earth
EARTH
Conceived from a religious perspective, the earth is a symbolic web of
significance that includes its life-giving powers, ability to sustain life,
and tendency to accept the bodies of the dead. In some religious cultures,
the earth is personified as a mother goddess, although this tendency is not
universal because there are counter examples such as the Egyptian god
Geb. Moreover, the earth is not universally sacred because some reli-
gions conceive of the earth as sacred only in some locations, as is evident
among Native American Indians.
In Native American religions, such as those of the Navaho and Zuni,
the earth is believed to give life to humans, whereas Gaia of ancient
Greek culture gives birth to the sky, and is replaced herself by other dei-
ties associated with the earth. In indigenous cultures of Oceania, Africa,
ancient India, Japan, and Egypt, the earth enters into a creative partner-
ship with the sky, whose rains fertilizes the earth and stimulates its
bounty. This scenario suggests that the earth plays an often passive role,
or in the case of ancient Chinese cosmogony, the earth and heaven are
products of qi (the basic stuff of the universe), and they produce yin
(female principle equated with the earth) and yang (male principle asso-
ciated with heaven) in turn. In contrast to ancient China, other cultures
view the earth as the untiring womb that bestows life directly, such as the
mother Aditi of ancient India, or the figure of Lajja lying on her back
with her legs spread apart, suggesting both sexual availability and giving
birth. The fertile womb of the earth produces fruit trees and grass for
consumption by different domestic and wild animals. The life-giving
powers of the earth are interconnected with notions of fecundity, inex-
haustible creativity, and life. Serving as the foundation for all life, the
earth is symbolically a divine potency and energy.
Besides giving life, the earth sustains life by feeding and nurturing its
creatures in both literal and symbolic ways. The earth preserves its crea-
tures, who are dependent upon it emotionally and psychologically, by giv-
ing them a sense of safety and security – those standing on the earth assume
that it is permanent and firm due to its solidity and immense size. This type
of feeling is challenged, of course, during natural disasters such as a flood
or earthquake. Nonetheless, there is generally a sense that the earth sur-
rounds and encompasses humans in a broad network of relations with other
humans, animals, plant life, forests, water, deserts, and mountains. The
practice of placing newborn infants upon the earth or placing the infirm and
dying upon the earth are examples of witnessing to the life-sustaining,
nurturing, protecting and curing symbolic powers of the earth.