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Earth Day is tomorrow! This was never a holiday I got excited about as a kid, but now as an adult I’m all over it. Love me some nature!
Witchcraft is, to me, very much a nature-based spirituality: we work with the moon, herbs, the elements, crystals, and so many other gifts from nature in order to make our magick happen. It seems only fair that we celebrate Earth Day in return!
Aside from the ol’ reduce, reuse, recycle, here are 6 witchy things you can do this Earth Day to give back to the planet and appreciate the nature in your life!
1. Plant an herb garden
Or a tree or whatever you want, but herb gardens seem like the witchiest idea. Growing your own herbs is magick in and of itself, and plants that you tended and raised from seeds will give you a major boost in your spellwork (or, you know, in a killer lasagna.) This has been on my to-do list for a looooong time, and this might finally be the year I get around to it!
2. Create an outdoor altar
If you have a yard or even just a balcony or porch, creating an outside altar is a great way to give yourself a sacred space in the great outdoors. It can be temporary or permanent, but be sure that whatever materials you use are safe for the environment! You can use things like rocks, flowers, sticks and branches, garden accessories, string, or whatever you might have lying around. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy – it’s just meant to give you a place to take your practice outside and honor the earth.
3. Meditate outside
Whether you have an outdoor altar or not, take your meditation practice outside on Earth Day! Feel the sun on your skin and appreciate the moment. Try to pinpoint how each of the four elements is at play – dirt, dew, the breeze, sunlight, all of these are an expression of the elements.
4. Go green
Okay, so this is easier said than done, but hear me out. So many of the products we use every day are contributing to the destruction of the planet. It sounds extreme, but between the waste created during their production, the chemicals they release into the atmosphere, and the trash left behind when the container is empty, so many of our household products are anything but harmless! I hope you’re recycling already, but it’s time to take it a step further. Take a look around your house and see what products you don’t mind swapping out for a greener alternative. For me, the first step was laundry detergent and dryer sheets. I swapped them out for some natural detergent and wool dryer balls from Young Living (if you want to order some yourself, just ask! I’m a distributor, I can give you all the deets.) Next on my list to tackle is hand soap and dish soap. Even things like turning the lights off when you leave the room or carpooling to work can help. Little changes don’t take a lot of effort, but they add up in a big way towards reducing your carbon footprint! And if we want this planet to be there for us, we have to be there for her, too.
5. Gather plants and herbs
Wildcrafting is a fun way to gather plants for your own use and learn about your local environment at the same time! Just be sure you’re doing it safely: don’t harvest plants from any areas it’s not allowed or that might have chemicals present, and don’t take so much that you end up damaging the ecosystem. Stay away from roads (exhaust from cars can contaminate the plants) and don’t tresspass! If you don’t want to actually gather the plants, bring a notebook along and sketch what you see instead.
6. Volunteer
Many nature preserves or gardens have volunteer program to help maintain the area, especially on Earth Day. See if there’s something like that where you live and sign yourself up! If there aren’t any formal volunteering programs around you, you can still get out and help the planet. Head to a local park or waterway and pick up whatever trash you find.
So those are some easy ways to celebrate Earth Day! I personally am planning on doing 2, 3, and 6 for sure (and maybe more from this list if I end up having time!) I’m also reading Braiding Sweetgrass (affiliate link) which is all about creating a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and nature, the way that Native peoples did before us white folks came along and ruined everything as usual. It’s really good so far and I really recommend it if you want to think a little more about this stuff!
How are you celebrating Earth Day? Doing anything fun? I’d love to hear about it!
