Earth Day Is Coming: A Gentle Invitation To Honour Our Planet

Every April, people around the world turn their attention to something we often take for granted: the Earth beneath our feet. Earth Day, celebrated annually on 22nd April, is a global moment of awareness, reflection, and reconnection. It’s a time to honour the planet we live on, the one we’re made from, and the one that sustains us, even when we forget to notice, and I urge everyone to join in with this event this year.

Earth Day isn’t just about policies, petitions or eco-campaigns (although all of those matter). To me, it’s also about energy, awareness, and intention. And for many of us, it’s about our relationship, not with a lifeless ball of rock, but with a living being – the one we know as Mother Earth.

Across cultures and spiritual traditions, our gracious Earth has been seen not as a resource to plunder but as a conscious entity with wisdom, rhythms, and energy of her own. The Ancient Greeks referred to her as ‘Gaia’, being one of the first gods to have been created; the Romans called her ‘Terra’; the Incas called her ‘Pachamama’, literally meaning ‘Mother Earth’. The point is, that many believe that she is a consciousness in her own right – breathing through the forests, weeping with the oceans, and expressing herself through her storms, tranquil places and eruptions. Many will say that’s all nonsense, but for me, when I walk barefoot on her surface and see the beauty she possesses, I cannot help but live in awe of her mighty majesty.

This post is not a to-do list or a guilt trip. It’s a gentle invitation. A heads-up. A nudge to begin thinking, feeling, and moving into Earth Day 2025 with a sense of presence and possibility.

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What is Earth Day?

Earth Day was first established in 1970 in the United States, at a time when air and water pollution had reached crisis levels and there was growing concern about the future of the environment. It sparked what would become a global movement for environmental protection, eventually leading to the formation of significant environmental agencies and laws across the world.

Now, Earth Day is recognised in over 190 countries and mobilises more than a billion people every year. From large-scale climate marches to beach cleanups, tree-planting events, and educational campaigns, Earth Day reminds us that collective action can bring powerful change.

I’m not advocating we all get up and protest – I know that you can’t fight anything with the emotions of anger and resentment. For me, celebrating Earth Day can also be deeply personal and a spiritual connection. It invites each of us to reflect on our relationship with the Earth, not just as a planet, but as a sacred presence in our lives.

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More than a day, a call to realignment

In a fast-paced, tech-driven world, many of us have become disconnected from the natural rhythms of life. We wake and sleep to artificial light. We spend our days scrolling and scheduling. Our food often comes wrapped in plastic and grown in places we’ve never seen and many have lost any kind of connection to Earth and nature in general.

And yet, we are Earth. We are made of her water, her minerals, her air. Our bones are made of calcium, our breath is from the breeze and we can use Earth Day to remind ourselves of that. At its heart, it is not about doing something extra. It’s about remembering what was always there. It’s a call to realign with nature, with ourselves, and with the sacredness of simplicity.

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The spiritual dimension of Earth Day

Think for a moment how you might honour your connection to the Earth this 22nd April.

You might choose to spend time in silence with the trees.
You could plant something with intention, watching as life unfolds over the next few months.
You can create a small Earth altar, a candle, a leaf, a stone, and a prayer.

The act doesn’t need to be seen by anyone or shouted about. It can be personal between you and her, for in reconnecting with Mother Earth, we reconnect with something in ourselves, something steady, sacred, and whole.

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A few soulful ways to begin preparing

You don’t need to plan a big campaign or reinvent your life overnight. But here are a few gentle ways to begin preparing for Earth Day with love and intention:

1. Tune in to the energy of nature

Go outside, even briefly. Notice the trees, the sky, the wind. Put your hands in soil. Feel the sun on your skin. Let nature soothe and guide you, even if only for a few minutes a day.

2. Reflect through journalling

Try writing a few simple prompts in your journal:

• What does “connection to the Earth” mean to me?
• In what small ways can I show more respect to nature this month?
• What have I forgotten to appreciate about the natural world?
• Write an appreciation or a poem

3. Choose one conscious shift

Maybe it’s switching to refillable products, rejecting single-use plastic, reducing fast fashion, or walking instead of driving once a week. Focus on one doable thing that feels aligned that could help the environment by reducing waste or protecting the air, habitats or seas.

4. Create something from love

Make something inspired by the Earth, a poem, a piece of art, a recipe using locally-grown ingredients. Share it with others or keep it between the Earth and you.

5. Plan a moment of ritual

This could be as simple as lighting a candle and offering thanks. Or as creative as gathering friends for a walk, a cleanup, or a shared meal outside. Turn off your energy use for an hour or two, or even the entire day and see what you can ‘see’ inside when you turn the lights off.

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Remember, small ripples matter

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of climate breakdown, pollution, or environmental injustice. But change doesn’t only happen through headlines and policies. It happens through our intentional use and direction of our own energy – through presence, awareness, attention and our repeated choices.

When you honour the Earth in your own way, however quietly, you add to a collective ripple of care. You restore a thread of connection that the world so deeply needs.

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What’s next?

Over the coming days, we’ll be sharing a few more reflections and rituals for Earth Day. Think of this post as a doorway, a beginning. There’s no pressure. Just presence.

For now, you might want to:

• Start a small note in your journal or phone: “Ways I want to honour the Earth this month…”
• Talk to your children, your friends, or your family about how they see and feel the planet around them.
• Or simply sit. Breathe. Thank the Earth for holding you.

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