Regardless of variations in time, geography, and culture, all civilizations have referred to the Earth as the ‘Mother Earth.’ Korean tradition refers to the Earth as ‘Mago’ by combining the roots of two terms. ‘Ma, Mater, Umma, Mom,’ the almost universal sound for Mother, is combined with ‘Go’, which signifies ancient or old in traditional Asian writing, to form the word ‘Mago’. Directly translated, ‘Mago’ thus means ‘Ancient Mother.’ This is not to be confused with an image of an old hag, or witch, a distinctly European invention dating back to Middle Ages. Mago is closer to the Hellenic-Roman concept of earth goddess, Gaiea.

Since the human soul is intimately connected to the Earth’s soul, we can truly feel the Earth in our hearts when we are able to commune with her on a spiritual plane. Only then will we be able to see the Earth with the Earth’s awareness, leading to a human culture of harmony and forgiveness. Indigenous Native Americans of Sedona also believed that the Earth had a soul, prophesying that the Earth will only be healed and humans only become complete when we can commune with her soul and seek to protect her body.

Mago is a concept far different, and far older, than the concept of god. Gods are invisible, but Mago is both visible and tangible. We can see, hear, and touch the Mother Earth, the ever-present root of all life on our planet. Until now, humanity has had an on-going and one-sided love affair with various gods, trusting in them to secure and bless our individual nations, peoples, religions, and families, praying endlessly to the divine deaf ear and taking advantage of non-existent pronouncements to justify whatever they wanted. Who could accuse them of being wrong? The gods were never held responsible, nor their messengers accountable. However, since she has both a body and a soul, the Earth can tell us immediately, in a palpable and tangible way, what is and what is not pleas ing to her. We cannot conveniently wish her existence away, as we have done with countless gods. Yet, it almost seems as if we are trying in earnest to destroy her and to destroy ourselves in the process. We seem to be attempting to uproot our own existence.

If any love has the forgiveness and patience to guide a wayward child, no, a juvenile delinquent, like humanity, it has to be the love of a Mother. If her love is acknowledged and accepted in its benevolent omnipresence and omniscience, then what other possible decision could we make except to respond in kind? In order for us to effect a shift in human consciousness to a level on which we can have a ‘heart-to-heart’ conversation with the Earth, and feel her love, we must reopen a channel of communication that we have always had, but have not always been aware of.  Ilchi Lee tells here that Let us reawaken our senses. Let us listen to our Mother. Let us feel her embrace.