The most sacred act you can do today (It’s not what you think)
Heal the Earth. Heal yourself.
Happy Earth Day!
Hope you will enjoy today’s twist of touching upon two important topics—climate change and interfaith harmony.
Pause.
Take a deep breath.
Feel the air fill your lungs—the same air that has circled mountains, forests, oceans, and the very breath of people you will never meet but are intimately connected to.
Today is Earth Day.
But let us go beyond planting a tree or posting a quote.
Let us talk about something deeper—how caring for Mother Earth is a spiritual practice, a sacred duty, and quite possibly, the greatest act of service to the Divine.
The universal bond that transcends borders
No matter where we are from—New Delhi or New York, Nairobi or Naples—we walk on the same ground. We share the same air. We are warmed by the same sun and bathed by the same rain.
This is not poetry—it is a planetary truth.
While our countries may be different and our faiths may speak in different tongues, our source and our sustenance are one: Earth.
Across spiritual traditions—from the hymns of the Rig Veda to the parables of Jesus, from the poetic surrender in Islam to the harmony with nature in Taoism—there is a common call:
Reverence for creation is reverence for the Creator.
In Hinduism, the Earth is Bhumi Devi, a goddess worthy of worship. No ritual begins without first apologizing to the Earth for the touch of our feet.
Buddhism teaches Right Livelihood—to live in a way that does not harm other beings or the planet.
In the Quran, Allah portrays Earth as a realm of harmony and calls upon believers to uphold that balance by refraining from causing corruption or harm (Quran 7:31).
Christianity speaks of humans as stewards—“The Earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1), and humans are called to care for it as a sacred responsibility.
Sikhism reveres nature as an extension of God’s love: Pawan guru pani pita mata dharat mahat—Air is the teacher, water the father, and Earth the great mother.
Indigenous traditions around the world treat nature not as property but as family—trees as ancestors, rivers as grandmothers, wind as sacred breath.
Even science, often divorced from spirituality, now echoes the wisdom ancient seers knew: We are interconnected—deeply, biologically, spiritually.
Sacred teachings on caring for the Earth
So what does this have to do with you and your inner peace?
A lot.
The more disconnected we get from Earth, the more alienated we become from ourselves. Anxiety, depression, burnout—these are not just mental health challenges; they are often symptoms of disconnection.
Reconnecting with Earth—by walking barefoot on grass, planting a tree, meditating under the sky, or simply acknowledging the miracle of the present moment—grounds us. It brings us back to the now, away from endless scrolling, arguments, and existential angst.
And when we begin to see the planet as sacred, we naturally begin to see each other as sacred too.
Political turmoil, economic instability, personal sorrow—they do not vanish, but they lose their suffocating grip. Because now, we are held by something larger: a spiritual ecosystem of care.
A global Earth-loving mindset rooted in interfaith harmony is not idealism. It is survival. It is healing. It is what the soul craves.
Building a global spiritual mindset
So today, do something small but sacred:
Whisper a prayer of gratitude to the Earth when you wake up.
Pick up a piece of trash from the road—not for duty, but as devotion.
Share a quote from your faith tradition that honors nature.
Forgive someone. Forgive yourself. Harmony begins with healing.
And if you feel like you are struggling with sadness, stress, or spiritual fatigue, remember:
Sometimes the best antidepressant is sunlight.
Sometimes the best therapist is a forest trail.
And sometimes the deepest meditation is planting a seed.
Let Earth Day be your Soul Day.
A day not just of action—but of alignment.
With the planet. With people. With peace.
🌿 From my heart to yours,
Ranjit K. Sharma
Please speak to me.
I eagerly await your response, whether it is positive or critical. To share your thoughts, simply reply to this email. If you appreciate the content silently, you can express your approval by pressing the like button at the top or by sharing the entire newsletter with five of your close friends.
Celestial Love Letters is free.
As announced in my last post, I have removed all paywalls and paid subscriptions for Celestial Lover Letters until the end of 2025. This means that all previous and future articles will be available to everyone, free of charge!
To my valued paid subscribers, I sincerely appreciate your support and generosity. Your contributions have meant the world to me, and I want to assure you that this decision does not diminish my gratitude for your belief in this journey. Instead, it is a step toward making this space more inclusive for all, and I hope you will continue to be part of this shared exploration of spirituality and love.
Do let me know if you are facing issues to access any area of the newsletter that was previously placed behind a paywall.
If you still wish to support my work, you are welcome to contribute by clicking the following button. Your generosity will always be deeply appreciated!
A word for fellow writers on Substack
Do you enjoy getting exposed to new ideas outside your usual bubble? Do you pine for fresher voices in your media diet, for a respite from the banality of your social media feed? Me too. When I discovered The Sample, it was love at first sight. The Sample was designed to amplify independent writers who you haven't heard of already. You can set a few topics you're interested in, and then each day The Sample picks a different article to send you. When you get one you like, you can subscribe to the author's newsletter in a single click. Easy as pie. Sign up here.