To rediscover life means not to take it for granted. Not the Earth. Not our relations with all other creatures with whom we are utterly interdependent and all other humans with whom, whether we agree with them or not, we need to co-survive.
My brother’s letter, which initiated the recent DM’s, on how the emergency facing Iceland got them to “end bickering” and work together, ended this way:
A heartwarming event, along with the potential loss of a full town. Now, we are waiting. But also, we continue to hear the expert geologists, and there are many of them, describing in precise terms what is happening. We are all being kept informed.
The coming together and ending of bickering was indeed a heart-warming event. So too is having media hosting scientists and experts who are doing their best to interpret what is coming next from Mother Earth and keep the people informed.
Is the media in America keeping us informed of what is coming next to Mother Earth and Climate Change? I sure wish it did–we certainly have the science we need.
Alas, however, last week in the republican presidential debate overseen by NBC news, there was not one single question asked about climate change.
Shame, shame, shame on NBC. The questions and handling of the debate far exceeded the quality of the previous debates on Fox News–yet not a single question about the number one existential question facing humanity today?
And facing creation today meaning all the other species with whom we share this planet and who are going extinct by the millions?
It seems creation spirituality is demanded of all citizens today, including all journalists, news broadcasters and hosts of presidential debates.
Do journalism departments in academia teach value questions? Is the survival of Mother Earth a value?
See Matthew Fox, Original Blessing.
And Fox, “Your Mother is Dying,” in Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, pp. 11-34.
Also see Fox, Hildegard of Bingen, A Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century, pp. 33-44.
Banner Image: Children trained as Climate Justice Ambassadors in a one-day academy by Plant-for-the-Planet. There are now more than 70,000 trained Ambassadors in 67 countries, including China, Germany, India, Rwanda, Slovenia, Peru, Haiti, Thailand, Nigeria, Colombia, USA, Singapore, Italy, Mexico, Poland, and Switzerland, teaching in their own countries about the climate crisis and how trees can help us to fight it. Photo by Plant-for-the-Planet Official on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you agree that a presidential debate in 2023 that does not ask even one question about Climate Change and the future of Mother Earth is a scandal? Phone or write to NBC News. And to journalism departments.
Recommended Reading
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
Matthew Fox lays out a whole new direction for Christianity—a direction that is in fact very ancient and very grounded in Jewish thinking (the fact that Jesus was a Jew is often neglected by Christian theology): the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an extended and deeply developed way.
“Original Blessing makes available to the Christian world and to the human community a radical cure for all dark and derogatory views of the natural world wherever these may have originated.” –Thomas Berry, author, The Dream of the Earth; The Great Work; co-author, The Universe Story
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
In what may be considered the most comprehensive outline of the Christian paradigm shift of our Age, Matthew Fox eloquently foreshadows the manner in which the spirit of Christ resurrects in terms of the return to an earth-based mysticism, the expression of creativity, mystical sexuality, the respect due the young, the rebirth of effective forms of worship—all of these mirroring the ongoing blessings of Mother Earth and the recovery of Eros, the feminine aspect of the Divine.
“The eighth wonder of the world…convincing proof that our Western religious tradition does indeed have the depth of imagination to reinvent its faith.” — Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story and Journey of the Universe.
“This book is a classic.” Thomas Berry, author of The Great Work and The Dream of the Earth.
Hildegard of Bingen, A Saint for Our Times: Unleashing Her Power in the 21st Century
Matthew Fox writes in Hildegard of Bingen about this amazing woman and what we can learn from her.
In an era when women were marginalized, Hildegard was an outspoken, controversial figure. Yet so visionary was her insight that she was sought out by kings, popes, abbots, and bishops for advice.
“This book gives strong, sterling, and unvarnished evidence that everything – everything – we ourselves become will affect what women after us may also become….This is a truly marvelous, useful, profound, and creative book.” ~~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism.
4 thoughts on “Keeping–and Not Keeping–the People Informed about Mother Earth”
The video of the song/ritual by Shamanic Sakha Snow Raven (Siberia) is beautiful, and reminds me that most Indigenous peoples around the world have always valued being One with Sacred Mother Nature, Her creatures, the Cosmos and graceful abundance needed by all humanity.
I too love the video of the song/ritual by Shamanic Sakha Snow Raven (Siberia). In our Creation Spirituality Community we are currently studying Native American Spirituality, and have been dealing with Native American Shamans. Another idea that is close to indigenous peoples is the idea of “animism”–the idea that all things are sacred and imbued with spirit–there is the spirit of the waters, the spirit of the mountains, the spirits of the sky, etc.
That sounds like a fascinating exploration! Native American Spirituality offers profound insights, especially in understanding the interconnectedness of all things. The concept of animism resonates deeply with indigenous perspectives, acknowledging the sacredness and spirit within everything in nature – from waters and mountains to the sky. It’s enriching to see the parallels between Shamanic Sakha Snow Raven’s ritual from Siberia and the ongoing study of Native American Spirituality in your Creation Spirituality Community. The recognition of the spiritual essence in every element of the natural world is a beautiful and universal theme worth delving into.
In the local communities, there is a lack of connection to the global issues. For example, here in SC we are fighting the irresponsible growth of solar farms. Large tracts of land are being sold to companies from other states. They are using prime timberland and agricultural land that can be bought as large units in unincorporated, rural areas that have few or no land use ordinances. These companies are most often LLCs with limited liabilities for the safety and well-being of life on bordering properties…or the project area. State and Federal laws lack the teeth to force these “tax-break” seeking companies from building and not taking responsibility for decommissioning of the solar “farm.” I use the term “farm” very loosely. I am in favor of green industry, but not at the cost of our farm and timber lands. There is a landowner currently just out my back door that is doing core samples for such a project (800 acres we suspect). I welcome a discussion with Matthew Fox and others in collaboration as members of the family of Mother Earth as I research what is happening across America. The no-legged, two legged, and four legged children of Mother Earth, as well as, their life space must be protected.