Indigenous people living close to the Earth adapt to the land they grow up and live in. Not only do they adapt their diets, clothing, housing and daily habits to accommodate and enhance what the Earth offers them, but their spirits become integrated with the land. Their hearts and imaginations are in close relationship with the character of the land, the plants and animals that share the land with them, and the nature of the weather that nurtures and guides them through their lives from cradle to grave. The stories and legends which define who they are as individuals and the purpose of human life are tied directly to the natural landscape and the natural processes which shape it.

There are so few people in today’s world who truly experience this close relationship joyously and without a sense of impoverishment.

Yet from a shamanistic and human point of view, this is an important relationship for mankind to maintain. Without it there is a sense of emptiness and of not belonging. Children feel helpless and lost. Their spiritual searching is unfulfilled. They often turn to violence, drugs, sex and disrespect. Adults also feel lost, but they must maintain a facade of invincibility. They tend to deny the emptiness with work, responsibility, duty, and (again) violence, drugs, sex, and depression or despair. As we get older, our bodies develop symptoms and diseases which reflect this ongoing spiritual crisis. There seems to be no way out until death overtakes us.

The term Earthkeeper derives from the sense that those who do maintain a close relationship with the Earth are like the last threads tying the human race to the planet. In this way they maintain or “keep the Earth” in the human archetypal memory. Like a small voice deep within us, this memory reminds us of the wonderful gifts we have been given during our Earth walk. It reminds us that we are blessed to be here.