Sacred Ground
Loving where you live
Today is a beautiful day to make an offering to the land that holds you, right where you are.
This week I had the opportunity to listen and learn from Papa Don Martin, Q’ero elder and master Paqo through the Global Paqo School. He spoke about our nature parents; their importance, how we connect with them. If you want to listen and learn directly from the Q’ero themselves, this is a wonderful venue to do so.
I was not raised with a cultural upbringing that included my nature parents, or seeing mountains, rivers and plants as our relatives. Our own parents are so human, with all the human complexities and failings. Our nature parents however, are a source of infinite love, acceptance and support.
In the Q’ero worldview, our nature parents are our Paqarina (source, mother water) and our It Apu (father sky, mountain). In the Hawaiian worldview; Wakea (father sky) and Papahānaumoku (Mother Earth) are the divine couple who give birth to a daughter who births Kalo (taro) and then humans. Kalo is our older sibling.
Developing a relationship with our Nature Parents and the land right where we live fosters a deep sense of connection of belonging; to ourselves, the land and our communities.
Recently, at an event at my son’s school, we were asked to introduce ourselves. This is fairly common. However, in the Hawaiian way, we were asked to introduce ourselves not by what we do, but in relation to our mountain and our water. “I am Mary Christa, I come from the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, land of spruce and aspen, of snow and desert, home of the Ute and Shoshone people, along the waters of City Creek. I now live in the malu (the protection) of Mauna Awakea and the waters of Anaeho’omalu on Hawai’i Island”.
Can you feel it?
All of this is to say that an earthy world view invites us to perceive nature as a relative, a beloved family member.
This perceptual shift changes everything.
What might it look like to embody and nurture a relationship with nature that recognizes stones, plants, mountains, rainbows, wind and stars as our relatives?
We don’t need to be indigenous ourselves in order to cultivate this perceptual shift. I truly believe this shift will be the answer to our climate crisis and the effects of capitalism, colonialism, militarism, sexism and the like.
One of my favorite practices for cultivating a relationship with the land where I live is the creation and tending of an earth altar. The Quechuan word is Apacheta.
Apachetas; stone altars connect us to the land and to earth keepers the world over. They plug us in. It is a place where you can go to make your own offerings, prayers and expressions of gratitude. We are practicing the cultivation of beauty.
If you search online you can find all kinds of tutorials and protocols for building a stone altar. I invite you to create a ceremony that feels authentic to you and your nature relatives.
Find a special spot on the land where you are. I have even done this while living in an apartment - it can be done! It should be somewhat private so that other people don’t disturb your altar.
Center yourself. Align with the sacred. Make a prayer.
Dig a shallow hole and make an offering to Mother Earth; create it straight from your heart. Mother Earth likes what you like - make it delicious and beautiful.
Gather stones from powerful places in nature that speak to your soul. Make offerings and ask permission before taking. Wait and watch for a sign that you’ve been given permission (or not). Honor and listen to what you perceive.
Begin placing your stones. You can create meaning with this. 4 stones for the 4 directions, 4 stones for earth, air, fire, water. Make it meaningful to you. Create a grounded base for your apacheta earth altar cairn.
Activate your apacheta! Sing, dance, decorate it with flowers, pour libations of tea, wine, fresh spring water. With your intention, connect to earth keepers the world over, connect with your ancestors, connect with the land where you live. Offer gratitude and receive the abundant love that nature so generously provides.
Visit often and keep the connection alive through offerings, prayers, meditation. Listen for the wisdom of the earth and the ancestors. Continue to add stone beings that you connect with.
Today, ask to develop a relationship with your nature parents. Connect with your heart to the mountains, land and waters right where you were born and where you are living now. This is a profound pilgrimage to the heart of the living worldview; one that has the power to heal and transform this life into the more beautiful world we know is possible.