Today, I am led to speak from my green heart chakra; as I mourn, celebrate, reflect and ponder the grace of Green Earth Mama Wangari Maathai who transitioned Sunday from cancer.
Nothing could be more empowering than the great voices and great contributions from our ancestors. Mine partly sleep within the bosom of the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, and partly sleep within the stone mountains of Ogori, Nigeria, yet they still speak to me. Now I know you’re thinking when I say speak to me that I may mean that I sit at the dinner table and have a conversation with them as if they were present in that time and space. In many ways that is not far from the truth, however our communication is not always planned. I actually reclaim and continue to fulfill their purpose by carrying on their agenda as a healer and herbalist.
Earth keeper Mama Wangari Maathai is one of those ancestors who had an agenda. She was not only the first African woman to receive a PhD, she was an author, a mother and most importantly a pioneer of the Green Movement which earned her a Nobel Prize. Like most pioneers she faced opposition from the government and I am sure much more contention than we will ever know. Yet, now that she’s an ancestor, I am thankful to her and all her achievements.
Mama Wangari has paved a way for all green earth keepers. Earth keepers are tree huggers, planters, herbalists, farmers, gardeners and other respectful companions and messengers of the earth. My own version of Mama Wangari’s message shall continue to vibrate within my ear drums. Messages such as: continue to defend mother earth and all her values; care for the earth for the future generations; speak to mother earth as she stores knowledge for the next generations; and tend to her as she will the body when you become an ancestor. Mama Wangari has truly paved a way, a path for the earth keeper. The African earth keeper. The woman earth keeper. The future earth keeper. She has reminded us to rise up and hold ourselves in the posture of our calling. Answer to the call even if you stand alone, even if people will judge you because at the end you have served a purpose, a higher purpose.
Identifying with Mama Wangari is easy. I am able to understand all the simple and complex struggles she may have faced whether her gender, her race, her nationality, her higher education in USA, motherhood and passion for nature. These aspects are often overlooked when we see individuals such as her winning prizes and writing books. Yet they should not be taken for granted, they are her legacy and they seasoned her spirit which empowers others infinitely.
Last week I delivered an entry discussing the role of a healer in our community. Why it is important and the kind of space, the kind of gift it provides those who seek healing. I spoke about honoring healers and their purpose and the challenges self-medicating and self-assessing creates in those who seek healing. I also hoped to evoke thoughts around community and how each individual serves their purpose within it. Like in an indigenous village all people have a role and a person who “specializes” in something. I am aware the sense of community may be somewhat lost or restructured in a way that isn’t as intimate anymore. However, I am here to remind you that there are some of us still out here. With genuine goals to create sacred space and serve our purpose. Mama Wangari’s goals to plant trees have brought consciousness to the greater whole about the significance of these green beings. When we look at a tree, we can now remember to communicate with our ancestor Wangari who will continue to empower thousands of green earth keepers here and yet to come.
I am now sitting at my dining table, listening to ancient sounds of the drum and the flute, voices of native music groaning and humming, watching the trees wave gestures gracefully. I am having a conversation with the ancestors who say speak to remind them of the way, the way of life, the way of healing the heart through plant spirits, never let this conversation die. This is your purpose.
Share. Green thoughts welcome….