Fanning the flames: Being in service to the Earth, to humans and the more-than-humans
“You see there are two flames burning in the human heart all the time. The flame of anger against injustice, and the flame of hope you can build a better world.”
“Remind us how to kindle the hearth. To keep it bright, to preserve the flame...
To kindle the light, Both day and night.”
So, which flames do we want to kindle? What seeds do we wish to plant and grow for the year ahead?
Here in the northern hemisphere, we’re currently caught up in the energy of Spring. On my daily walks, I see the trees budding and the catkins unfolding. Bulbs are blooming, and more light and warmth are returning day by day.
In this time between the Celtic festival of Imbolc and the Spring Equinox, the sense of new beginnings, regrowth, and planted seeds bursting into life seems to be all around us.
At the same time, as in years past, the challenges and tragedies of the world continue to make their presence felt. So often in our meetings and ceremonies, we have held space for grief, hopes for peace, and a need for justice.
Across the Sacred Earth Activism (SEA) network, we have used the darker winter months to reflect on our personal experiences and those we have witnessed. Many of us, alongside our environmental campaigning, have been called to protest the genocide in Gaza and far right activism, both in our communities and nationally.
Restrictions on our human rights, including our right to protest, here and around the world have also been a bone of contention. Unsurprisingly then, SEA’s online peace ceremonies and grief rituals have been among our most popular events.
During our discussions, it has been clear that all of these causes and movements are very much aligned. This is because, as sacred earth activists, we have a deep understanding of the interconnection of all things, from the web of life to the web of causes and effects.
The climate crisis is bound up with the crisis of capitalism (as we saw at COP last year, when we held a ceremonial vigil to bring through the voice of the Earth and pray for justice). It is bound up with the energy crisis; the plight of refugees; the situation in Gaza, and restrictions on our right to protest. The growth of far right and fascist organising is likewise bound up with racism, colonialism, and power.
So, how can we talk about, much less act in support of, one without addressing the others?
This understanding has always been fundamental to SEA’s work. But as we enter 2026, one seed we are keen to plant, to nurture, and to see grow, is a more explicit recognition of this reality and how our work as sacred activists can best serve these campaigns and movements.
We clarified this stance in our January newsletter:
“Over the past six years, Sacred Earth Activism has supported mainly ecological movements through ritual and earth-centred spiritual practice, grounding activism in relationship with the living world. From the beginning, our work has recognised that the forces driving environmental destruction are the same forces that give rise to war, genocide, imperialism, land theft, and displacement, rooted in an extractivist, domination-based world view and a deep sickness of separation. As these dynamics have moved ever more centrally into the present moment, and as many of the struggles and communities we support reflect this reality, Sacred Earth Activism is expanding its focus more explicitly. We stand in solidarity with movements resisting these systems of harm, offering ritual, ceremony, and spiritual grounding in service of collective liberation for human and more-than-human life.”
As part of this shift, our online gatherings will now consist of eight sessions. Each will be linked to the Celtic wheel of the year (Imbolc, Spring Equinox, Beltane, Summer Solstice, Lughnasadh, Autumn Equinox, Samhain, Winter Solstice). The aim will be to reflect on and explore key issues, nurture seeds, and tend the flames of sacred activism throughout the year. We will use the Regenerative Action Cycle as one of our guides.
At Imbolc, we talked about the flames of hope we wanted to light, or at least recognise, to guide us through the months ahead. We expressed gratitude for those things that sustain our work, which are often our relationships with the more-than-human world and the sacred. We also made a pledge as to where we would focus our personal energies this year.
By the same token, we invite you to consider where your own flames of hope, your gratitude, and your pledges of commitment lie for the year ahead.
BRIGID BLESSINGS
In the Druid tradition that I am part of, the goddess Brigid is often associated with both the flame and the well - with fire, inspiration, action, healing, and cleansing.
During our Imbolc gathering, we each lit candles of hope for the coming year. We took a small container of water and gently placed our fingers into it, giving thanks for the water’s healing and life-giving powers.
You might like to do the same in your own time, offering the following blessing to support your sacred earth activism work:
Touch the water to your head and say:
Brigid, bless our thoughts, dreams and plans for action this year.
Touch the water to your lips and say:
Brigid, bless our words, messages, and the voice we can give to the voiceless this year.
Touch the water to your heart and say:
Brigid, bless our hearts, our emotions, and let us act with love and peace this year.
SPRING EQUINOX
When we next meet to celebrate the Spring Equinox, we will explore how best to balance these ideas and place our love for the Earth at the centre of all we do. At the Imbolc meeting, there was much interest in planning ceremonies and rituals, both online and in person, for the year ahead, so we will revisit these ideas too.
With world events being as they are, another aim is to share a simple peace ceremony together.
We would love you to join us:
