Ocean

Stand at the edge of the sea and you stand at the edge of the world's blue heart. The ocean covers most of our planet and holds most of its life: the great whales singing across the deep, the turtles tracing paths their kind have followed for a hundred million years, the coral cities glowing with color, the vast and silent dark where creatures shine their own light. Every wave that reaches your feet has traveled far to find you.

This living ocean is greater than any of us, and its tides move within us still. The sea first cradled all of life, and we carry it with us yet, in the salt of our blood, in the water that makes up most of who we are. To pray for the ocean is to reach toward something deep and boundless beyond you, and in the same breath, to return to the place you came from.

So hold the wide waters a while, today and tomorrow and the day after. Picture the sea clear and teeming, the reefs alive, the shoreline clean, and offer it what you offer all you love: a wish for its health, its abundance, its deep blue thriving. Let this be your prayer for the ocean, in your own words, in your own voice. The truest ones are rising like the tide even now.

Poster with guidelines for eco-prayer and good will intention, showing a pair of hands holding a small globe of Earth against a starry sky background. The poster includes instructions to choose places, plants, or animals you love, and to pray with positive intention daily for them and the entire ecosystem.
Ocean waves under a cloudy sky.
Underwater scene with colorful coral reef and various small fish swimming around, including a large fish with striped patterns.
Seagulls flying over a calm ocean at sunset with a sandy beach in the foreground
A sea turtle swimming underwater amidst a school of small fish.
A starfish on turquoise sand or surface, with a small insect near the top center.
Group of glowing blue jellyfish swimming in dark water.
Ocean waves with a cloudy sky in the background.
A whale breaching out of the ocean, with water splashing around it.
A scenic view of turquoise waters with small islands and lush green trees in the foreground, a large body of water with a sailboat in the distance, and a partly cloudy sky above.
School of silver fish swimming underwater in the ocean.
A person surfing inside the barrel of a large ocean wave
Aerial view of ocean water with waves and white foam.

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 Ocean

Water's filling embrace of the shoreline. Tides, currents and weather.

Salt water outside. Salt water inside. Inner form makes both stem sap and artery blood full and plump.

Plankton, whales and jellyfish swim and drift in this watery world.

Which of the ocean's creatures swim inside your heart?

Explore Other Ecosystems

A photo of Earth from space, showing continents, oceans, and cloud formations.

Earth

Sky with clouds at sunset, with warm orange and yellow glow at the horizon.

Sky

Underwater scene with a coral reef at the bottom and a fish school swimming above, sun rays shining through the water.

Ocean

An aerial view of a dense forest with green trees and a few trees with white and orange leaves, indicating fall foliage.

Forest

A vast open field of tall grass with distant mountains under a cloudy sky.

Plains

Scenic view of red rock formations and mesas in a desert landscape with scattered low bushes, under a bright blue sky with few clouds.

Desert

Coastal scene with green cliffs, rolling waves, and an overcast sky.

Coasts

A heron standing in a shallow, green aquatic area with plant growth, surrounded by blurred trees and foliage in the background.

Wetlands

A river winding through a lush green valley with trees on both banks and hills in the background, clear sky overhead, and a few boats floating on the water.

Lakes and Rivers

Snow-capped mountain peaks under a clear sky with visible stars.

Mountains

Polar icebergs floating in cold water under a cloudy sky.

Poles

Close-up of a honeybee collecting nectar from a small yellow and white flower with a long green stem.

Local