Earth Day Ritual

Color of the day: Black
Incense of the day: Sage

The first Earth Day was proclaimed in 1969 by John McConnell on the Vernal Equinox in San Francisco. This was a day when all people were asked to become conscious of how their actions affected the Earth, and it is appropriate that the holiday began in the city named for St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology. The next year the United Nations declared it the first international holiday and began celebrating it by ringing the Peace Bell and sanctioning two minutes of silence. Although the holiday has been moved to April 22, many people still observe it on the equinox. The Vernal Equinox is the preferred time for the holiday on the official Earth Day website, and it is symbolic of the ancient magical tradition that is at the heart of Earth Day. Although it is a very modern holidays, John McConnell hoped Earth Day would reaffirm our ancient connection to the Earth and the cycles of nature that are at the root of all holidays. It is a modern celebration of the movement from darkness to light that is celebrated in all holidays at this time of the year. For Neopagans this is a time to honor our divine mother Gaia, and to perform magic rituals to thank her and protect her. The ritual can be something as simple as planting vegetables or a tree, or taking a walk instead of a drive.

By: Robert Place