with my family in 1995, coming with the intention of working with Nature to co-create a place of beauty, a sanctuary where the plant world would be honoured and where people could come for healing, to learn about plants and the spirit that resides within all beings.

At Zen temples, in medieval monasteries, and in modern day retreat centers, gardens have played a key role in spiritual practice. Uplifting, calming, healing places where humans and natural forces work in harmony to create beauty--these sanctuaries invite meditation and prayer. Recently I attended a retreat at an "Eco-Sufi Village" and wandered into an herb garden that carried me right into that spirit of sanctuary.

A garden becomes a sanctuary for deep listening and a place that animates the creative life force within you. The power of intention ignites this sacred communication between you and nature, allowing you to connect with the creative potential that is possible within this divine union.

In Bay City, Michigan, a small and very special section of the Saginaw River has become an inner-city wildlife sanctuary. Within a stretch of four city blocks along Arbor Street, in the center of Bay City, the natural habitat is encouraged and existing sea walls are being, or have been removed, creating an inner-city sanctuary for wildlife. 

All living beings and elements have multiple dimensions—physical, emotional and spiritual. Likewise, the Amazon region holds all these dimensions and possibly more, within its animate entities like plants and animals and inanimate ones like minerals.  

Botanical sanctuaries not only save our precious native plants from unconscious predation they provide healing at a source level by feeding our essential nature so that both plants and people are held in life-giving balance.

Sanctuary gardens bring people closer to Nature.  They are a safe place where the outside cares of the world do not intrude. They can be a vegetable or flower garden, a special tree or even a single blossom. They are a healing refuge for our bodies, mind and spirit.  People need gardens to re-member and bring balance into their lives.

We offer Gratitude for sanctuary gardens, dedicated to the sacred, where there is safety for all beings. For those cultivated places where humans consciously co-create with Nature to bring beauty, healing, inspiration, peace, nourishment and remembrance. 

Connecting with Nature, Giving Gratitude for all the gifts we receive from the Earth

by Timothy P McLaughlin

I waited and waited a great while
before I knew enough
about listening
to hear the bright ones
speak,
and only faintly at first,
so I wasn’t sure if anything
had happened at all.