By Vichara

These days there is a great deal of emphasis in the recognizing of our “carbon footprint” in the world and try to reduce it.  I think the same kind of principals can be applied to increase our “Compassion Footprint” in the world.  As we do little things to lesson the carbon footprint (i.e. using re-usable water bottles, fluorescent light bulbs, etc).  Likewise we can do little things to increase our “Compassion Footprint”…be more forgiving of yourself and others, telling someone you love and care for them for no apparent reason, help someone that looks lost and discover the answer together, hold the door for just one more person, make a phone call to someone just to tell them how much they mean to you…you get the picture.  Reduce carbon, increase compassion.

heliolatry • \hee-lee-AH-luh-tree\  • noun

: sun worship

Example Sentence:

The Egyptians, who personified the sun as the god Ra, were one of numerous ancient cultures that practiced heliolatry.

Did you know?

The first half of "heliolatry" derives from "hēlios," the Greek word for "sun." In Greek mythology, Hēlios was the god of the sun, imagined as "driving" the sun as a chariot across the sky. From "hēlios" we also get the word "helium," referring to the very light gas that is found in balloons and airships, and "heliocentric," meaning "having or relating to the sun as center," as in "a heliocentric orbit." The suffix "-latry," meaning "worship," derives via Late Latin and French from the Greek "latreia," and can be found in such words as "bardolatry" ("worship of Shakespeare") and "zoolatry" ("animal worship"). A person who worships the sun is called a heliolater.