Talking With EarthWords

What would you say if you could talk directly to the Earth? Would you apologize? Express your love? Or would you simply offer a shy ‘Hello’?

Hope. Gratitude. I Love You. These are just a few of the EarthWords® planted from grass seeds and drawn into the soil by American environmental artist Richard Solomon. Called EarthWords or living earth prayers, the renowned artist has created a simple, but effective vehicle to talk directly to Gaia herself.

The belief that prayer, meditation and simple words have the power to change our thoughts, cells and even cure diseases, is nothing new. In fact, pioneering Japanese scientist, and author of Hidden Messages in Water, Dr. Masaru Emoto, has done considerable study on the effect that different words and thoughts have on the crystalline structure of water. What would transpire if we were to start ‘writing’ with seeds, en mass, positive thoughts directly into the Earth’s soil?

Richard Solomon believes EarthWords can change the world. Or at the very least, act as a catalyst in the growing paradigm shift towards a reconnection with the Earth. He has created his own living word gardens, worked with schoolchildren and others, to demonstrate the profound power of his simple plantings.

EarthWords started, like most big ideas, from a growing sense of fatigue with how things were unfolding. Solomon, a renowned environmental artist, was at a difficult juncture in his life when he decided to funnel his woes into a new garden.

“At the time, I was in a depressed place. I didn’t want to communicate with people so I created an eight by ten foot garden plot and I outlined the word ‘HELP' in grass seeds. I thought maybe someone would see it and come and help me,” he explains in a quiet voice.

Assistance did come, just not in the form the artist expected. A visiting friend nudged him toward the epiphany of the potential impact that EarthWords could have on people and the planet. “I believe the Earth understood what was happening”, he explains.

After planting his first garden filled with gentle words of love, sacred designs and even some humorous plantings, Solomon felt a growing desire to sow his seeds farther afield.

He started helping other people plant EarthWords. A third grade class in Santa Fe, New Mexico planted an enormous ‘Home Sweet Home’ in celebration of Earth Day. The word ‘Grow’ was written in an abandoned lot in Brooklyn, New York. With the Santa Fe Children’s Museum he planted in eight-foot high letters – ‘Plants Have a Lot to Teach Everyone’.

“I realized that EarthWords is a way for people to reunite with Mother Earth,” he explains. “Why do campers in the wilderness toss beer cans into a stream? Why does someone walking down Madison Ave. drop chewing gum onto the sidewalk? I believe that lack of respect and reverence for Mother Earth is one of the world’s biggest problems.”

Clearly, much of humankind is disconnected from the Earth and even though there is a growing movement to reconnect, humans have a long way to go, and maybe even a lot of apologizing to do, before we will ever be able to set things right again.

“Just imagine if there were five million EarthWords planted each year around the world. Imagine if people were planting their words, thoughts and prayers around the world and the Earth became our living canvas,” he enthuses.

Solomon’s vision is to spread his Earth plantings far and wide; he envisions EarthWords growing messages fostering a reconnection to the planet on every continent around the globe.

Perhaps what makes EarthWords so mesmerizing is the ease in which they can be created and the ability to plant a word, sentiment or prayer just about anywhere. They can be lovingly sown in private gardens, planted as clandestine guerrilla gardening messages and even used by corporations to spread their green gospel.

“You can plant words, messages and designs, literally anything you want, with fast growing grass seeds,” Solomon explains.  “The earth becomes your canvas and your finger or stick becomes your pencil. During the summer you can begin to read your living words within 6-8 days, after planting!”

In preparation for the EarthWords Project unveiling in Spring 2011, Solomon is seeking volunteers to plant and document their plantings.

“If we work in a large coordinated global effort, EarthWords can be planted around the world,” he explains. “It has to do with people helping/partnering with me in any way they can and God willing, I will be able to do it.”

Visit: www.plantearthwords.com and www.seedshaman.com

EarthWords® is a Registered Trademark of EarthWords® LLC

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