Irisayna Moon's work speaks lovingly of Gaia. Reading this book moved me in ways that made me realize how disconnected I had become from Earth and how homesick I felt for the quiet bayous and heavy forests I called home for over fifty years. Sitting outside underneath the ancient oaks in front of my apartment in San Antonio, I started connecting again.
I sensed the profound sacredness in the darkness of totality when the eclipse passed over our city. I feel Gaia's breath upon my cheek in every breeze and see her in the shy flicker of fireflies dancing among the leaves. I have found Gaia through the sounds of people shouting, singing, and laughing in multiple languages. There is joy in Latin music drifting through apartment windows. On the street, I hear Gaia there, telling her stories, singing, and dancing with her people. And she whispers to me, San Antonio es amour.
Earth Spirit Gaia encourages us to connect deeply with the earth through meditation, ritual, activism, and simply living out our lives as the Children of Earth. It is easy to do, as we are all connected to her beyond any untying. All we have to do is open ourselves up to her. Through activism, we can protect the sacredness of our world. The simple act of picking up a piece of trash from the sidewalk as we take our morning walk each day is a powerful practice that helps, even in a small way, to take care of our world. Donations to legitimate activist sites and joining a community clean-up group are other simple but powerful ways of spending time with Gaia but also helping our world heal.
Oracles are offered in the book. They are done by a group of people, each accessing the elemental energies of Gaia plus spirit in a way that is more of a seance than an oracle. I think that earth-based oracle cards could also be used to access the spirit of Gaia. Experiment with making spreads to this effect and journal the results.
Other offerings are rituals for deceased activists, where you can pay homage to the dead and the work they did during their lifetimes. Adding pictures to your ofrenda during Samhain to honor their lives would be most appropriate. If an activist is buried in a nearby cemetery, you might collect some dirt from their grave for earth-healing activities.
The final chapters discuss the hazards of white nationalism and colonialism; both are detrimental to human society as well as to the earth itself. Hoarding resources, as well as destroying the earth and taking wealth from other countries, is detrimental to all. This kind of attack on humans and the planet needs to stop. There is only one true race on Earth: the human race.
We are all Gaia's children.
~review by Patricia Snodgrass
Author: Irisanya Moon
Moon Books, 2023
p. $12.95, pp. 112
