On Earth Day this year I was grateful to lead an online inter-spiritual and inter-faith gathering welcoming over 40 individuals from many of the world’s blessed spiritual and faith traditions, as well as participants who describe themselves as being ‘spiritual but not religious’ and secular.
Thanks to the sacred gift of technology participants gathered from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, UK, USA, Canada, Africa and Germany to unite our hearts together to offer love, prayer and silence/meditation for Mother Earth.
We were blessed to have with us both the presence and technical expertise of a very inspiring young leader, Evans Mwangi, from International Peace Initiatives in Kenya. International Peace Initiatives empowers a new generation of leaders through peace and ethical leadership programs, and provides children and women affected by HIV/AIDS with resources to build stability, self reliance and resilience.
Representatives from the following communities in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland participated in this gathering for Earth: Zen Buddhism, Jewish Community, Wake Up International, Centering Prayer Groups, Eco-Congregation. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Baháʼí Communities, Sikh Community, Catholic Communities, Church of Ireland Communities, Shaolin Buddhism, Corrymeela Community Climate Justice Group, Dublin City Inter-Faith Forum, Mid-West Interfaith Network, Drumalis, Cork Three Faiths Forum, Islamic Foundation of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES), Anwar E. Medina Mosque, The Irish Sufi Foundation, Clean Medina and Celtic Christian Spirituality.
A representative from Corrymeela Climate Justice Group, which is a part of Corrymeela Community, one of Northern’s Irelands oldest peace and reconciliation organisations, shared a beautiful and moving prayer for peace in our communities.
We then enjoyed a heart-warming opportunity to connect with each other as a community. Some participants generously shared some of their experiences and insights, along with readings and poems from the world’s spiritual and faith traditions.
In the spirit of uniting contemplation and action, participants were also encouraged prior to the gathering to offer a small act of loving kindness to sacred Earth in one’s local area in whatever way one felt inspired.
Some small action ideas included: cleaning an area of your local nature with reverence, walking mindfully in our local area with love for earth while being attentive to our inter-being and belonging to one another, writing a firm yet non-oppositional letter to our local elected leader urging them to ban single-use plastic items, volunteering on an organic farm, planting flowers or herbs in our garden while offering blessings for Earth and future generations, playing with our child(ren) in Nature, cherishing the beauty and wonder of dawn light.
There was something in all us coming together in this united way from our love and care for Mother Earth that in my experience created a palpable sense of the presence of Beauty.
I’m reminded of some words from beloved John O’ Donohue, peace be with him: “When we experience the Beautiful, there is a sense of homecoming. Some of our most wonderful memories are beautiful places where we felt immediately at home. We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul.” [1]
May the presence of Divine Beauty within and without always unite us to pray and care for each other and our common home.
Le grá agus beannachtaí
Lynda Morrissey
[1] John O’ Donohue, Divine Beauty: The Invisible Embrace