Sacred Earth Activism coordinates UK-wide ‘Back to Source’ ceremonies for World Rivers Day
Offerings at the River Brue
Water-lovers went ‘Back to Source’ on Sunday, 26 September by holding a series of local ceremonies across the UK coordinated by Sacred Earth Activism to celebrate World Rivers Day.
Sacred Earth Activism assisted individuals and groups, ranging from spiritual to conservationist, in creating their own day of sacred action. The intention of the ‘Back to Source’ event was to help people from all walks of life give back to their local river, and at the same time start to heal their relationship with our sacred rivers.
Jonathan Weekes, co-founder of Sacred Earth Activism, said: “Our rivers used to be held sacred, given offerings of our most precious items to invite their blessings. Today, they are filled with our rubbish, sewage and run off of excrement from our fields.”
He continues, ”We intend to reconnect in our sacred relationship with water, honouring and acknowledging that rivers are living entities, with inherent rights, beyond their use for humans.”
The idea behind ‘Back to Source’ was to remember a relationship with our rivers when we held them in high respect as living beings that are vital to all life, and that if we poison the veins of the land, we also poison ourselves by losing access to safe water and destroying biodiversity.
By honouring the rivers and acknowledging they are living entities entitled to their own rights and protections, we change our relationship with the natural world, creating shifts that move us from a way of life that exploits the natural world to a more harmonious and balanced way of life.
Cleanup at the River Stour
Some of the groups participating held rituals or blessings for their local rivers, combining ceremony, song and, in some cases, dedications to the ancient river goddesses of their particular river.
As an offering to the river, the groups coordinated river cleanups to remove litter and rubbish along the river banks, making practical steps towards improving the health of the waterways.
Rights of Rivers
Before the ‘Back to Source’ day of sacred action, Sacred Earth Activism was joined by Paul Powlesland, Founder of Lawyers for Nature, for a webinar on the Rights of Rivers Campaign, discussing how we can make them a reality and the role of sacred activism in bringing them about
Sacred Earth Activism, along with about 100 organisations from 20 countries around the world, has officially endorsed the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers. The Declaration is urging government officials at all levels to recognise rivers, watersheds and river basins as living entities that are entitled to their own legal rights and guardians.
The organisers look forward to building on the success of this first “Back to Source” event, with more sacred actions to support the Rights of Rivers campaign, and to honour and protect our sacred rivers.