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The Earth is always sending messages. All we have to do is to look and listen to understand what she says. The most important message is that love is the intelligence connecting all life. Light energy vibrates throughout the universe. It is a tangible reality experienced by mystics and seers, and described by quantum physicists. It is seen in all systems from the microcosm of subatomic particles to the macrocosm of planetary systems and galaxies.

While mystics meditate, fast and pray to experience this intelligence—and scientists observe and measure it with instruments—indigenous people understand it through daily life across the seasons in an intimate relationship with air, water and Earth.

Western scientists wonder how indigenous people across the globe knew about microcosmic and macrocosmic structures long ago without using microscopes and telescopes. This does not surprise those who know that people living close to the Earth are natural scientists who use all their senses to observe, adapt, invent and remember to improve their lives and ensure survival.

As a child, I took comfort in the natural world. Though my people were forced to assimilate and convert, the rituals of the Church never inspired me as much as the power of a thunderstorm, the colors of dawn or the blessing of a rainbow. The forest with its towering trees, dappled light and burbling streams sodden with the heavy scent of wet Earth was far more like home than my mother’s spotless suburban manufactured house.

Remember, our true mother is Mother Earth and our father is Father Sky. In many indigenous ceremonies worldwide, prayers are offered to Earth, our mother who gives us food, clothing, shelter and all we need. These are not empty words. They are an accurate description of our fundamental relationship with the Earth that provides everything.

North American Indian teachers tell us to remember our original instructions. These were handed down through oral tradition and recorded in indigenous art to teach us to live in balance with the Earth and all our relations, which include not only us two-legged, but also the four-legged, winged, swimming, crawling, insect, plant and stone people. Living in balance requires respect, love and sharing. It calls for the discipline and wisdom to refrain from taking more than we need and being responsible for the waste we produce.

Our original instructions are based on common sense and the deep realization that our actions can upset the balance of the world—and that we are responsible to restore harmony so all life can thrive. These instructions are for everyone everywhere, not just for Indians. The Earth is sending messages with earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanic explosions. After too many years of neglect, now is the time to see and hear her—and to bring our words and actions back into harmony with the Earth and all our relations.

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