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At the top and bottom of the world lie the great realms of ice. White and vast and shining, the poles are like nowhere else on earth: the Arctic sea ice drifting under the long northern light, Antarctica rising in cliffs of blue and white, the aurora unfurling across the winter dark. And life flourishes here, in places we might least expect it. The polar bear crosses the ice. Penguins gather in their thousands. Whales move through the cold rich seas, and beneath the surface a whole bright world goes quietly on.

The poles can feel impossibly far away, and yet they hold the whole world in balance. That distant ice keeps the seas steady and the seasons true for every one of us, a gift offered across thousands of miles to people who will never see it. To pray for the poles is to reach toward something remote and magnificent beyond you, and to remember, in the same breath, that even what lies farthest off is woven into your own life.

So hold the polar world a while, today and tomorrow and the day after. See the ice broad and bright and enduring, the waters teeming, the great white country whole. Offer it what you offer all you love: a wish for its health, its balance, its cold and crystalline thriving. Let this be your prayer for the poles, in your own words and your own tongue. The truest ones are already rising in you, clear as ice.

A man holding a small globe with Earth and a starry background, accompanied by text with guidelines for eco-prayer and good will intention.

A polar bear standing on snow-covered ground, raising one paw as if waving or greeting, with a gray sky in the background.

Icebergs floating in icy blue water under cloudy sky, Arctic or Antarctic scene

Snow-covered mountain range extending to the horizon under a pale blue sky.

Nighttime scene of a snow-covered mountain range with the northern lights (aurora borealis) in green hues across the dark sky, reflections in the water, and snow at the shore.

A white reindeer with large antlers covered in frost standing in a snowy landscape. Two small arctic foxes frolicking nearby on the snow.

Snow-covered mountains under a light pink and blue sky with the moon visible in the background.

Icebergs floating in cold ocean water with dark cloudy sky overhead.

A white wolf standing in a snowy landscape, facing forward with piercing yellow eyes, surrounded by a vast, snow-covered terrain under an overcast sky.

Snow-covered landscape with a mountain range in the distance, a partially frozen body of water, bright sunlight in a clear blue sky, and a small figure sitting on the snow in the foreground.

A seal sitting on the ground in front of two penguins that are facing each other, on a rocky, sandy terrain.

A large iceberg with a natural arch, floating in cold ocean water under a cloudy sky.

Snow-covered mountain landscape with blue sky and wispy clouds, and footprints in the snow.

Las imágenes que aparecen aquí te ayudarán a conectar con el ecosistema. Para acceder a más recursos fotográficos, visita la página Eco-Prayer .

An Eco-Prayer for the Poles

Poles are axis and orientation. A sovereign intention for life. The royal scepter of the Earth. The angle of the Earth's tilted axis in the solar system is reproduced in the angle of the human heart in its chest.

Winter storms frozen to endless white. Glaciers glistening and calving. Magnetic sun shield in aurora glory. Solid ice melting to water and back again by the sun's fiery measure. White bear, seal, penguin and narwhal dive here.

What is the orientation of your caring and work? What in your personal kingdom do you hold in prayer and good will?