‘I went to Heaven when I was born! I arrived on a planet with the proper mass to have the gravity to contain water and an atmosphere, the essentials for life. I arrived on a planet orbiting a star at just the right distance to absorb that star’s energy – energy that caused life to evolve in the beginning.
‘In my mind the answer was clear. God gave mankind a stage upon which to perform. How the play ends, is up to us.’
A lot has changed since astronaut James Arthur Lovell Jr, a crew member of Apollo 8, shared his views on Planet Earth.
But not in a good way.
Fifty years after, his fellow astronauts from around the globe made a video entitled “Call to Earth”, begging world leaders to take concrete actions to save our only home.
The message of the astronauts was played to representatives who attended the 2015 United Nations World Climate Change Conference in Paris.
The meeting was a success.
One hundred and ninety-six nations signed the Paris agreement and agreed to be part of a transition to a green, noncarbon economy by 2050.
But is that enough?
Many say it is not. The problem is the anthropocentric approach of humans: they consider themselves superior to all other species in the universe and the laws governing the universe.
The solution might be ecocentrism: valuing Nature for its own sake and accepting that we are just a part of Nature.
Humans have rights. But what about Mother Earth/Nature?
The first country that acknowledged the Rights of Nature in its constitution was Ecuador, in 2008.
In 2010, Bolivian law defined Mother Earth as “the dynamic living system formed by the indivisible community of all life systems and living beings who are interrelated, interdependent, and complementary, which share a common destiny”, adding that “Mother Earth is considered sacred in the worldview of Indigenous peoples and nations”.
From 2015, things started to change in Europe, too, with the help of the NGO, Rights of Nature Europe.
Due to Unclear; to be revised, our planet has reached a critical point from which is hard to operate. Volunteer-based teams and legal representatives are fighting to change laws that are treating Nature as an object of human use and trying to reduce the damage caused by such an approach.
Thanks to devoted individuals and groups, Nature finally has a chance to reclaim her rights.
One of those outstanding people who has dedicated their life to Mother Earth is Alberto Ruz Buenfil of Mexico, known as “Coyote”. He started the Latin America Green Movement and spent 13 years leading the Rainbow Peace Caravan with the aim of promoting sustainable design and permaculture worldwide.
In 2016, he organised the 1st Global Forum for the Rights of Mother Earth in Mexico City, and the focus of his work today is to incorporate the Universal Declaration of Rights of Mother Earth at the United Nations.
Alberto has spent the last three years travelling to multiple cities and regions to promote his “Manifesto for Mother Earth”: giving the written text of his manifesto to key stakeholders in all the cities he visits.
It would be very hard to enumerate everything Coyote has done for Nature and his fellow human beings. The words of a great spiritual master come to mind.
“What is our net worth? Our net worth is what we give to the world. Not what we take from the world.” – Mohanji
We know the stance of Coyote, but what about us?
What about you? Where do you fit in this story? And what can you do?
You always have a choice.
To support the current style, you don’t have to do anything. Just sit and watch our planet vanishing due to greed, overconsumption and human-made horrors.
Or to act. Now. And become like Coyote.
Whatever you have, share.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/medical-help-for-alberto-ruz
Sign the petition for the Rights of Mother Earth:
https://www.rightsofmotherearth.com/
Join an ecocentric community:
https://www.ecologicalcitizen.net/
Volunteer with NGOs across the globe who are fighting for Mother Earth:
https://therightsofnature.org/category/europe/
Feed the hungry in your area/join a community of volunteers whose priority is
one positive ACT a day: http://actfoundation.org/.
Practice nonviolence in thought, word and action
Take only what you need; give as much as you can
Plant. Even if it is one plant. Plant.
Remember the words of astronaut James Arthur Lovell: “I went to Heaven when I was born!” and rise to your highest potential to keep our heaven safe.
Keep moving!
Author: Lea Kosovac
The Hindu year is divided into two halves of six months each. The first six months known as Uttarayanam is from January 14th to July 15th. The second half known as Dakshinayanam is from July 15th to January 14th. As usual the Hindu calendar is closely connected with movement of the sun and the other planets. “Uttara” means the north and “ayanam” means travel. Therefore Uttarayanam means the northward movement of the sun passing through various planetary positions. These positions start from Capricorn (Makara), and lead up to Gemini (Mithuna). Those who are in the habit of watching the sun-set will see that at this moment the sun has reached its maximum journey towards the south because of which the whole of the northern hemisphere is experiencing the cold of winter since the sun is our only source of natural heat.
For Hindus the winter solstice is on January 14th and again if we watch the sunset we will see that from this day onwards there is a slow but sure shift towards the north. The sun travels north- east for six months of the year and south- east for another six months. It will never rise exactly in the east except on March 21st and September 23rd. Needless to say that the sun never travels. This is an illusion caused by the tilt of the earth on its axis and its movement round the sun. This is what makes it appear as if the sun is drifting towards the north-east and south-east.
The change in the sun’s relationship with the earth plays a significant part in the lives of people especially those who live in the northern hemisphere, because this is the part that gets the maximum impact. We are part and parcel of our galaxy and we can’t escape from the changes which take place on our planet. If anything happens to the house we live in, it will naturally affect those who live in the house!
The rishis who are the founders of Hinduism were experts at camouflaging dry, scientific truths with imaginative stories. They knew that the only way to teach science to the masses was to put it in the form of stories. These stories were woven into the very structure of our culture so that even a small child could understand this. So they said that one human year is the equivalent of one divine day of the gods. The six months of Uttarayanam is their daytime and the six months of Dakshinayanam is their night. So now that Dakshinayanam is coming to a close, the gods are just waking up after their sleep so it’s a very auspicious to waken them with hymns and pujas and other spiritual practices. If people were told to do all these things because it was good for them, they might not have listened but since a story was woven round it, people were more inclined to pay attention.
Uttarayanam is just going to start on January 14th. This day is known as Makara Sankranti in Hinduism. Sankranti is the meeting place when the sun moves from one planet to the other- from the month of Pausha to Magha. Since the sun is starting on its northward journey from this day, we begin the morning by worshiping the sun. A fire is built facing the east and a mixture of milk, rice and sugar is cooked on this fire. The milk should boil over just as the sun rises on the horizon. This offering is to the sun. The pudding is then distributed to everyone. This festival is known as Pongol in South India. Thus the rishis saw to it that dry scientific facts were combined with interesting rituals so that they would be remembered and followed by even those who did not have a scientific mind.
Whether we accept it or not, Uttarayanam and Dakshinayanam have a definite impact on our psyche. In the northern hemisphere, Dakshinayanam is the time when we are most receptive to the energies of the planets and Uttarayanam is the time when we can utilise these energies in order to attain the fulfillment of human life. In fact the first part of Uttarayanam from January 14th to March is the time when the maximum amount of energy can be got from the sun. Hence yogis usually choose to leave this planet at this time. In the Mahabharata it is said that Bhishma the grandsire of the Kuru dynasty fell in December but chose not to die and waited till Uttarayanam before giving up his body.
Scientifically speaking, the sun’s rays are very low in the months of Dakshinayanam. This lowers the immunity and digestive power in human beings. Thus the rishis recommended fasting, meditation and reading of scriptures etc in these months and abstaining from very heavy work.
The esoteric reason is that during Uttarayanam, the energy of the sun travels from our lower chakras to the higher. It moves from the (Muladhara Chakra) which is the lowest and which corresponds to Capricorn, through (Swadhistana Chakra), corresponding to Piscess, (Manipura Chakra) corresponding to Aries, (Anahata Chakra), corresponding to Taurus, (Vishuddha Chakra) corresponding to Gemini and finally reaches the (Ajna Chakra) commonly known as the Third Eye, which corresponds to Cancer/Leo. Each chakra is connected with a planet though we don’t know it.
During Dakshinayana, or the southward movement of the sun, the human consciousness starts to descend down the chakras, through the (Vishudhi Chakra), corresponding to Virgo, the (Anahata Chakra), corresponding to Libra, the (Manipuraka Chakra), corresponding to Scorpio, the (Swadishtana Chakra), corresponding to Sagittarius and reaches the (Muladhara Chakra) corresponding to Aquarius. These movements of the planets affect the specified chakras and cause a lot of changes in our bodies and mind. Hence we find that sometimes even the best of us have what is referred to as mood swings. Without any reason sometimes we feel great, sometimes depressed and so on. The most obvious effect which anyone can see is the impact of the moon on people who are mentally impaired. They become worse during full moon and new moon times. Hence in Hinduism the moon is the deity of the mind. Even our inner clock is set by the moon.
The three lower chakras — Muladhara, Swadishtana and Manipuraka keep the body rooted to the earth element and are necessary for our basic survival. Fear and anger are the basic traits of people who are fixed in these three chakras. If our energies are concentrated on this, we will be more interested in things like food, sex, pleasure and so on. The three chakras on the top- Vishuddhi, Ajna and Sahasrara are always trying to pull us away from the obsession with the physical. During the period of Dakshinayanam we will find that it is easier to cleanse the three lower chakras and during Uttarayanam we will find that the three upper chakras will be able to guide us to higher realms of consciousness.
The Anahata chakra or the heart chakra is the one that acts as a balance between these two forces, one centrifugal and the other centripetal. Love is the only thing that can lure us away from our basic instinct for survival. For instance a mother, whether it be animal, bird or human is prepared to sacrifice her life for the sake of her children.
The human body is actually a mirror of the cosmos. The microcosm is only a reflection of the macrocosm. All the astronomical events that happen in the external world are reflected in the human body. Whether we like it or not every movement of the planets has a reciprocal response in our bodies. Of course most of us are not sensitive to these happenings. The rishis realised this and that is why they brought the whole thing into a spiritual perspective and told us that during the night of the gods we should undertake certain spiritual practices and during the day of the gods we should go on pilgrimages and other energetic types of sadhana. In modern times especially with so much of conveniences most of us are not even aware of this connection and are totally oblivious of what is happening in the nature outside.
However the modern mind readily accepts scientific facts so now we should give people the scientific reason for what the rishis said. If we want to make use of the energy of the planets to bring health to the body and rid itself of diseases, then a proper understanding and appreciation of what is happening in Nature is essential. We should keep our internal mechanism in tune with the movements of the sun, earth and planets; we should align our inner self with the movement of Uttarayanam and Dakshinayanam.
This article was written by Vanamali: A published author who conducts classes on the Vedic Way of Life and The Bhagavad Gita in many countries.
There is a Divine energy, called kundalini, which produces varying degrees of spiritual enlightenment when it is awakened from the base of our spines. As per the Divine Law of Correspondence, we are a microcosm of our Earth. So the Earth also has a kundalini energy, which is grounded in her south magnetic pole. For centuries, the Earth’s kundalini has been located in India and Tibet. But this energy is now moving south to a new location, in the Mesoamerican countries of South America – a move that is spiritually enLightening the West.
Because the vast influence of the earth’s kundalini energy or Serpent of Light in the sacred sites in Tibet and India inevitably affected greatly the bodies, minds and hearts of people who lived around its vicinity, it gave birth to the great souls and spiritual teachers such as Lao Tzu, the author of Tao Te Ching (The Way of the Tao), and the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, a world religion that has a deeper understanding of the human electromagnetic energy fields and higher consciousness.
Every 13,000 years on Earth a sacred and secret event takes place that changes everything. Mother Earth’s Kundalini energy emerges from its resting place in the planet’s core and moves like a snake across the surface of our world. Once at home in ancient Lemuria, it moved to Atlantis, then to the Himalayan mountains of India and Tibet, and with every relocation changed our idea of what spiritual means. And gender. And heart.This time, with much difficulty, the “Serpent of Light” has moved to the Andes Mountains of Chile and Peru.
There are 10s or 1,000s of people, mostly indigenous people, who have been led by a deep inner guidance, from 1949 to the present, to help bring this unyielding White Snake to its new location high up in the Andes Mountains in Chile, where it now finally resides. Not only is this a shift of spiritual power from the male to Female, but it is also a spiritual power shift from Tibet & India to Chile & Peru. The Light of the World that has been nurtured & expanded with the Tibetan & Indian cultures is now completed. Its new reign has just begun in Chile & Peru, & soon it will affect the hearts of all humankind.
Where ever the Serpent of Light settles, the people of the region become great spiritual teachers of the planet. It is a time of awakening for humans on the planet and many positive changes for the human race.
Contributed by Caroline Moscato, Content Editor at Awakening Times
Recent Comments