The subtitle of this chapter is called "Earth-centered Values" and I think that it's a really great chapter if you can keep all the concepts in order in your mind. There is a lot of metaphysical talk, with the differences and similarities of 'Consciousness, Energy and Form', 'How Energy Moves', 'Form and Matter' and how the choices we makes effect the world in the short term and the long term perspective in the whole, the environment/world/and individual ecosystems.
I have really loved this book so far, and I'm happy to finally get to the 'activities' portion of this book. So here goes, my first activity:
The Sacred Intention
What is Sacred to me? My most sacred things revolve around the natural world, and how we were meant to live off the land, taking care of it and it takes care of us in return. Secondly would be intrinsic value of all living things - plants, animals, the very land we live on, and ourselves. Thirdly would be self-worth/self-esteem and health of myself and my family/friends.
What do I care about so strongly that I couldn't stand to see it compromised or destroyed? I see all of the above things as interrelated or connected as a sort of chain reaction, stemming from the health of the natural world. Since if the earth becomes polluted it compromises the health of all the things living on it, which can kill them and/or lessen their intrinsic value. So my utmost sacred 'thing' would be the natural world, or the Earth herself.
What would I take a stand for? I would and do take a stand for the health of the Earth and those living beings that live upon her. I protest the genetic modification and monoculture in today's agricultural world; the biotechnology in our food production and the mistreatment of animals in order to produce food faster for greater profit. I spend the extra money when possible to buy organic produce and I grow my own veggies, fruits and herbs to be able to take part in the natural cycle of growth and producing food for my household and those of my friends whom I gift my extra tomatoes and such to.
What would I risk myself for? I would risk myself in order to protect the natural world for future generations. If I were in an area that was experiencing clear cutting, I would probably be one of those protestors who lived in the massive redwood in order to stop it's being cut down, or chained themselves to the tree to stop the bulldozers from destroying a natural habitat.
Consider for a moment what the world would be like if our social, political and economic systems all cherished what is most sacred to you. In what ways do they already? There are a number of communities all over the world who are already working to support natural agricultural techniques like that of the indigenous peoples who originally worked their lands, organic farms are springing up all over Canada and the USA, not to mention Australia and New Zealand. The Green Party of Canada finally after almost 30 years, got it's first seat in the Federal Government! Organic alternatives are available for almost everything in grocery stores across the developed countries of the world, so people can make the choice to buy organic and support sustainable living.
In what ways would they need to change? Factory farms need to shut down altogether, or change their practices so that the animals are given a better life while they are alive, workers need to be paid a living wage rather than barely enough to live on, let alone reach the poverty line or get above it. Biotech/Genetic Modification/Monoculture and chemical inputs need to stop and revert back to biodiversity, organic/natural seed and inputs so that we stop polluting our food. "Green" Political parties need to get more seats in the parliament/senate so that we can hear what they are saying in the nation's ears and make the necessary changes to fix the damage we've caused and live sustainable lives. Food would cost a bit more at the grocery stores because people are doing things the natural way, but in turn, people could grow their own food to save on money that they would be spending on products they could grow themselves (local/indigenous fruit and veggies)
What would change, in your daily life? In your community? In the world around you? Can you describe that world in a few sentences or paragraphs? My daily life would probably involve getting up earlier, having a purpose for my day, having more chores and 'To-do-list" items which would involve more gardening or seasonal outdoor care-taking activities. Laundry soap and other household products would be produced by myself and washing the laundry would either be run via solar-energy or by hand, and air-dried on the line outside in the heat of the day. Canning/preserves would be used throughout the winter so that I could still be eating my own produce, cooking techniques would change so that I would minimize waste and what waste I did have would be composted so as to produce natural fertilizer for my gardens come spring and summer. In the community and the world around me there would be more of a true sense of community, of those interconnecting webs that link us all together. People would be more generous with their time, skills and produce, you could use the trade/barter system in real life and not just in a bazaar atmosphere because these changes would mean that a person is not measured just by the amount of money she has in her bank account, but by the skills and produce they have to offer. The world would stop focusing on collecting and hording wealth in the developing countries, and would spread it around so that no one had to live in poverty and die of easily curable diseases because a few people wanted to live like kings.
Do you want to bring that world into being? In a way, I do want to bring this into being, because I think that if people could see beyond their bank account balance to their real worth and marvel at the things they can do with their own hands, they would get a true feeling of success out of their lives. If they saw their fellow man not as someone to compete against to gain the most profit out of their lives, but as someone to share a common meal, celebrate a milestone in their lives, and grow old supporting each other, not only would everyone contribute to society, but they would get more out of their lives than we do in today's society as it is now. But I also realize that this smacks of socialism and communist ways, and we all know what happens when something works out perfectly on paper and someone tries to apply it to real life. It rarely ends well.
Do you feel responsible toward it? I think that if we could actually make people see the truth of what is happening to the Earth and how much damage we are doing to the delicate balance of the world, and take from it the true results that we are heading towards (ie. death and destruction of all life on the planet) that maybe people might get it into their minds and truly into their hearts that they need to make a serious effort in order to effect enough change to reverse our damage to permit our continued existence upon the Earth, then maybe my 'ideal world' might just work. I do feel responsible at least in part for the massive damage we've done to the Earth and I do truly want to change the way I live in order to stop my damage and help reverse it, but I don't know if it will work without a large-scale paradigm shift in modern society.
Now consider how you spend your time and energies. Are your best energies directed toward bringing about your cherished vision of the world? Toward service of what is sacred to you? For the most part - probably not. I get so wrapped up in the daily grind - laundry, school, trying to find a job, etc - that I lose sight of the bigger picture. Most of the time I'm not the one who does groceries in my household, so they go for what's cheaper, not what's better for the environment (hell I had a fight with my mom in Costco the other day about buying biodegradable laundry soap and softener to help out with the environment and lost so how much can I really expect to affect their food choices?) But I do take care of the gardens at my house, I tend and weed and talk my dad out of using pesticide on the trees, and other things like air drying laundry instead of using the electric dryer, and turning off the lights when my mom leaves them on perpetually when leaving the room, burning candles in my room instead of having the big ceiling fan/light on. Trying to keep the AC off and just open the windows on a breezy, less humid day, or at least keeping the number not so drastic so that it feels like winter inside in the middle of the summer. I do a lot of little things to try to make a difference in the bigger picture, even if I can't scale a redwood, name her Molly and live in her for years to prevent clear cutting of the forest.
What do you need to be able to make that change? Support? Opportunity? Courage? Luck? Who can you turn to for support, in the human world? In the larger realms of the universe? In order to make that change I would need to have a job where I could do something I am interested in, which can help benefit my change - I'm in school for Massage Therapy now, which uses my hands to naturally heal people of issues they deal with and incur in their daily lives, so once I am done school and get registered, I can begin to work at that change in my job. Once my financial issues are slightly less up in the air, I can begin to work at the other parts of my life that I can change - getting more of my daily life into line with the change I wish to see in the world - making my own household products, canning my produce and making preserves to hold me through the winter without having to spend extra on frivolous things. Eating only organic foods to support those who follow my world vision, voting and campaigning for the Green Party to help them get more support from the community, working in the community garden to help build a living sense of community and working together. I would need the support of my friends and family so that I don't back down on my vision and dreams. Living in an area that gave me the opportunity to foster this life change, would help, as would having a community of friends to work with on this mission. The courage to stick to my guns and not give in to selfish desire for the 'easy life' but instead to put in the extra work so that I can make the changes I need to protect my sacred intention - the natural world. Oh and a bit of luck to help it all work out! In the human world I can turn to my family (at least my immediate family) to help me by conserving, composting, recycling, buying green products instead of chemicals and not working against me on this road to a cleaner, healthier life and world. I have my pagan community who is constantly working in the same direction as me on this life goal. And those environmental activist who may not be pagan, but see the same things in our current world and wish to change it for the better. In the larger realms of the universe, I turn to the Goddess and God, and all the faces thereof and ask for their support to help me, and my allies, to make the changes and help others to see the error of the current world-view which seems to be a "use what you want, you'll die soon enough anyways and who cares about the future, I wont be here to see it" type of standpoint.
It is my sacred intention to create a world that cherishes the natural world.
Opening to Help
Great powers of creation and transformation in the universe, ancestors, allies, all beings who love the diverse and beautiful dance of life, I am open to your help and I reach out to you. I thank you for the gift of life, for the help and support I have already received, and for the great opportunity of being alive at this crucial moment. I need your help, the opportunity to work towards a sustainable future and the courage to live my dream to serve my sacred intention of creating a world that cherishes the natural world. I give you my gratitude for the help I know is already coming. Blessed be.
~ Jade de Rhiannon ~
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