The spiritual practice of reverence helps us cultivate democratic virtues of equality and justice for all - including Earth and all her inhabitants. In their book Contentment, Robert A. Johnson and Jerry Ruhl write about the medieval European custom of showing deep respect for things by naming them as saints. Even the Earth became known as "St. Terre." From this root comes the word "saunter" - to walk upon the Earth with reverence.

Johnson and Ruhl offer this practice: "Nature does not ask for explanations, only that we witness the fleeting moment that is constant. Go for a walk in nature and receive the blessings of an ancient tree, listen for a message in the cry of a bird, take counsel with a constant and abiding stream. Allow yourself to reconnect to the creative matrix that supports all life."

Robert A. Johnson, Jerry M. Ruhl in Practicing Democracy with the Earth by Habib Todd Boerger