Meditation: May 30th, 2025
"The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites one family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth."
Physical Setting & Preparation
Find yourself in a place where late spring's abundance surrounds you—perhaps beneath a flowering hawthorn tree or beside a babbling brook swollen with spring rains. If indoors, gather fresh flowers, a bowl of earth, and light a green candle. Sit with your spine straight but not rigid, feet firmly planted on the ground. Feel the late May warmth on your skin and breathe in the rich, fertile scents of earth awakening fully into summer's approach.
Opening Invocation | Fosgladh
Thig crioch air an geamhradh, thig toiseach air an samhradh
(Winter's end comes, summer's beginning comes)
As May draws toward its close, we stand at the threshold between spring's tender emergence and summer's full power. The Beltane fires have blessed the land, and now we witness nature's confident stride toward abundance. In this moment of seasonal transition, we acknowledge the complexity of human emotion—how we can hold both yearning and fulfillment simultaneously, like the earth holding both the memory of winter's sleep and the promise of summer's harvest.
Tha mi a' seasamh air tìr naomh
(I stand on sacred ground)
Beloved Mother Earth, Máthair na Talmhainn, you who nurture all life in your sacred embrace, we come to you carrying the weight of longing and the lightness of satisfaction. Like the oak tree that reaches both deep into your soil and high toward the sky, we seek balance in our dual nature.
Body of the Working | Corp
Anail na beatha, anail na talmhainn
(Breath of life, breath of earth)
Breathe deeply and feel your yearning—that ache within your chest that speaks of desires unfulfilled, dreams deferred, love unrequited. This yearning is not weakness; it is the same force that draws the seedling toward sunlight, that pulls the river toward the sea. Notice where this longing sits in your body. Does it tighten your throat? Hollow your belly? Constrict your heart?
Tha mo chridhe fosgailte
(My heart is open)
Now, simultaneously, become aware of your fulfillment—those moments when life has met your deepest needs, when you have felt complete, satisfied, whole. Perhaps it was holding a loved one, witnessing a sunset, achieving a long-sought goal, or simply feeling perfectly present in an ordinary moment. Let this sense of fulfillment expand through your body like warm honey, golden and sweet.
Eadar-dhealachadh agus aonachadh
(Separation and union)
See how these seemingly opposite emotions can coexist, like the hawthorn tree that simultaneously displays both thorns and blossoms. Your yearning sharpens your appreciation for what you do possess. Your fulfillment gives you strength to bear what you still seek. They are not enemies but dance partners, each making the other more beautiful and meaningful.
The Deep Working | An Obair Dhomhain
Sìos, sìos, gu cridhe na talmhainn
(Down, down, to the heart of the earth)
Visualize roots growing from the base of your spine, spiraling deep into the earth's core where Máthair na Talmhainn's heart beats with molten compassion. Here, in this place of ultimate grounding, offer both your yearning and your fulfillment to her transformative embrace.
Ciamar a tha thu, a mhàthair?
(How are you, mother?)
Listen as she speaks: "Child of my body, your yearning is my yearning—I too reach endlessly toward the light, toward growth, toward becoming. Your fulfillment is my fulfillment—I too know the deep satisfaction of seasons completed, of life fully expressed. You are not broken for containing multitudes; you are whole because you do."
Feel her ancient wisdom flowing up through your roots, teaching you that the earth herself embodies both longing and contentment. She yearns toward spring even in winter's depths, yet finds perfect fulfillment in each moment's expression. The mountain yearns to touch the sky while being completely fulfilled as mountain. The river yearns for the ocean while being completely fulfilled as river.
Tha sinn uile co-cheangailte
(We are all connected)
In this deep communion with earth's heart, understand that your emotional complexity is not a flaw to be fixed but a gift to be honored. Your yearning keeps you growing, seeking, becoming. Your fulfillment gives you rest, gratitude, peace. Together, they make you fully human, fully alive, fully connected to the great web of existence.
Afterthought | Smuain Dheiridh
Am bi mi comasach air gabhail ri mo dh'fhaireachdainnean uile?
(Will I be able to accept all of my feelings?)
Take a moment to contemplate:
How might I honor both my yearning and my fulfillment as sacred aspects of my human experience, just as nature honors both the reaching roots and the spreading branches of every tree?
Closing Blessing | Beannachd Dheiridh
Beannachd Mhàthair na Talmhainn ort
(Mother Earth's blessing upon you)
May you carry with you the wisdom of the late spring earth—that fullness and emptiness can coexist, that longing and satisfaction are both forms of love, that your complex heart mirrors the complex beauty of the natural world.
Slàn gu robh agad
(Farewell/until we meet again)
As you return to your daily path, remember that you are held always in the loving embrace of Máthair na Talmhainn, who sees your yearning and your fulfillment as equally beautiful expressions of your divine nature. Walk gently upon her sacred body, and know that you are home.
Tha gaol agam ort, a thalamh
(I love you, earth)