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“Maiden Goddess, Holy One, protector of the hills and forest,……I invoke You

Bless the trees around my home, the ones that shade me, the ones that screen the wind, and the ones that perfume the air.

May they protect me as You do.

How will I thank You?

When I eat flesh, I will thank You.

When I eat fruit, I will thank You.

When I drink clear water, I will thank You

Your trees will never lack for offerings as long as I live and breathe.”

This beautiful prayer to the Goddess is from one of my favorite books:

“The Goddess Companion, Daily meditations on the Feminine Spirit” by

Patricia Monaghan, 1999 Llewellyn Publications.

The prayer caught my eye, and captured my heart when I first read it, and I go back to this prayer over and over again.

The Goddess is the ultimate ecologist. She creates and blesses and cares for Her world, as if it were Her very own child, which, indeed it is. In our day of modernity, we have a tendency to forget where food and water come from. “When I eat flesh, I will thank You”. How many of us acknowledge that we consume flesh. We eat “hamburgers”  “Filet” “stew”, we do not eat cow. We eat sausages, and pork chops, not pigs. Our meat is wrapped in little plastic packages, and has very little resemblance to what animal it originally came from. Do we know or even care, that our food comes from a living, breathing being, one that gave up her life for our dining pleasure? That phrase “when I eat flesh, I give thanks” sends shivers down my spine each time I read it. It caused me to re-examine my relationship with animals and food. A beautiful creature is surrendering her life for me. Would I be willing to do the same? (answer: probably not!) However, it of great concern to me how that animal lives and dies. Is she raised with care and concern? Does she live in the sunshine and eat fresh grass and vegetables? Is she allowed a painless death with dignity.

Ghandi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." By Ghandi’s standards, we fall dismally short of any kind of greatness. Feed lots, GMO animal feed, substandard living conditions, unnecessary antibiotics and hormones and  “pink slime”  are all contaminating our animals and our food supply.

But one big factor that may outweigh all other factors is the lack of gratitude for our food. I conducted an informal survey, and asked a dozen couples how often they pray before a meal. How often do you say thank you for the animals, fruits and vegetables we eat? The answer was depressing: no one prayed a sentence of thanksgiving or gratitude before meals. Not one. (and I thanked them for their honesty) I really do not think anyone says “thank you” before drinking a glass of water. I know I did not, not until I read the above prayer.

Gratitude is the single most important factor in reclaiming our spiritual lives. Living in a state of gratitude brings us closer to the Divine, and closer to the Earth. We all consume and are consumed by the forces of Nature. When we live in a state of grace and blessings, we find the commonality that surrounds us. “We are all one”. We need always to remember that what happens to one of us, happens to us all. We share the life stuff, the DNA, of all life on earth. We are truly one.

This Spring season, remember the life that we all share. Dedicate yourself to making an effort to become grateful.For each and every meal, for each and every person, for each and every day.  Gratitude brings awareness, and awareness will bring love for all of our companions here on this planet.

Bright Spring Blessings,

Sharo