3. Mother Earth and Her Children

World Scripture

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1.11-12

Perhaps if we are lucky, Our earth mother Will wrap herself in a fourfold robe of white meal, Full of frost flowers; A floor of ice will spread over the world, The forests because of the cold will lean to one side, Their arms will break beneath the weight of snow. When the days are thus, The flesh of our earth mother will crack with cold. Then in the spring when she is replete with living waters, Our mothers, All different kinds of corn, In their earth mother we shall lay to rest. With their earth mother’s living waters They will be made into new beings; Into their sun father’s daylight They will come out standing; Yonder to all directions They will stretch out their hands calling for rain. Then with their fresh waters The rain makers will pass us on our roads. Clasping their young ones [the ears of corn] in their arms, They will rear their children. Gathering them into our houses, Following these toward whom our thoughts bend, With our thoughts following them, Thus we shall always live.
Zuni Song (Native American Religions)

Set me, O Earth, amidst thy center and thy navel, and vitalizing forces that emanate from thy body. Purify us from all sides. Earth is my Mother; her son am I; and Heaven my Father: may he fill us with plenty… Whatever I dig from thee, Earth, may that have quick growth again. O purifier, may we not injure thy vitals or thy heart… As a horse scatters dust, so did Earth, since she was born, scatter the people who dwelt on the land, and she joyously sped on, the world’s protectress, supporter of forest trees and plants. What I [Earth] speak, I speak with sweetness; what I look at endears itself to me; and I am fiery and impetuous: others who fly at me with wrath I smite down. Peaceful, sweet-smelling, gracious, filled with milk, and bearing nectar in her breast, may Earth give with the milk her blessings to me. Thou art the vessel, the Mother of the people, the fulfiller of wishes, far-extending. Whatever is wanting in thee is filled by Prajapati, first-born of Eternal Order [the first god]. May those born of thee, O Earth, be, for our welfare, free from sickness and waste. Wakeful through a long life, we shall become bearers of tribute for thee. Earth, my Mother! set me securely with bliss in full accord with Heaven. Wise One, uphold me in grace and splendor.
Atharva Veda 12.1 (Hinduism)

Most High, omnipotent, good Lord, All praise, glory, honor, and blessing are yours. To you alone, Most High, do they belong, And no one is worthy to pronounce your name. Be praised, my Lord, with all your creatures, Especially Sir Brother Sun, Who brings the day, and you give light to us through him. How handsome he is, how radiant, with great splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon and the Stars. In heaven you have formed them, bright, and precious, and beautiful. Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Wind, And for Air, for Cloud, and Clear, and all weather. By which you give your creatures nourishment. Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Water, She is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure. Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire, By whom you light up the night. How handsome he is, how happy, how powerful and strong! Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister, Mother Earth. Who nourishes and governs us, And produces various fruits with many-colored flowers and herbs.
St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Sun (Christianity)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

The universe loaned you all the elements that make up your body. The universe gave you birth and made you; hence you should regard the universe as your first parent. It is amazing! You contain all the elements of the universe.
(105:106, September 30, 1979)

When we were created, the universe lent us its elements to constitute our bodies. This means the universe gave birth to us. It is our first parent. Our fathers and mothers are our second parents, the parents who brought us into the world. God, who gave each of us a spirit, is our third parent. Thus, human beings have three sets of parents.
(106:84, December 9, 1979)

People in ancient times had a close relationship with nature. Then the natural world and the spirit world were close to human beings—not distant and foreign as they are to people living in modern times. When people entered a grove of giant trees, they looked at them reverently and thought, “For thousands of years these trees have been here; through countless cycles of quickening in spring and dying in autumn they remain unchanged; their shade makes a pleasant environment for all creatures.” Observing them, they recognized that they were deficient in many aspects, and so they worshipped tall trees, great rocks and high mountains. They saw tall persimmon trees, thick with foliage in the summer and bare in the winter. With the arrival of spring their branches sprouted with new life: first buds, then blossoms, and finally delicious and fragrant fruit. They marveled at this, and sensed that those trees were better than they. Where is the fragrance in human existence? Do humans give off a fragrance that beautifies their surroundings, attracting birds and insects to nest in their branches? No, compared to nature, man is humbled and recognizes his inadequacy.
(November 4, 1990)

When we look at the creation, we feel a religious emotion welling up from deep in our hearts and naturally bow down before it. Gazing up at the constellations of the night sky or exploring nature around us, we experience awesome and mysterious feelings surging up from deep in our hearts. This state is the starting point of religion. While gazing at living things and the phenomena of nature, we can sing songs that arise from the precious world of the heart within. Playing nature’s music, displaying nature’s art and reciting nature’s poetry, all living things resonate in our hearts. Then we can relate with God, who rules the heavenly bodies. Experience the feeling that you are intimately connected to everything; then you can enter a state of the heart to rightly appreciate them. You enter a mystical state in which you can feel everything in its reality. God created human beings to connect with all His creation, which He had made inseparably interrelated with Himself. Externally we appear to be extremely small and insignificant, but when we behold nature from this understanding, we can feel a human being’s true dignity and value.
(5:344- 45, March 8, 1959)

I once asked God, “For whom didst Thou create this universe?” God replied, “Sun Myung Moon, I created it for you.” As God is my God, so the universe is my universe. These are not only words; I feel it to my bones. In springtime, I behold the beauty of the universe in the beautiful flowers and fragrances, and in the butterflies and bees flying about. These creatures show us God’s love and God’s precious value; they display the harmony of His angels. I feel connected to everything. A bird chirps; it is asking me to feed it. It wants me to help it find a mate. I am very sensitive to the world of nature. When butterflies are fluttering together in pairs, or when a male and female bird sing together for joy, I see it as a lesson that men and women should live together with even greater beauty… and happiness than these. When the birds and flowers stimulate me with their joy and love, I would in turn stimulate God in heaven with my songs of joy and love. I may be penniless and my clothes may be rags, yet I never feel poor. I think, “The sky is my blanket, the flowing brook is my water faucet, and the plants growing nearby are my food.” When you feel that the house of God is your house, how can you feel poor? When I see a small stream, I feel behind it the dignity of the great ocean. When I see a blade of grass, I think its beauty is greater than the greatest masterpieces in the world’s museums. A painting may cost millions of dollars, but it is merely man-made. It cannot compare with this small creation of God. Once I caught a bird and kissed it, saying, “You are more precious than anything in the world.”
(106:137, December 23, 1979)