Let us Be Gaia Together

A person is a complex system, made up of smaller complex systems, things like the circulatory system or the digestion system. You are also participating in larger complex systems, things like your family, your community, your nation. You are, of course, conscious of being a person. There is a type of intelligence in all systems, ants are simpler than cats, cats are simpler than people... and the national economy is more complex than your family budget.

The more complex any system is, the more consciousness available to it. Here's some simple crude math to show you what I mean. If brains were units of consciousness, and there was one brain per person, then your family of 12 would posess 12 units... whereas the company you work for has 300 units.

But it obviously isn't that simplistic. Some individuals have reached a higher level of consciousness through personal growth and development. It wouldn't be fair to compare it brain to brain.

Anyway - why am I saying all of this right now? To help me make the case that there is a form of consciousness at the level of the planet. You can think of this as an over-soul, which is how Ralph Waldo Emerson framed it. You can think of the collective consciousness, the way Carl Jung explained it. I think of it as Gaia Consciousness, but at this point the words don't matter as much as the awareness you experience. The sense of ONENESS and connection.

You can consciously participate in your family, your local or national politics, and you can consciously participate in being the planetary consciousness - Gaia. And the good news is, you can participate regardless of your IQ, spiritual beliefs, cultural norms, level of consciousness, etc. In fact, the more diversity in those who consciously choose to be Gaia, the more healthy She becomes.

How can you start participating in Gaia Consciousness right there at home?

1. Choose to believe that you are both your individual self and you are part of the planetary body/mind known as Gaia.
2. Notice the way that all sorts of information and resources circulate around the planet. Think of those as Her systems, things like digestive, respiratory, circulatory.
3. When you make any choice, consider how She would answer in addition to how you would answer. (And it is up to you whether or not you go with Her way... just know that when everyone goes their own way without thinking about the well-being of the planet we get exactly the sort of planet we have today.)
4. Don't THINK about what she would do... that's WAY to complex for one human to grasp or decide. Rather, connect with your heart and attempt to FEEL which answer is better for Your Planetary Self. There will be some kind of sign in your body/mind. Trust that.

And that's it. Easy, huh? And you can join a monthly telephone dialogue if you want to share your experience in trying this. There are already so many people who are considering the whole in a decision, rather than just the parts... choosing to hold the mind-set that you are participating in being the consciousness of the entire planet is just another step.

This doesn't have to be a magical, mythical, religious, or spiritual thing. This can be an "evolution of consciousness" thing. There are plenty of scientific terms which can be used to describe this phenomenon. Pick the vocabulary that best suits you and let's become Gaia together!

~Tree of Terrapin Hollow

Inner Ecology

Gaia Theory has been embraced by a number of people, especially those passionate about sustainability, the environment, and earth based spirituality. I first encountered the idea in college in the early 1990s. I began as a chemistry major with a minor in environmental studies, but in the environmental studies courses I quickly learned about the global problems which we had created by using pesticides like DDT. I switched my major within days of reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.

Over the years I've explored Gaia and my relationship to her in many ways. I worked in National Parks, National Forests, and National Wildlife Refuges as a service to the Goddess. I picked up millions of cigarette buts, talked to countless tourists, and spent as much time in Nature as possible. In this blog as well as in study circle I'll share various excerpts from my life, but for now I want to focus on the concept of Inner Ecology.

Gaia is a super-organism, all the living and non-living aspects of the planet Earth together comprise Gaia. There are many many scales upon which to examine the interconnectedness of all life. A few years ago I realized I was very unhealthy, physically. I was having a string of problems which all seemed to stem from my gut. Through a 2-3 year process I worked to find some sort of healing. I read many books, visited many doctors, and reconfigured my diet several different times. What finally allowed me to transform the situation was recognizing that my intestines are an ecosystem.

An entire world of microscopic organisms inhabit the intestines of every human. Over time I came to appreciate that the tiny little critters in there were not good nor bad, but grossly out of balance. Every ecosystem has a dynamic variation, homeostasis doesn't mean that everything stays exactly the same, but rather that the variations stay within a certain range known as dynamic equilibrium.

The dynamic equilibrium in my guts was way out of whack due to a number of life style choices. It seemed impossible to know for sure what I could eat or drink to improve the situation. So I learned to engage in dialogue with my body by using kinesiology. For a period of about a year I trusted the wisdom of my body and didn't put anything into it without first asking. In learning to create a dialogue with my body I discovered a new perspective on the beings living within my body. There are millions of millions of organisms who call your body home. How often do you think about them? Do you notice when your being a good neighbor/host?

Along the way, with the help of a really good Chiropractor (Dr. Ned in Ft. Myers, FL) I found a number of probiotic products that I could take to help re-establish the balance. Then August of 2008, I discovered my best friend, Kombucha. I was walking through a natural food store in Boulder Creek, California and I was looking through the cold beverages for something, other than water, with little to no suger. I saw a bottle of Synergy brand Kombucha and recalled that a friend of mine a few years ago had sworn by it as a probiotic. I touched it and quietly asked my body if I could drink it. I swear to you that I heard what sounded like a chorus of a thousand voices gleefully cheering "YES!".

I bought a bottle and drank it under a Giant Sequoia tree. Before I'd even finished the bottle I was feeling GREAT! I found myself craving it after that and bought it a couple of times in August and September of 2008, but only while traveling for business because they didn't carry it in my local stores. In my heart I wished for a way to drink it daily. Then on the Autumn Equinox my beautiful neighbor, the acupuncturist, was chatting with my husband at a Mabon party we were having and she mentioned that she'd gotten a kombucha culture. My husband hollered at me and said, isn't that the stuff you're so crazy about? Eureka!

For the past year I've been brewing my own Kombucha at home. Our family of 4 drinks about 5 gallons a week... but probably I'm drinking 4 gallons by myself! When I go out of town I have to find a source and I've schlepped around countless cities trying to find the stuff.

Anyway, I'm probably digressing from the original point. Kombucha is microcolony of about 2 billion organisms that now live inside my intestine. They like living in me and I LOVE having them. With their help I have a very healthy digestive system, lots of energy, and a healthy immune system. My allergies have almost completely disappeared, and I can now eat things in moderation which were absolute no-nos before. All hail Kombucha! :-)

My reason for sharing this is this:

Awakening to Gaia Consciousness is not only about being part of a larger organism, but also about recognizing and appreciating the smaller organisms which comprise your body. You are not alone in your body... this brings a whole new dimension to the Wiccan Rede: An it harm none, do what thou wilt.

Gaia

Gaia Theory
In the 1960s, British scientist James Lovelock postulated that the entire planet earth was a living system not unlike a single organism. He chose the name Gaia based on the mythological Greek earth goddess of the same name. Every aspect of the planet, both living and non-living, together comprises Gaia.

Greek Goddess Gaia
To ancient Greeks, the land was a living feminine entity known as Gaia. This sentiment prevails throughout the world and a number of cultures and traditions view Nature as a feminine force.

Gaia Movements
There are spiritual, environmental, and personal growth groups around the planet which use the name Gaia in their titles and missions. There's a great list here.