North winds spin leaves around as Fall becomes early winter. We turn up our collars and turn up the heat. Winter Solstice is coming too; the sun shines less every day. The roundness of the sun, the silhouettes of bare trees, the curved shoulders pulled up to warm our ears invite contemplation of Mother Earth.

Earth is a jewel wrapped in the velvet of space and sky. Her preciousness displays through that expanse day and night as well as in the firmness under our feet. Both generate a sense of the security. Praise gravity and strong winds that make all things to stand tall and able to bear burdens. Assisted by resistance, we are strengthened in character and resolve.

Feel the round, the straight, the firm and soft of Her. Reach into the mountainous and solid with your mind, then into the liquid and shifting. Observe the beauty and harmony of Earth’s surface and her depths below.

Notice Her use of few principles, and her magician’s expertise manifesting complexity through simplicity. Praise her architecture, design and how all that exists is functional.  Time and time again, perfection arises from our Mother. An example of principle used to perfection is roundness. It displays in lakes and ponds, in the shape of heart, brain, eyes, the pads on our fingers; in the shape of all openings: caves, mouths, of flowers, volcanoes and geysers. Roundness is womb, den, nest, cocoon, hive and burrow. From a womb we are born like all animals and then we build homes, wombs to come back to at the end of our day: warm, secure, comfortable.

With child-like eyes, few yet implicitly primary principles display. Noticing the usually not noticed, we see line, curve, flow, height, ground, soft and hard. Hair is like forest, the fine hair on our belly like the savannah. Mountains are breasts, termite mounds, bee hives, or the round shape of most fruits.

It seems that She created one set of blue prints and then found all manner of magical ways to use those designs.  A casual glance and most things seem different but a deeper look reveals otherwise. Instead of re-inventing the wheel with each new kingdom or creation, Mother Earth created variations on themes using different substances but the same creative principles.

Think of any one thing born of our Mother Earth and feel that same thing inside yourself. Then, turn the contemplation around and consider a factor about yourself and find it outside of you. For instance, having two legs. Birds have two legs, primates too. And what about legs? Why legs on Earth? Four legs? That includes frogs, toads, lizards, cats, dogs, elephants, every hoofed animal ever known, dinosaurs, mastodons and saber toothed tigers. Consider the simple design of insect kingdom. Most of them have six legs, thorax and antennae. Yet the variety of shape, size and color is not only astounding, it’s not even all discovered!  Mother Earth is such a vibrant Life-Being.

Even cancer, plague and infestation happens in every kingdom. Here in New England we have a non-indigenous insect that is causing issues in the forests. Arriving about 10 years ago supposedly on the feet of birds, this beetle is devastating whole forests. Massive trees have no resistance to them and die within a short few years of the beetle laying its eggs underneath the tree’s bark.

There is nothing anyone can do about it. There’s no chemotherapy (pesticide). Surgery (the cutting down of stands of trees) removes the afflicted tissue of the forest in hopes that this surgery will stop the infestation from spreading. But the idea, the design that there is something small and cancerous, just like in a human body is amazing. And then the real head scrambler is that this is perfect, or else it wouldn’t occur.

Contemplation could go on and on and would not be time wasted. The beauty and harmony expressing through Mother Earth is fathomless and beckons understanding, Color, flow and harmony call to us. How is it possible that rainbows and butterflies exist or flowers, fruit and tropical fish? The question is a mystical one not merely scientific: genome patterns, mate specialization and pigments to complement the sun are dry analyses that still don’t really explain why color is on Earth. Flamingo, red fox, poppy or skunk. Nautilus, the mood-changing colors of cephalopods, and fireflies on a late June evening. Who thought of all this?

A chipmunk doesn’t look anything like a skunk, a skunk doesn’t look anything like a lynx, nor a lynx like a tiger or striped bass or zebra. Daily we are being asked to be amazed, to live joy and wonderment, and to witness creativity that does no harm, is efficient, effective and integral with all of life.

We are so fortunate to live here as part of this precious jewel of a planet. Be dumbstruck with wonder and gratitude! And care. Feel the beat of your heart and the firmness under your feet, and say thank you. Thank you, Mother Earth.