For a graduate level class in Ecotheology, we undertook a visualization described as “The One-Earth Activity,” which is akin to a guided journey.  For all you shamanic types out there, here’s my experience:

 As I settled in feeling the hard and cold steel of the ladder, I was apprehensive and elated all at once.  Being the first human to experience standing on another “planet” filled me with honor and sense of duty or responsibility to and for all of the human species.  Then I felt alone and isolated, momentary thoughts about getting back to the orbiting spaceship entered my mind.

Looking up and over the horizon glimpsing the rising Earth Mother, I realized how small humanity is, how fragile our planet home must be and how unaware as a species we actually are.  Tears began welling up as I asked for forgiveness for our lack of knowledge, understanding and compassion.  Suddenly a thought came to me, our responsibility is not out here, it’s there to each other, to our Earth Mother.  We simply owe ourselves that small bit of personal respect and dignity.

Once back inside my craft, I was silent lost in contemplation.  Thoughts and emotions coming in succession akin to waves cresting and then subsiding repetitively lapping on the shore of my mind, my very essence, my spirit.  One thought in particular stood out among the rest.  If somehow humanity could see our planet from the vantage point that I had just experienced, maybe we as a collective would get it and commit to changing our greedy ways.

While I was consumed by silence, I also began to realize that my daily problems and difficulties that in the heat of e moment seem overwhelming and all encompassing, were nothing more than insignificant and with that recognition I felt as if a heavy weight were removed from my very core.  I knew that I would be taken care of and that in fact, I am not alone no matter where I am.  Suddenly a wave of hope washed over me because if I can gain this understanding my species has the chance to confront all of our global problems in a proactive manner and actually succeed.  We can make our Earth Mother healthy and abundant once again, we can care for our sick, elderly and our children’s, children’s, children’s, children…

For me, taking further action centers on being personally sustainable.  Currently this is where I feel I can directly impact my local environment.  Additionally, sharing my successes and failures with others will help spread the message that one person can positively make a difference.  The new twist for me will be asking myself about my purchases, whether service related or product based, the question is, “is this a need or a want, a desire?”   If it’s not a need why will it benefit my goal of living sustainably?  Therefore all my expenditures will be based upon my personal ethics and not on societies.  I will regain more personal power over my life, which in turn will place a greater responsibility on me for society’s detrimental choices, creating a spiral of power and responsibility that can be passed on by every successive person, simple yet beautiful, the power of the spiral in action…