We have been holding up individuals and groups that are bringing light to our dark times by way of their work. One such group calls themselves Creation Spirituality Communities (CSC).
CSC presents itself as
…a network of communities (and individuals) that believe in the sacredness of all Creation. We believe that awe is a gift — a response to Creation and the cosmos and the first step toward transformation. We believe in the value of silence and emptying — in the richness of feeling our pain and our losses. We are radically progressive and traditionally mystical. We come from many spiritual traditions, cultures, races, ages, genders, and sexual orientations.
They provide connection, resources, education and inspiration through events, small groups and online platforms. CSC strives to encourage sacred vocation, strengthen mystical practice, inform creative expression and support cultural transformation.
The goal of CSC is to build
…an interfaith and eco-spiritual movement for the restoration of our proper relationship to Creation. We are reclaiming our original blessing.
Music by Abraham Jam. From CSCommunities.org
By honoring all spiritual traditions, we aim to enliven the interconnected web of life. Our members model alternative, open and evolving spiritualities (sometimes outside of traditional religion) by focusing on Creation itself and urgently advocating justice for the planet and all forms of life on Earth.
While multiple CS groups were popping up around the country they were often scattered and few knew what the others were doing. Communities gathered for ritual and mutual support, but their most effective moments were lost as soon as they departed.
Thus the CSC Board began to create ways for people to come together and share ideas, art, and wisdom. Now the Newsletter, edited by Seth Longacre, is brimming with art, essays, and poems and leaders of local communities meet regularly to share ideas and support.
and founder/director of The Orpheus Healing Arts Institute
CSC has developed a small group program, Elder Wisdom InnerViews, and CS Immersion Retreats as well as a Rite of Passage for Elders. CSC continues to evolve in response to the needs of the community and the visionary capacities of its members.
Their leadership model follows a system called The Circle Way. At each meeting one person is the host, one shepherds the agenda, and one person commits to staying on task and using healthy interpersonal skills. These roles are passed to other people for each board meeting.
The current president, Rev. Sid Hall, D.Min., is a husband, father, and senior minister of Trinity Church of Austin, TX, a blended UMC and UCC congregation. Trinity Church practices Creation Spirituality, welcomes the LGBTQ community, and varied groups to its Interfaith Chapel including Buddhists, Wiccans, eco-feminists, and atheists. Sid has had the honor of being arrested for civil disobedience along the side of MLK’s daughter and Gandhi’s grandson.
For more information on Creation Spirituality Communities (CSC) please see their website, or email contact@cscommunities.org
Also see The Circle Way website or Christina Baldwin’s book, Calling The Circle: The First and Future Culture.
Also: Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Postdenominational Priest, p. 346.
Banner image: the Möbius logo of Creation Spirituality Communities. From www.cscommunities.org
Queries for Contemplation
On meditating on this essay you might want to consider joining CSC or starting your own local CS community if you are looking for mutual support and on-going learning experiences to deepen your commitment to a spirituality of creativity and activism.
Have you heard of the “Circle Way” of organizing and given it a try? What kind of results can you report?
Recommended Reading
Matthew Fox’s stirring autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
