Day 11 - The Meaning of "Earth Based"

***I'm altering these "30 Days" to 25 days because it's redundant to make five posts about the same thing***


"Earth Based" essentially means that the religion or spiritual system focuses on what happens in the here and now...the journey as opposed to the end destination. For most people, they're under the misapprehension that "Earth Based" some how means the same as "Nature Worship". This is almost similar to those who confuse Hedge Witchery to Green Witchery (see my topic on these two systems here).

An Earth Based religion is not a religion that worships nature. As far as I know, there aren't any religions that outright worship nature (aside from perhaps Eclectic Pagans or naive seekers who read sappy cash-grabs). Wicca, being one of the most recognized Pagan religions, is an Earth-Based religion, but is not a religion of nature worship. While you have a religion like Christianity whose focus is on living a certain life to attain their desired afterlife in which you can personally interact with their deity, in Wicca you focus on interaction with your deities and experiencing all you can in THIS life...here on Earth. It's a here-and-now system.

A "Nature Worship" system would entail one literally "worshiping nature". Praying to trees, being overly "green", obsessing with animal life and the idea that one needs to be a vegetarian (if not vegan), etc. Now, there's nothing wrong with revering nature. As Wiccans and Pagans in general, one can revere and respect nature until they're green in the face. The thing is...you don't have to be Wiccan or Pagan to revere and respect nature. Christians can respect and revere nature all they like because they are a part of what God created. Nature reverence doesn't qualify one's religion as "Earth Based". That's not what that means. While it's not frowned upon to revere nature, it's not a requirement of Wicca or any Pagan system.

Certainly as an Earth-Based system, most likely practitioners are indeed conscious of the plight of nature. And that's ok. But don't mistake your religion as the excuse to be environmentally friendly. While Pagans are certainly more focused on nature and natural elements, it's not the corner-stone of any Pagan religion.

Earth-Based is not Nature Worship. Earth-Based is a here and now concept, being conscious of nature and our connection to it, but not believing nature is a deity figure in need of nor in desire of, worship. It's not a deity.