In our practice, we often use terms like Mother Earth and Gaia to refer to our one and only beloved planet. Here we explain its origins and how its usage has evolved over the course of time.
Who is Gaia?
In the context of mythology, Gaia was the Greek goddess of the Earth, mother of all life, similar to mother goddess figures in other cultures like the Roman Terra Mater, Andean Pachamama, Hindu Prithvi, and Hopi Spider Grandmother.
Gaia's origins
The name Gaia means "earth" or "land" in Greek. She embodies the spirit of the Earth itself as the primal Mother Earth goddess. According to Greek mythology, Gaia is the personification of the Earth and one of the primordial deities.
She was one of the first elemental deities born at the dawn of creation. Gaia gave birth to the sky god Uranus, the sea god Pontus, the Titans, Cyclops, and other mythological beings.
Gaia and Deep Ecology
In today's context, especially in deep ecology, Gaia represents a holistic, non-human-centred paradigm that sees the Earth and all its subsystems as a complex web of relationships between organisms and their environment.
James Lovelock's Gaia Hypothesis, reimagines the Earth as a planet-sized entity with emergent properties that arise from the interactions of all living beings with the rocks, atmosphere and oceans.
This worldview rejects a human-centred or anthropocentric worldview in favor of biocentric (life-centred) or ecocentric (ecology-centred which may include rivers, mountains and "non-living" entities) worldviews that respect the intrinsic value of all life as an organic whole. It encourages an appreciation for the interdependence of all natural parts and processes, both living and non-living.
