Coasts

Stand where the land meets the sea and you stand in one of the most alive places on earth. The coast is a meeting and a making: waves shaping the shore, tide pools brimming with small bright life, seabirds wheeling over the cliffs, the salt marshes and dunes that shelter the shallows where so much of ocean life begins. Twice a day the tide comes in and goes out, and the whole shoreline lives by that breathing rhythm, forever remade, forever new.

This shifting, shining edge is greater than any of us, and its rhythm moves within us still. The coast is where so many of us go to feel restored, to walk the beach and let the sound of the surf loosen something held tight inside. To pray for the coast is to reach toward something wild and ever-changing beyond you, and in the same breath, to feel your own tides rise and settle in time with the sea.

So hold the shoreline a while, today and tomorrow and the day after. Picture the beaches clean, the tide pools full, the marshes alive with birds, and offer it what you offer all you love: a wish for its health, its abundance, its bright and brimming thriving. Let this be your prayer for the coast, in your own words, in your own tongue. The truest ones are rising with the tide even now.

An image with the title 'Guidelines for Eco-Prayer and Good Will Intention,' showing hands holding a small globe against a starry sky background. The left text box says, 'Choose one or more places, plants or animals that you love.' The right text box says, 'Each day pray with positive intention for that place, plant or animal and the entire Ecosystem that supports it.'

Sailboat on the ocean near lush green mountains with clouds and a blue sky.

Sandy beach with footprints, ocean waves, and a clear sky.

An aerial view of a coral reef with various colorful corals and patches of ocean water surrounding the reef.

A puffin standing on a rocky cliff overlooking the water.

A group of seals resting on a sandy beach near the water's edge, with waves gently approaching the shore.

Beach at sunset with silhouette of trees and people gathered, reflected in wet sand with calm ocean in background.

Aerial view of a lush, green island surrounded by bright blue ocean water with small sailboats in the distance.

Cliffs with green grassy fields and a trail along the coastline overlooking the ocean

Sunset over a beach with colorful sky, shoreline with waves, and houses in the background.

Sunset over the ocean with waves crashing on the shore, clouds in the sky, and reflections on the water.

Seagull standing on sandy beach with ocean waves in the background.

Scenic view of red sandstone cliffs and rock formations rising from the ocean under a partly cloudy sky at sunset.

The images here are to help you connect with the Ecosystem. For Additional Photo Resources Visit the Eco-Prayer Resources Page

An Eco-Prayer for the Coasts

The water of life spreads to edge, perimeter and boundary. Ocean, land and sky meet here. Mists of tide, spray and rain slip into each other in a primal dance. Boundary creatures live in salt and fresh water both. Many and unusual are those that live here.

Coral and Mangroves protect the land from storms and tides. Crabs, starfish and seals live here. Most people live near a coast.

Does the meeting place of earth, air and water bring you to wonder?