As the fire burns in the Amazon, a fire burns through me too. I can viscerally feel the temperature of my body rising. And from all. of. it. has birthed a sacred rage - a steady burn, like the Mother bear, like Kali-Ma, who stands for all of life. Can you feel it too?
There is no doubt that the fires that are sweeping across the Amazon have the world in one big gasp. And there is no doubt that we are in shock.
And what I feel as truth within every cell of my being - is that there is so much hope.
Have you been wondering how you can show up for this, or what you can do with all of the feels that it has brought up? Or maybe you have been feeling like your power has been stripped away and there is nothing that you can do to help? This is for you.
And the rage is not just my own - there has been a collective rage brewing since we discovered that most of these fires are man-made, that the President of Brazil's policy change has encouraged farmers to burn land at unprecedented rates, that minimal measures have been made to put out the fires, and that there was no media coverage for about 3 weeks....
And I am feeling outraged that so many indigenous communities have been uprooted and many more are in threat.
This extends beyond a regional environmental problem and points to a global climactic crisis.
I see this as our opportunity to wake the fuck up (for real...) and activate positive change that will ensure that we still have a future for our grandchildren. We have the potential to unite together as a species and make policy changes that can drastically shift the economic and political paradigms that are contributing to climate change.
This collective scare is more than just the fires. Even when the flames go out, there will still be a problem, because there has always been a problem.
The deforestation in the Amazon has roots that go deep. In fact, there are records of environmentalists and indigenous peoples being murdered or disappearing for their attempts to speak on behalf of the forest.
This problem is broader than the region itself and speaks to the lifestyle that the industrialized world leads. We are consuming too much, too fast, and without the proper regeneration of resources.
The main reason for deforestation of the Amazon is to support one of the leading causes of climate change: agri-business. And as we turn up the heat on the globe, in the process, our carbon bank gets smaller, and there is threat that when too many trees are gone, that they will actually emit carbon. The scorpion's tail is a bitter sting.
In essence, we are not being the stewards that Earth needs us to be.
Why is the Amazon so important?
Beyond being a diverse ecosystem of beauty, medicine and abundant life - the forest is vital, in not only the health of our planet, but the ability to maintain the ingredients necessary for all of life on Earth.
The Gaia theory tells us that Earth is one huge organism that is living, breathing and has an innate intelligence that synergistically operates all of the parts of the planet to create one collective body.
The Amazon is popularly called the 'lungs of Earth' - however, the oxygen that it does produce stays in the region. So it would be more accurate to say that it is the lungs of the Amazon. It plays a significant role in oxygen production in the world, but not because of the oxygen that it directly produces. Strange right? But what is not as commonly known is that the Amazon is the heart of Gaia. And this is how the Amazon actually contributes to global oxygen production.
The trees pull up water from the ground through their roots and the water-drops make their way out of the tree branches and into the sky, forming a river that is larger than the Amazon river itself.
This river in the sky disperses throughout our world. So just like our heart is responsible for pumping the blood within our bodies so that we have the nourishment to stay alive, the Amazon is that pump for Earth.
So if the heart stops beating, then the clouds don't get carried through the sky to collide with the Andes, where the clouds condense into raindrops, slide down the rock, carrying nutrients back into the Amazon Basin. These nutrients are essential. They are the food that feeds the diatoms. And these little organisms are what actually create most of the world's oxygen (One Strange Rock Documentary Series).
And if the heart stops beating, access to our planet's major water contributor gets cut-off. It is often said that we can only survive about 4 days without water.
The Amazon is absolutely essential to the survival of our planet. It plays a pivotal role in allowing all parts of Earth to have access to fresh water and oxygen, both ingredients that we NEED to survive.
So What Can You Do?
Many articles have been written about what to do, so I will not repeat what has already been said. I want to offer suggestions for us spiritual ladies who help to make change from the inside out.
Gandhi said, "be the change you wish to see in the world." So let's start there.
1.) Get in Your Body - When crisis erupts, the body's natural response is to go into survival mode. This gets the brain in overdrive, the adrenals fatigued, and the body in a state of stress. We notice the emotions arise and then we stuff them into the back corner of the bottom drawer. We leave our bodies, so that we don't have to feel the force of what's there. Because when we do, the weight of it is too heavy. 'I can't possibly handle it all,' you may think. But you can. Because you are not in this alone. Earth needs you to be in your body, so that you can feel all of the feels. When you feel the pain, and witness it with compassion, you heal. And what's done for one is done for all. Heal your body into wholeness, so that Gaia's body can heal into wholeness. So whatever way is your way: yoga, dancing, biking, running, walking, or shaking... Let your body move and be present with what comes up. If you can't get in your body for you, do it for Mother Earth.
2.) Sacred Rage as Activism for Positive Change - We have the option. We can take our anger, point our fingers, and say, "this is your fault; you are to blame." We can be cynical and critique others' attempts to make change, OR we can create a movement. Use whatever means that you have. This could be a Facebook page, a blog, an Instagram account, a dinner party conversation, a petition, a letter-writing campaign, a work of art, a song, a dance - the sky is the limit. We have the choice of what we do with that lava that is bubbling up from within. We can let the volcano erupt on the next innocent passerby, or we can direct that heat towards a movement and put our passion into initiating change.
3.) Tune into Your Womb as Your Gateway into the Voice of Earth - There is a thread that links your womb to the womb of Earth. When you slow down, tune in, and surrender the mind - there is a voice that emerges, one that is ancient, one that is wise, and one that can speak to Gaia. This voice holds the wisdom of your primordial soul. She is there to help you make decisions that will nourish you and all of life. If you are new to conceptualizing your womb as a mystical portal, it's simple - all you need to do is place your hands on your womb, breathe, and ask a question. Eventually, when you let go of your ego, a message will come through (maybe in a voice, an inclination, a sensation, a knowingness, or a feeling) but it will come through. Ask and you shall receive. Our wombs can weave a light grid of awakening across Earth.
4.) Visualize a Planet that is Whole & Thriving - Thought by thought, and second by second - we are weaving the collective dream that has created "reality" as we see it. We get to choose how we see the planet. Our mind creates the projection of the computer programs that are created from our subconscious beliefs. So how do you see this event? Is it a crisis with an impending doom, or is this an opportunity to catalyze change? We can use our mind as a tool to visualize our desired future. With enough attention, belief, and fuel in that vision - it will come to be. I invite you to set time to see Earth as thriving, to see rain falling on the Amazon, to see a world that is Heaven on Earth for all.
4.) Honor Water Like Your Life Depends on it - Because in reality it does. Be part of the collective re-wiring that knows water as sacred in all ways. Stand for water as the Native Americans did at Standing Rock. Become the water priestess - the one who picks up her tools and blesses the water as she moves through her day. Because what is done for one is done for all. Create ceremony as you shower, ritual as you drink your glass of water, and celebration when you feel a drop of rain. Notice water. Talk to her. Pray to her. Tell her all of the things that you want in your life and for Earth, and then drink it. Let those prayers nourish every cell in your body. Water is a cyclical system; it holds the memory of all of those who have ever come. Use your bathtub as the oracle for you to download your next best steps for the movement that your sacred rage is catalyzing you to create.
5.) Use Prayer & Speak as the Voice of Earth - Word is powerful. Word breathes substance into creation. Cast spells with your words. Use your spoken word to speak for life and not against it. Every time you doubt, it's like feeding the fire with fuel. But when you trust, when you hold your mind steady, and when you speak aloud the world that you want to see - rain will fall from the sky. Pray for the forest, pray for rain, pray for the Indigenous peoples, pray for the flora and the fauna, for the reptiles and the bugs, and for the leaders to enact change. You can pray alone and you can pray in group. If you feel called to be part of a prayer circle for the Amazon, I invite you to participate in the video below.
6.) Lean into Your Community - You never need to do this alone. Find those people that you love and can hold you, who are willing to be that container of empty presence that is filled with a viscosity so thick that you can sense their essence. Those are the people that can witness your heart and your soul. And when you are witnessed in this way - your heart opens. And when your heart opens, you make more space for the heart of the Amazon to keep beating, for an open heart is one that has space to pump life. If this community does not exist for you, I invite you to Wild Moon Sisters (facebook group), and in it, you'll find some radically loving chicks, and I know I'd sure love to witness you in what's on your heart and mind.
May the rain fall on the Amazon. May we all know ourselves as Love. May we all wake up and be the voices of Earth. Keep me posted. What movement is your sacred rage driving you to create?
With all that I am,
XO
Meghan
PS - Let me know. has this post inspired you in any way? What are the ways that you are showing up for the Amazon? Share in a comment below or in Wild Moon Sisters. Let's inspire one another by continuing the dialogue.
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