So the second point on the septagram is the Land - Earth. Before I go much further, I'll add the mystical aspects first, since I didn't feel that I covered much of it for the Sun.
The Earth, for me, is a steadying influence. It is very much the foundation. That foundation can be a very solid thing - like the limestone deposits that underlie much of this part of Tennessee. The thing to remember is that sometimes, that limestone is dissolved away by the action of rainwater. The rain washes the pollution out of the air - excess carbon dioxide, stuff from fossil fuels, etc. - and this creates a slightly acidic solution. It dissolves the limestone and after a while, BOOM! What looked like solid ground is now a sinkhole.
The lesson in this is that it is important to examine our foundations from time to time, so that we're standing on a firm foundation instead of having some insidious thoughts or beliefs dissolving it out from under us.
Not only is the Land a foundation but we depend on it for our very existence. Our food grows in it. Some animals eat the things that grow in it and we eat them. It is also symbolic of the material world - where we live. Abundance. Security. Health. Our very bodies...
One of the first things I learned in Sunday school was that we were made from dust. Clay. This is true - many of the elements in our bodies is found in the environment. Carbon. Iron. Traces of gold. If we go further, each and every one of the elements on the planet were forged in the heart of an ancient star. This is another mystery to ponder.
The colors of the Land include all the colors of Earth - browns, ochres,
black - but also the colors of the natural world throughout the
seasons. There are the bright greens of Spring and the whites and pinks
(Ew. Sorry.) of the new blossoms; the darker greens and brighter colors
of the Summer flowers, the muted reds, oranges and yellows of Fall and cold whites, blues, greys and purples for Winter.
In some ways, the Land - Earth - is one of the most frightening things some can think of. After all, we all die. May people are put into the ground - dust to dust. Some transforming, yet frightening stories involve going underground - Orpheus going to Hades to bring back Eurydice; Dante's Inferno. Even stories about the Faery world involve mounds and underground courts.
Freya has a very earthy aspect. Not only is she known for her 'earthy' attitudes (she certainly isn't ashamed of her body and knows how to use it for pleasure - both hers and one can assume, her partner as well) but she traveled to the underground realm of the Dwarves. There she bartered a night with each of four Dwarves for her amber and gold necklace, Brisingamen.
Of course, the Land above isn't as tames as it seems. Sometimes, it shakes. There are animals - and other things - that remind us of its primal wildness. Cernunnos can roam the land, sometimes inspiring wild, primal urges - to run! To dance! To have mad, passionate sex! Other times, He can inspire the exact opposite. Madness and fear follows when He leads the Wild Hunt.
Pan can inspire the same feelings - after all, he is forever chasing nymphs in the Greek myths. Yet He also lent his name to the words PANdemonium and PANic.
Artemis can also be included here. She is ofter in the forest, surrounded by Her Little Bears, free to roam. She can be just as ferocious as a bear when they are bothered.
No comments:
Post a Comment