GAIA MANDALA

Nepal Earth Treasure Vase Pilgrimage: Coming Home to Gaia

For the Love of Gaia; Becoming a Holy Vessel in Service to Her

Cynthia Jurs shares her love affair with the Earth, and the story of how she met the “old wise man in the cave” and asked him her most burning question. She tells of the assignment she was given, where it has taken her, and what it has demanded. She’ll also speak to a new practice of Tara Gaia that’s been catalyzed in her, which she is now transmitting to all who are hearing the call.

Note: This interview is part of the Mystics Summit, a free online event where you can reconnect with Divine love in the midst of complexity and turmoil. For more information, please visit https://mysticssummit.com. This recording is a copyright of The Shift Network. All rights reserved.

Gaia Calling

A short video for the 7-week course, Gaia Calling; Becoming a Vessel for Global Healing & Collective Awakening. April 2020.

Loving Gaia; Interview with Cynthia Jurs & Clare Dubois

Cynthia Jurs, whose mission includes the spreading and burying of Treasure Vases as gifts for Gaia’s healing, and Clare Dubois, founder of TreeSisters offer their life experience as a gateway into the imagining and dreaming of more feminine potential in this world. This conversation touches on their own journeys of finding courage, dealing with the unknown, feeling intimately connected to Gaia, stepping through fear and working with the limitations of the body. January 2020

Introducing Tara Gaia

An hour-long conversation between Cynthia Jurs and David to introduce the practice of Tara Gaia. Includes discussion of how the adaptation from a practice of Tara to one of Gaia evolved, at this time when we are all being called to wake up in relation to Mother Earth, this practice can serve as a profound spiritual support, and features an introduction to methods of practicing in the Vajrayana tradition using visualization and mantra recitation with a brief teaching on the Gaia Mantra with a recitation.

Cynthia Jurs Interview; Earth Treasure Vases, Peacebuilding in Liberia, Sacred Activism, Being Peace & Collective Awakening

Climate Crisis, Grief and Interbeing

A panel discussion with Charles Eisenstein, Thomas Hubl, Bayo Akomolafe and Cynthia Jurs facilitated by Zaya Bennazzo at the Science and Nonduality Conference 2019

Mirabai Starr Interview with Cynthia Jurs for the Shift Network

For her course on Wild Goddesses and Mystics of Mercy, Mirabai Starr interviewed Cynthia Jurs on her relationship with Gaia and the practice of the Earth Treasure Vases.

Turning Prayer Into Action

This documentary, narrated by Jane Fonda, was produced by Cynthia Jurs and Kim Spencer, and broadcast on Link TV. While the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers were in Dharamsala they met virtually with young people at the Bioneers Conference for dialogues across time, space, and cultures to move us all to heal our relations, heal ourselves, and heal our planet, bringing together the hope of youth and the experience of elders in a call to prayer and action. For more information: http://prayerintoaction.com

Earth Treasure Vase Dialogue with Joanna Macy 10-20-21

This conversation between Cynthia Jurs and Joanna Macy took place on the Full Moon of October 20, 2021 when the Gaia Mandala Community gathered for the monthly Global Healing Meditation. Joanna has been an inspiration to Cynthia since the 1980s. She stewarded an Earth Treasure Vase herself in the 1990s, and her Work That Reconnects and on Nuclear Guardianship has been a guiding influence for Cynthia in carrying out the assignment with the Earth Treasure Vases. Welcoming Joanna to our circle, we honor her for being a living treasure among us.

Earth Treasure Vase Conversation with Cynthia Lazaroff 3-18-22

Evolutionary Sacred Activism ~ a talk by Cynthia Jurs for the Global Mystics Certification Program with Andrew Harvey and Mirabai Starr

Living from a Place of Possibility in Challenging Times 

Vessels of the Holy; Interview with Joanna Macy

Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy talks about the legacy of nuclear weapons and the need for Nuclear Guardianship and her experience of working with an Earth Treasure Vase.

Liberia Earth Treasure Vase

The first vase for Africa was buried in Liberia, Africa on the winter solstice 2009 in collaboration with the peace-building organization, everyday gandhis and local traditional elders, officials, women, youth and visiting dignitaries.

Alaska Earth Treasure Vase Pilgrimage

The Earth Treasure Vase for Alaska was buried in collaboration with native Gwich’in leader and activist, Evon Peter, his family and a small group of participants from around the world. This vase held the intention to protect the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, the native people and animals from oil and other natural resource extraction, and global warming due to big industry.

Papua New Guinea Earth Treasure Vase

This Earth Treasure Vase was dedicated to protecting the Southern Pacific Ocean. The underwater “burial” ceremony was done in the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea in collaboration with the native people of Isala and members of the Biosphere Foundation.

Gabarnmang Earth Treasure Vase

The first of the second generation of Earth Treasure Vases was buried at a 50,000-year-old rock shelter covered in paintings in remote Arnhem Land in 2015 at the invitation of custodial elder, Aunty Margaret Katherine Oenpelli.

Women Witness Congo

When an Earth Treasure Vase was taken to Congo, Women Witness Congo began as a digital storytelling project dedicated to connecting the global community with the women of Congo, their rising leadership and their compelling visions for change.

3/15/21: Foundations Of Bodhicitta

In this week’s MMM, Cynthia speaks to bodhicitta, our wish to cultivate understanding into order to bring happiness to all beings. Each of us has Buddha nature. Each of us has wisdom to offer. We ask ourselves what is our motivation? Are we really aware of where we are coming from? The main point of our practice is to transform the attachment to our sense of self, and to wake up to that selfless nature of all that is. We practice in such a way to break through deep habitual patterns of identifying with a sense of self as being the very center of everything. We see how important it is to care for each other. And so, our practices can facilitate the experience of interbeing. Turning around our orientation from self to other, arousing our great love for the world, we can take the vow of the Bodhisattva to awaken for the benefit of all beings. 

3/29/21: The Fruits Of Practice

In this week’s Monday Mindfulness Meditation, Liza Jane Alexander, a dedicated practitioner, musician and sangha member from Eastern Tennessee, was guest facilitator for Cynthia Jurs. Liza spoke eloquently about how we can become gardeners, composting the seeds of our hatred, discrimination, despair and anger into beautiful flowers, to help the energy of happiness and peace grow in ourselves and in the world. She illuminated how our mind consciousness is like a storehouse that contains all kind of seeds and yet like a garden, it cannot cultivate itself. We need to water and tend the seeds of understanding, love, peace and liberation so they grow into fruit that supports life. The practice of mindfulness is not to get rid of afflictions, but to accept them and touch them with our insight, which brings transformation. Liza brought out her guitar and skillfully interspersed her talk with wonderful songs from Thich Nhat Hanh’s tradition to open our hearts.

2/07/22: Remembering Thich Nhat Hanh

2/21/21: Introduction to The Heart Sutra

In this talk, Cynthia Jurs speaks about how in the weeks after Thich Nhat Hahh’s passing, she is reminded of how he used to say it is a “radical act to stop”. In response to this call to stop and appreciate all he gave us, Cynthia shares that she and her dharma sister in Thay’s lineage, Wendy Johnson, will offer 2 weeks of teachings on The Heart Sutra on March 7 & 14 to bookend the final ceremonies for the 49^th day after Thay’s passing on March 11th, when his ashes will be spread. There are many translations of the Heart Sutra, including two from Thay—his 2nd translation was completed just two months before his stroke in 2014—we will explore these together. In today’s talk Cynthia read an excerpt from “The Heart of Understanding” as a warm up for these next 2 sessions. She also chanted the Heart Sutra with the drum the way she originally learned it from Korean Zen Master Soen Sa Nim.

Note: Apologies that the drum’s audio sounds so bad on the recording, and there was a pause in the drumbeat for Cynthia to scroll thru to complete the reading of the sutra.

Earth as Refuge & Choosing Truth Before Tradition

with Olivia Clementine with Cynthia Jurs

It covers a lot of ground, including Cynthia’s visions of Tara, studying with Thich Nhat Hanh, a life-changing pilgrimage in Nepal, Earth Treasure Vases, sacred activism, Peace Huts in Liberia, revealing the Tara Gaia practice & choosing truth over tradition. Enjoy!

Listen on Apple Podcast by clicking the image above, or listen on the website linked here: https://www.oliviaclementine.com/podcasts/

On Synchronicity and Sacrifice, from Living in the Gift

with Charles Eisenstein and Cynthia Jurs

This conversation originally recorded for Charles Eisenstein’s online course, Living in the Gift. It was a meditative, engaging experience with synchronicities that showed up to support the flow of our stories and connection with one another. Truly, it was a lived experience of gift listening to this slow, deep, and joyful conversation on ideas that are central to synchronicity and sacrifice.

Embodiment Matters Podcast:
Embodying Sacred Activism: A Conversation with Cynthia Jurs (09/04/20)

In this conversation with hosts, Carl Rabke and Erin Geesaman Rabke of Embodiment Matters, Cynthia explores the topic of sacred activism and engaged Buddhism through the practice of stewarding small clay vessels filled with prayers for healing the Earth on every continent around the globe. Cynthia shares about the origins of the Earth Treasure Vase Global Healing Project, her forthcoming book entitled, Summoned by the Earth, the difference between faith and belief, and Thich Nhat Hanh’s prediction that the future Buddha will not be an individual, but rather a sangha, or community awakening together. The conversation closes with a beautiful prayer by Cynthia, and an invitation to explore the latest offerings of the Gaia Mandala community, including teachings on Tara Gaia, a practice that encourages us to turn to the Earth as a source of refuge and awakening, a living embodiment of the of teacher (Buddha), teachings (Dharma) and community (Sangha).

Weaving Light with Gaia
Listening to the Earth Podcast
Full Episode

In this full episode of the Listening to the Earth podcast, Cynthia shares what she has learnt from listening to the Earth as she guided the planting of over 55 “Earth Treasures Vases” around the world, in support of Earth’s healing and protection. She talks about the opportunity we are given to unleash our own treasures of creativity, find our tribe and engage joyfully in support of regeneration in the world. She shares how the “great teacher”, Gaia, can inspire a policy for our own lives, one which guides us to nourish what we want to see more of in the world. She also shares very practical ways whereby we can slow down and cultivate our connection with the natural world, honoring the fact that “we are the Earth”.