Symbology

Earth
Like our primitive ancestors, we feel interconnected with nature. We admire animals and plants for their beauty, grace and unique powers. All creatures dwell in wombs, mountains, valleys, oceans, rivers, trees. These are fundamental symbols, the manifest flesh and flora, the bones and blood of the planet.

Sky
The ancients believed that life energy emanates from the sun which shines upon the earth. Modern scientists trace our origin in the cosmos to a fabulous celestial explosion. Classical cultures learned to navigate by the stars and follow the rhythms of the moon. Our imagination is inspired by clouds, colored by rainbows, sparked by lightning. When we gaze toward heaven, the open sky represents clarity, eternity and freedom.

Link to the Earth and Sky Radio Website.

Something Undifferentiated
Among domains are four greats,
of which kingship is one.
humanity emulates earth,
earth emulates heaven
heaven emulates the Way,
the Way emulates Nature.
- Lao Tzi, from the TaoTeChing

Heaven , Earth and Man
Heaven, earth, and man can be seen literally as the sky above, the earth below, and human beings standing or sitting between the two. Unfortunately, the use of "man" here, rather than "human being" may have a limiting connotation for some readers. (By "man," in this case, we simply mean anthropomorphic existence-human existence-not man opposed to woman.) Traditionally, heaven is the realm of the gods, the most sacred space. So, symbolically, the principle of heaven represents any lofty ideal or experience of vastness and sacredness. The grandeur and vision of heaven are what inspire human greatness and creativity. Earth, on the other hand, symbolizes practicality and receptivity. It is the ground that supports and promotes life. Earth may seem solid and stubborn, but earth can be penetrated and worked on. Earth can be cultivated. The proper relationship between heaven and earth is what makes the earth principle pliable. You might think of the space of heaven as very dry and conceptual, but warmth and love also come from heaven. Heaven is the source of he rain that falls on the earth, so heaven has a sympathetic connection with earth. When that connection is made, then the earth begins to yield. It becomes gentle and soft and pliable, so that greenery can grow on it, and man can cultivate it. Then there is the man principle, which is connected with simplicity, or living in harmony with heaven and earth. When human beings combine the freedom of heaven with the practicality of earth, they can live in a good human society with one another. Traditionally it is said that, when human beings live in harmony with the principles of heaven and earth, then the four seasons and the elements of the world will also work together harmoniously. Then there is no fear and human beings begin to join in, as they deserve, in living in this world. They have heaven above and earth below, and they appreciate the trees and the greenery and so on.
- Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala

"If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature.

"What's necessary is for us to understand that really, at the root of things is community. At the deepest level, that's the center of things. We come out of community. So how then can we organize our economics so that it's based on community, not accumulation? And how can we organize our religion to teach us about community? And when I say 'community,' I mean the whole earth community. That's the ultimate sacred domain-the earth community."
-Brian Swimme, mathematical cosmologist. The Universe is a Green Dragon.

Ritual From Below
The Western view of authority as something that comes from above dramatically affects one's perception of the source of transformation and change. The assumption is that if anything transcendental is going to happen, it has to come from above and descend to humans. Ever since Christianity unearthed the gods and goddesses and sent them far away above the clouds, many people in the West have been left standing on the ground feeling abandoned, staring longingly at the sky wondering when God will come. In contrast, indigenous people see the divine as arising from below. Indeed, the ancestors, who dwell under the earth and form a vast pool of energy, allow us to walk upon them. Thus the divine is right under our feet and directly connected to us through the earth. This perception calls for a significantly different attitude that encourages spontaneity and trust of one's instincts, because it sees redemption and healing as rising like heat from the divine below. Ritual therefore follows an ascending principle, presuming that healing rises from under the earth and overtakes us.
-Malidoma Patrice Some, The Healing Wisdom of Africa

"Finding meaning in life requires focusing the psyche toward a reality that extends beyond the everyday world, and the human psyche requires symbols to maintain that focus. Symbols refer us to the Other World; they make us aware of that world, the world from which we draw our deepest connection and identity. Symbols are, as it were, messages pointing to a different and higher dimension, or consciousness. The part of the self that craves this reality will recognize it through symbols."
- Malidoma Patrice Some, The Healing Wisdom of Africa

"I must reiterate the idea that conducting ritual begins by being acquainted with symbolic objects and gestures. If the psyche cannot be educated to embrace symbolism, people will have difficulty understanding and appreciating rituals. Ritual transcends language and enables us to communicate and interact with the Other World. It is important when conducting ritual that people move out of the literal and dwell as long as possible in the metaphoric and symbolic regions of human experience. This is where the soul and the spirit reside. This is the place where people abandon argument and where superficiality does not intrude. In the world of metaphor and symbol, a simple song and a little rhythm produce far greater results than a panel discussion by articulate experts. Here one experiences true collaboration and learns how to give the attention that all people, all spirits, and all ancestors need."
- Malidoma Patrice Some, The Healing Wisdom of Africa

Story Water

A story is like water
that you heat for your bath.

It takes messages between the fire
and your skin. It lets them meet,
and it cleans you!

Very few can sit down
in the middle of the fire itself
like a salamander or Abraham.
We need intermediaries.

A feeling of fullness comes,
but usually we need to be walking
in a garden to know it.

The body itself is a screen
to shield and partially reveal
the light that is blazing
inside your presence.

Water, stories, the body,
all the timgs we do, are mediums
that hide and show what is hidden.

Study them,
and enjoy this being washed
with a secret we sometimes know,
and then not.

-Rumi

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