TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR THE EARTH

Working on Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia Emerging. An excellent book (in my opinion). What's scary is that it was first published in '81 and set around the turn of the century. It's not as bad as the book, yet. But it's interesting to see how on the mark the author was. Mr. Callenbach wrote this version of the Ten Commandments in 1990.

THE EARTH’S TEN COMMANDMENTS

Thou shalt love and honor the Earth for it blesses thy life and governs thy survival.

Thou shalt keep each day sacred to the Earth and celebrate the turning of its seasons.

Thou shalt not hold thyself above other living things nor drive them to extinction.

Thou shalt give thanks for thy food to the creatures and plants that nourish thee.

Thou shalt limit thy offspring for multitudes of people are a burden unto the Earth.

Thou shalt not kill nor waste Earth's riches upon weapons of war.

Thou shalt not pursue profit at the Earth's expense but strive to restore its damaged majesty.

Thou shalt not hide from thyself or others the consequences of thy actions upon the Earth.

Thou shalt not steal from future generations by impoverishing or poisoning the Earth.

Thou shalt consume material goods in moderation so all may share Earth's bounty.

Ernest Callenbach

 

AN EARTH PRAYER

I AM YOUR MOTHER (EARTH PRAYER)

 

I am your mother: do not neglect me!

Children protect me-I need your trust;

my breath is your breath, my death is your death,

ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

 

I am your nurture; do not destroy me!

Love and enjoy me, savor my fruit;

my good is your good, my food is your food,

water and flower, branches and root.

 

I am your lodging: do not abuse me!

Tenderly use me, soothing my scars;

my health is your health, my wealth is your wealth,

shining with promise, set among stars.

 

The Creator is our maker, do not deny,

challenge, defy or, threaten this place;

life is to cherish, care, or we perish!

I am your mother, tears on my face.

 

Adapted from a prayer by Shirley Erena Murray 1996

 

I found this in a little booklet my mom's Methodist Women's group used last year. All the songs and poems were by women.

SCANDAL OVERLOAD

The newest “gay” scandal.

 

Please go here first.

 

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/ousted-evangelist-confesses-to/20061102182309990027

 

And before we get into this, I have always had a problem with the whole Mega church phenomenon. There is something inherently strange about belonging to a church that has far more members than the town I grew up in. Especially churches that put larger than life size pictures of the pastor in the hallway outside what appears to be the sanctuary. What the ?????????????????????

 

Someone posting on the boards wanted to know why the media was all over this individual like a swarm of flies on rotten meat. (My image, not theirs)

 

I think this is the posting that started that thread, but it’s hard to tell.

 

All I have to say is JIM MCGREEVEY!!!!!

I don't understand why the news media gets such pleasure about finding out who is gay and who is not. What is the big deal? These things should be kept under the rug and not brought into the public light. The liberals and news feel that everyone's personal life is everyone elses business. They are so wrong.

 

Altogether now, repeat after me “Bill Clinton.” Certain conservatives thought his private business was their business and held up the public’s business for nearly a year while they put him under an electron microscope. What’s sauce for the goose and all that.

 

That said, this was my posting on that thread. Mine’s in bold.

 

Because the sharks smell the blood in the water and the feeding frenzy is on. We've got a scandal to drool over. It wouldn't matter if the people involved were gay, het, bi, or into multiples as long as it gets ratings and it sells advertising.

 

At this point I think the prophet from Nazareth would be looking for a good old fashioned walking stick and getting ready to clean out the forecourt of the temple. Again. It never ends does it? There's enough blame to go around for all of us.

 

I suspect his targets now would be similar to the good men of business who had turned the temple courtyard into a refuge for shysters and cheats. When he's not shaking his head and thinking "Dad told me there would be days like this."

 

It’s so tragic when these things happen. Just some thoughts on the whole mess. We don’t come in discrete heights, weights or skin colors. Is just possible that we have a range in sexuality that goes from totally heterosexual to strongly same sex? I suspect that the folks who end up towards the middle can swing either way and get through their lives on a fairly even keel. This could account for those who go through the “treatments” that claim they can “cure” homosexuality.

 

The reverend Haggard isn’t the first person following a conservative religious life style to try to hide a fundamental piece of their identity. And what were the results?  Personal humiliation for himself. Scandal for his family. Another bloody media feeding frenzy. Accusations and counter accusations that are starting to border on the absurd. Suspicion on one side that it’s all a set up. Certainty on the other that one strand of Christianity is the whole knitting project and it’s all unraveling or full of holes. And in the mean time, so much else that needs our attention goes totally ignored.

 

And the problem isn't gay sex or non gay sex. I just realized that I haven't seen any postings that really go to the heart of it. When people choose to spend their lives together in that special bond that marriage is, they make promises. They make promises to themselves and to that very, very special person who will be sharing their lives. He broke his promises. If you can break that promise what other promises will you break?

 

HE THAT PLANTS

The quote is from Garden Witchery by Ellen Dugan.

I believe anyone who plants anything is also planting a little bit of hope. But especially trees. The person who plants a tree will probably never see how it finally looks after fifty or a hundred years, but they plant them anyway. So, believe in the future and go get dirty. If you don't have room for a tree, plant some bulbs, lavender, anything.

Well, almost anything. LOL

THE YEAR TURNS

The Celtic winter has arrived. This the beginning of the season of Samhain.

THE SONG OF SAMHAIN

I am the Hallow-tide of all souls passing,

I am the bright releaser of all pain,

I am the quicken of the fallen seed case,

I am the glance of snow, the strike of rain.

I am the hollow of the winter twilight,

I am the hearth fire and the welcome bread,

I am the curtained awning of the pillow,

I am unending wisdom's golden thread.

 

Caitlin Matthews in The Celtic Devotional

 

This the beginning of the dark time of the year here. Within a couple of weeks I'll be going out the front door in the dark in the morning and coming through the door to the welcome light at the end of the day. From now until the end of January when it starts getting brighter. Everything is tucked in, the grass fields plowed and reseeded and beginning to show a little green. And if we hae a mile year, the crocuses will be showing leaves about the middle of January. And probably wishing life came with a rewind button. Now eastern Oregon and Washington? It really gets freakin' cold on the other side of the mountains.