Advent Earth Care

My theme for this first week of advent is to cherish and care for the earth. I have further refined it to add: Creating sanctuary for nature because nature is our sanctuary. 

My goal this week is to reaffirm my unity with nature, and continue to create a welcoming yard.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Earth Keeper's Handbook"

2. Journal queries
3. Redefine my work for earth care

4. Proaction and reciprocity plans

5. Make bird feeder pine cones

1. Read "The Earth Keeper's Handbook":

I'm reading this book by Loren Swift (2019), subtitled "Assuming Leadership in a New World." The premise is that lack of care for each other (people) results in lack of care for the earth. "This book details the practical steps to shift the paradigm internally from conflict to cooperation and to make the same shift in relationships and in group endeavors." Well, that is the work I need to do this fall and winter.

The first section is The Way In, and Chapter 3 is The Science of Oneness. She talks about mystics, who have written about their experience of the unity of all things. As part of a mystic religion (Quakers), I get this: We are all one. And quantum physics supports our experience.

"The big takeaway is that we can consciously apply our will, as intention, to ourselves and our circumstances to directly affect our experiences. When we do so, the power of our creativity becomes apparent. ... To perceive our interconnectedness naturally infuses us with the sense of belonging to the world. ... It is belonging that inspires us to work together and, thereby, to more expediently remedy the varied crisis looming before us."

This chapter moves slowly towards a practice she calls Embodying Universal Qualities of Life in the Spectrum of Love (really flows off the tongue). The first point is intentionality - When we have a clear understanding of personal values and the qualities of life that motivate us, then we can generate them intentionally. (She goes into depth about the zero point field to back up this claim.)

2. Journal queries:

Last year my queries were: 

How do I maintain an awareness of the holiness inherent in Nature, and commune deeply with the divine spirit of nature?

How can I find hope for myself, and support hope in my community, as the world comes to an end?

I was looking for realistic hope, and found instead what the Jolly Quaker (British Quaker Mark Russ) calls apocalyptic hope: "Apocalyptic hope involves letting go of many of the things we might otherwise put our faith and hope in, and learning what hope looks like in a World that is coming to an end. ... maybe we could be a community of hope if we made supporting each other’s faithfulness to the Spirit a part of our communal life. ... What would it look like if we saw our individual faithfulness to the Spirit as each other’s business?"

I still don't believe that our society will ever overcome the deep injustices that are at the core of our society: Colonialism, racism, patriarchy, and the rape of nature. But I'm moving to a hope that is personal - hope in myself, that I can overcome my own set of challenges and roadblocks and become the person the world needs me to be. And also a conviction that it is our business to continue to rail against the false paradigm of our society.

My overarching queries for this year are-

What steps do I need to take to overcome my challenges, and grow to be the person the world needs? 

How can I express the hope and urgency I feel in a loving and inspirational way, that might move us to make the gigantic changes we need to make?

Grace notes: My first step to keep reading and writing, and make a huge effort to get my draft introduction published before Christmas. That will be my gift to friends and family alike.

3. Redefine my work for earth care:

Each year at advent I begin to refocus my service efforts. I ask, what is the most effective way to spend my limited time? What will have the greatest impact for the earth, and for my community?

1. The new Friends Meeting Earthcare Action Group is a great support team. My goals are to continue to write a bi-weekly action newsletter, educate about local issues, keep a spiritual focus, bring action items that will be most effective for our community, and gently nudge the group towards state advocacy work.

2. The Friends Meeting Peace and Justice Committee is where I bring the EC ideas for action, which we season, and then bring to the Meeting as a whole. I wonder what will develop as theme for an earthcare minute?

3. Quaker Earthcare Witness is a "community of Friends taking Spirit-led action to care for the planet and all living things." I want to bring EFM a little bit into the national Quaker earthcare scene, and the EMERGE testimonies might be a gateway - I hope to write some insights about these new testimonies.  

4. The Interfaith Earthkeepers is a consortium of faith communities "committed to the care of God's creation". I find it to be an informed, passionate, and active group of people. I created an IFEK web calendar, but it needs more definition. I want to build a connection with individuals from each church who can help create more faith-based events to share.

4. Proaction and reciprocity plans:

On Wednesdays I often journal a bit about the future, and my dreams and goals: What GREAT things do I want to accomplish? How will I serve people? How will I use my talents? How will I stretch myself? How can I become an “island of excellence”? What is essential?

Then I try to define achievable, meaningful goals and prioritize the goals and tasks with the greatest long-term impact.

This next week I hope to:

1. Begin to visualize steps I want to take this winter to advocate against the climate and biodiversity loss crisis.
2. Prepare an agenda for Dec. 7 Earthcare Action Meeting. including some info about the EMERGE testimonies.
3. Experiment with a "plastic tag" for community education - take to Dec. 7 EC Meeting,
4. Prepare for Worship sharing, "Our Garden, Our Earth": Sunday, December 14 - 12:45. Carol will help me lead worship sharing with our (pared down) queries.

5. Make bird feeder pine cones:

We are having such a warm autumn that I should probably wait a few weeks or this project. When it gets colder, the wild birds will look for high energy foods. 

Peanut butter is high in fat and full of protein, and could be considered the perfect bird food. Be sure to get natural, no-sugar peanut butter, or use vegetable shortening as an alternative.

Supplies: 1 c. peanut butter or shortening, or a combination, 1 c. oatmeal or cornmeal, large pine cones, bird seed, yarn or string

Yield: Makes 2 bird cones-

1- Mix equal parts peanut butter or shortening with oatmeal or cornmeal until well blended. (I used half a cup of each and it just covered this one medium-sized cone.)

2- Choose a pine cone. Cut a long length of string to hang the bird feeder, and tie around the pine cone near the top (about 3 sections down).

3- Use a butter knife to spread peanut butter inside the pine cone and around the edges.

4- Fill a bowl with birdseed. Roll the pine cone in the birdseed and use your hands to pack it on firmly.

Go out and hang it where you can watch from a window.