Talk to the Land

Friday is my day for proaction: Proaction is taking initiative to anticipate and shape future events rather than simply reacting to circumstances as they happen. Some people think Covey should've just used the word ACT, but proaction requires a thought: "I could do this or I could do that; I choose to do this."

Agenda:

1. Read "Revolutionary Witchcraft"

2. Summer action plan

3. Proaction and reciprocity plans

1. Read "Revolutionary Witchcraft":

I'm reading this sweet little book by Sarah Lyons (2019) that I got from my daughter for Christmas. The subtitle is A Guide to Magical Activism.

Chapter 5 is Witches and Wilderness, about ways to connect more deeply with the land, and ways to "add magical oomph" to our protests and action!

"It's not enough just to save a forest because of some complex calculation about how much carbon it eats ... It's worth protecting because that forest has a spirit and rights like any of us..." The world is a living thing that we can have a conversation and relationship with - this inherent spirituality and interconnectedness form the missing piece of a lot of environmental movements. We can't fight a system that commodifies nature unless we un-commodify it. We will fight longer and harder when we fight for our friends rather than a pile of rock and wood.

She has an exercise for Talking to Land Spirits: 

• Go to a certain place and take your Land Journal.
• Do a meditation to connect to the place.
• Take notes on whatever comes up in this place: Colors, symbols, words, feelings or vibes. (Nature is trying to talk to me - open up and listen.)
• Do this at different times and seasons to begin to develop a personal land language, and add to my understanding by researching the area- history, plants, animals.
• Once I have a connection I can begin to ask what the land wants from me. Make a power map to figure out how to help. Leave an offering. 

2. Summer action plan: 

On Fridays 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. I'm just thinking about the summer right now. My end plan is to: 

1. Maintain my connections with my two or three Earthcare groups, and encourage them to the best of my ability without committing too much time or energy; in other words, I need to preserve my energy and my connections this summer.
2. Explore creative pathways to increasing my Nature-Culture readership.
3. Research and write about climate change as it connects to Nature-Culture. 
4. Take action against climate change with the EugeneClean Energy Fund coalition.

3. Proaction and reciprocity plans:

Once I have clarity and a framework, then I try to define achievable, meaningful goals and prioritize the goals and tasks with the greatest long-term impact.

My plan for Earthcare Service in the next week:

• Fri: Write next post for my Nature-Culture blog: "My carbon footprint - being humble (natural living); Write an announcement for an herb walk;
• Sat: Check in with Liz about worship sharing and queries;
• Sun: Look for craftivism ideas at the Faire.
• M: Write next post for my Nature-Culture blog: "Climate change activism 101 (reciprocity)";
• T: Write a News with local events and info about the ECEF signature effort; and especially look in to the organizations that IFEK supports so I can update that calendar too.
• W: 
• Th: Eugene Clean Energy Fund endorsement: Make a plan + Work on ECEF postcards again.