Gaia

Culture: Ancient Greek   Domain: The earth itself, primordial creation

Gaia is the primordial personification of the earth, one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos, and mother (and in some tellings, consort) of Uranus the sky. From their union came the Titans, and through them the later gods, making Gaia the deep ancestral root of the entire Greek pantheon.

Associations

The earth itself, deep ancestry, primordial creation, growth from the ground up.

Ways people honor her (modern)

• Garden, compost, or otherwise work directly with soil
• Support environmental and land-care efforts
• Sit or lie directly on the ground as a grounding practice
• Read Hesiod's Theogony for the earliest surviving account of her role

Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.