Newsletter Winter 2009
January 2010
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In this edition:
- Editorial
- Thomas Berry - Remembered, Celebrated
- News from An Tairseach
- World News
- Life Giving Energy
- The Sabbatical Course
- Working for a Change of Consciousness in Ireland
- Flower Power
- The Transition Town Initiative
- A Call to Kinship
- A Valuable Internet Resource
This edition of the Newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Thomas Berry, passionist priest, eco-theologian and cultural historian who died on 1 June this year at his home in North Carolina at the age of 94. During his long life Berry used his vast learning to inform, inspire and challenge us humans to “live with the rest of the community of life in a mutually enhancing manner”. He contended that the greatest mistake we have ever made was to believe that there was a radical discontinuity between ourselves and the rest of the natural world. A student of Teilhard de Chardin himself, he saw us as part of a magnificent, evolving universe which, far from being inert matter, had a spiritual dimension from the very beginning. In the human that spiritual dimension reached a new high point with the development of self-reflexive consciousness. Another eco-theologian, Elizabeth Johnson, following Berry, points out that there are three ways in which we can relate to the rest of life i.e.lordship, stewardship, kinship. Lordship implies power over and is the way that our dominant culture thinks about our place in the world. But when you consider that our planet has been in existence for more than four billion years and life forms have been developing and flourishing here for most of that time our arrival six or seven million years ago is a relatively new development. Whence then this notion of ownership? In recent years one hears talk of our responsilility to be stewards of the planet. Though more benign this attitude is still wide of the mark because it still implies superiority, “knowing better”. The third way is that of the mystics. Francis of Assisi spoke of Brother Sun and Sister Moon and Brother Ass. Ciaran Foulds in his article in this issue “ A call to kinship” develops the notion that we are intimately related to all that exists. It is a call to transformation at the deepest level.
Here at An Tairseach we acknowledge with gratitude our indebtedness to Thomas Berry. Thanks to his lifelong endeavours and of many other dedicated environmentalists we are convinced that as humans we are at a new threshold. We have realised that the Earth is our mother in the sense that we come out of the universe- every atom in our bodies and in every other body was created in the heart of the stars. We could not live for five minutes without water, without air, without food. We could not thrive without relationships, without beauty. As Berry used to say “if we were born on the moon our souls would be as barren as the landscape of the moon.”. We cannot control earth’s processes. It behoves us to bring our lives and institutions into alignment with them. Berry again “ the earth is primary, the human is derivative”. At this time of Christmas we remind ourselves of the wisdom in the Christian tradition. Jesus said” I came that they may be one”. When we look at our world we realise how far we are from living out of that wisdom. Some of the students who come here have written in this issue of discovering how profoundly we and the whole community of life are interconnected while others tell us how they try to bring new insights to their ministries in many parts of the world. “Love one another as I have loved you”. That means unto death. Yet we are not alone. The Spirit of God still broods over the waters. We are on our way to the Omega point.
2. Thomas Berry - Remembered, Celebrated
More than sixty people gathered at the Dominican Ecology Centre on Saturday 7 November 2009 to remember and celebrate the life of Thomas Berry, who died on 1 June, 2009 at the age of 94.
Marian O’Sullivan welcomed the guests and Pauline McGrath invited all into a reflective space during which a candle was lit by Joye Gros, a Dominican from Thomas Berry’s homeland. A presentation entitled ‘Thomas the Prophet’ by Mark McDonnell began with slides of magnificent members of numerous endangered species which ended with Berry’s words: ‘To wantonly destroy a living species is to silence the divine voice’. Background music, ‘My Heart is Moved’ rightly described the group’s response not just to the photos but to the whole afternoon’s programme.
Brother Mark, who was privileged to attend Father Thomas’s funeral mass in Jamaica, New York, aptly summarised the main teachings of Thomas Berry under three points describing the role of a prophet:-
To know the present story of the people and the signs of the times
To open people’s eyes to situate the present in the bigger story of the universe.
To nurture hope by pointing the pathway to a better future
According to Mark McDonnell, the ‘New Story’ summarised in Thomas Berry’s byword, ‘the universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects’ does give us new energy for the journey, calling us to reclaim the fundamental role of the human to appreciate the sacred dimension of the universe and to learn from it.
Following Mark’s overview and questions, those gathered watched the dvd ‘Thomas Berry - The Great Story: the Life and Work of the Famous Eco-theologian’. The narration, together with stories shared by various people whose personal and professional lives have been influenced by Thomas Berry, wove an interesting tapestry of his life, what influenced him and the convictions he held.
Before sharing refreshments and socialising with each other, the participants proceeded in silence to the garden where they gathered to plant a magnolia tree, surrounded by crocuses, in memory of
Thomas Berry. The ritual included a poignant litany of remembrance not only of Thomas, but of all creation and concluded with singing ‘Touch the Earth’. The magnolia tree, planted where it will be seen by all who enter the garden at An Tairseach, is a fitting memorial to a man whose benchmark for judging decisions was how they would affect the welfare of the flowering meadow.
Miriam Bruder, SSND
Welcome to our newsletter 2009! As you are aware, the objective of An Tairseach is to practice sustainable farming and to use the land as a resource for education in how to live sustain ably, delighting in the beauty and diversity of the natural world. This leads to an exploration of spirituality and theology in an evolving world.
In this newsletter, we would like to share with you news of what and how we have been doing at An Tairseach over the course of this last year. Also, we are pleased to tell tales of people who have passed through An Tairseach and have gone on to raise new levels of awareness and consciousness of how we are relating to Mother Earth and how we might improve, develop and enhance that relationship.
THE FARM
As part of our aim to model a healthy relationship with Mother Earth, we continue to implement strategies to bring the workings of the farm to as high a level of sustainability and self-sufficiency as possible. As always the focus has been the production of organic vegetables, pork, beef and lamb which are sold through our farm shop and at Farmer’s Markets. This year the unusually wet summer made the growing of vegetables particularly difficult. However most of the crops yielded a satisfactory harvest. We are always searching for new ways to make the farm more sustainable. This year we concentrated on the harvesting of rainwater. Added to the water barrels already in use, an old reservoir on the farm has been reconstructed and new pipes laid. This of course helps with the drainage of the land, but as importantly, it harvests the rainfall. The collected water is currently used for the animals and to irrigate the polytunnels. Furthermore there is scope for future expansion of this system of water harvesting. Other farm improvements have continued throughout the year. We had a change of farm manager in January. Jason Graham left us after eight years and was replaced by James Fox who has continued in the same tradition. Last week two beautiful new calves were born.
Our Conservation Area, with its habitats for wild-life and where field studies can take place continues to bring joy and awareness to all who visit. Everyone, including those who take part in our regular farm walks are amazed at the beauty of our farm and the Conservation Area, the evidence of care and the stunning views.
SCHOOL TOURS
Dympna Travers facilitates the school tours and the children who come along to them continue to be engaged and delighted by them. Dympna’s mission is to encourage children to listen to nature….. the song of the birds, the bleating of the sheep, the murmur of the stream over the pebbles and stones ….. to really see and become more aware of the quiet and often unnoticed wonders of nature everywhere about us. A simple walk around the farm with Dympna is an exercise in gentle awe.
After the freedom and beauty of the farm, the tour moves on to the Cosmic Garden. Children really enjoy the Universe Story and using large pictures and Pauline’s carefully painted stones, this is Dympna’s chance to show children how we are all related in the web of life: - how tiny worms had the very first wee brains which eventually developed to give us our brains; how little trilobites had 200 eyes of clear crystals billions of years ago; jellyfish were the very first animals to have muscles and a nervous system; lobe-finned fish developed gills into lungs and then gave us our feet and
appreciating and incorporating indigenous wisdom in developing a new consciousness
South America
Across Latin America there has been a "re-appearance" of indigenous people over the past decade or so. The dominance of the Spanish empire and the “independence” that followed have been challenged by the invisible dark-skinned native majorities in various countries. The election of several national Presidents who do not belong to the traditional white elite has shaken the comfortable status quo and questioned the current industrial-military model. Part of this renaissance is a re-awakening of the traditional indigenous cosmology and articulation of its values.
Native peoples across this continent for centuries have ritualised their reciprocal relationship with Pacha Mama (the Earth Mother) in their homes, practised an ecological wisdom in their agriculture and had a strong sense of earth community. Something new is slowly happening, diverse groups are networking and articulating a spirituality rooted in the best of their traditions. Still there are very few publications available beyond what Leonardo Boff or Ivone Gebara are writing in Brazil. Some church groups are beginning to awaken, but most are locked into the old patriarchal theology and wish to eradicate liberation theology and Christian base communities.
Of course it is all happening in the midst of postmodernism and young people are torn between traditional life and the onslaught of technology. It may be too early to guess who will win out in the long run. If the networking grows they may be able to offer to the world a new way of being – with the best of their cultures (eg. solidarity, sense of the common good, vital relationship with the cosmos) adapted to the reality of a post-modern on-line world.
I find myself, living in Bolivia, not too clear about what the future holds, happy to be able at least to accompany people. We work with street-kids here, high on glue most of the time, scarred bodies slowly dying in adolescence, a constant reminder that we need a radically new way of being.
John Casey
New Zealand
It's two years now since I finished the An Tairseach course. I'm still integrating the implications of my time there into my life and work. Personally the course gave me a greater awe at the wonder and mystery of the universe and our planet. It has given me a much more "earthed" spirituality and means I read questions or issues from that perspective as well. It has given me the desire to bring a greener dimension to theology and pastoral work.
I have three main works here as a priest in the Archdiocese of Wellington, NZ. I work as a Catholic chaplain to the indigenous Maori people of this land, I have responsibilities as Vicar-General in the diocese and am chair of the advisory board for Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.
In terms of the work with Maori their traditional understanding of themselves integrates their individual and tribal identities with the land, mountains and rivers. It's an intuitive and deep understanding. Sadly though with the urbanization of Maori in the last fifty years and the loss of much of their lands this identification has been weakened for many.
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand supports many projects with an Earthcare perspective and has run two successive annual national education programmes on land issues. However I think it will take a long time to really integrate the New Story into liturgical and pastoral life. Some will say the dualistic and anthropocentric worldviews that underlie many Catholic liturgical prayers and practices make such an integration impossible. I think it will have to come from practical involvements/projects of parishes and Church communities.
Here I am proposing a project for the five parishes of our pastoral area. The parishes all front onto a beautiful harbour and the rivers that feed into it. Both the harbour and the rivers are threatened by pollution. My proposal is that the Catholic parishes and Christian Churches of the area enter into a partnership with the local Maori tribe, the city council and other interested parties to protect the harbour and the waterways flowing into it.
We have still to establish with the parishes what particular responsibilities they will undertake to "concretize" (unfortunate word) this commitment. As well as supporting practical anti-pollution measures I think a shift in the paradigm of spirituality is needed. What I am thinking of is tying baptismal preparation commitments into care of water generally - a "waters of life" theme linking the beginnings of Christian life in the waters of baptism with the beginnings of all life in the "holy waters" flowing in our rivers. It's to link rather than separate ordinary water and "holy water".
Gerard Burns
Since returning home to New Zealand earlier this year, I have been stationed in Jerusalem on the Whanganui River. Jerusalem is a small settlement clustered around Patiarero Marae. This is where, in 1883 Suzanne Aubert came to assist in rejuvenating the Catholic Mission station, and where subsequently, the Sisters of Compassion were founded. What was three days canoe trip from Wanganui for Suzanne and our early sisters, now takes us just one hour twenty minutes, on an almost completely tar-sealed road.
The silence, the tranquillity and the beauty of this picturesque valley with the historic church draws thousands of visitors each year, many from beyond our shores.
The setting of our mission in Jerusalem could not be more different from that of the Compassion Centre. Coming from an active social service centre in the heart of our capital city, to this remote Maori settlement in the country has been quite a change!
For me, being in Jerusalem is the first experience I have had working in a Maori community context. I have worked with and alongside Maori people before, but not within their cultural framework. It is a great opportunity to learn, to consider with Sisters Sue and Anna Maria, where I and we can contribute, in ways the local community sees as helpful to them. I am certainly conscious of how much I need to learn and am delighted that two young local women have returned to Jerusalem to live and are restarting the Kohanga Reo, where I hope I can soon be one of the ‘aunties’. They also plan to begin Te Reo classes for adult locals. It is the right time for me to be here!
I am gradually being able to put into practice what I have learned about sustainable living. Our water tanks, bringing piped spring water, do not have a limitless supply, and the river which so dominates the area, makes one very aware of the preciousness of water. Being part of the local school’s recent study of the local bird-life has also increased my awareness of the beauty and diversity of nature. On a single journey into Wanganui, we can see wild peacocks, pheasants, interestingly coloured goats, and birds of great variety. I have loved watching the trees through the changing seasons and the river in its varied moods. We live in a stunning environment of great natural beauty.
‘The Sisters’ as we are known here, have an established organic vegetable garden, so I’m now learning the practical application of some of the theory I learned in Ireland. Establishing a worm farm; doing different types of composting; learning with the local community, about saving and propagating the old fruit trees, some of which Suzanne and the early Sisters planted. It’s all very down-to-earth and it provides a great way of getting to know people as we participate side by side in local ventures.
Come and visit. Better still, stay a while! We accommodate up to 20 in the Old Convent.
Margaret Mary Murphy
North America
My sabbatical time at An Tairseach continues to inspire and influence my ministry and my personal life.
As Director of the Dominican Centre for Spirituality, I work with a team in sponsoring and speaking at conferences, retreats, days of reflection, etc. The reality of our expanding Universe is a truth that directs my spirituality and how I try to live my life. Our Dominican community now celebrates both Equinoxes and both Solstices.
I am on the Boards of two large Catholic High Schools and always do the opening prayers which embody the truths of the New Story.
I can never properly convey how profoundly I was touched by my experience at An Tairseach. I remain forever grateful.
Carol Mayes,
Who from the beginning has moved over the Earth, shaping its development, guiding its history and renewing it as an unfailing source of life and energy?
Who breathes life into my spirit, touches my heart and moves my body to dance to its music?
Who works through human cultures and religions to give meaning and purpose to our lives?
Who prays and dreams in the depths of the human spirit with sighs, hopes, and symbols too deep for words?
Who labours and hopes in the heart of the Earth in expectation of a liberation and fulfilment beyond my richest and wildest dreams?
Some thoughts during my stay in An Tairseach Ecology Centre where I have been energised, inspired, empowered and challenged.
Christaline Ockers
The ten-week sabbatical programme which we offer twice a year on ecological spirituality and sustainability continues to attract people from all over the world and this year we have had people from Ireland, England, India, Sri Lanka, Zambia, USA, Canada, Bolivia and Peru.
….a personal reflection by a missionary sister working in Peru.
‘Consciousness waking, holy and whole,
Creation, stirring, birthing anew’
And so in the cosmic garden at An Tairseach our day in the sabbatical programme begins as we experience mystery in movement and song, in stillness and silence.
During our time at An Tairseach we reflected on the longest story ever told- and which is still evolving - the great Universe Story. With their sophisticated instruments scientists can now tell us pretty accurately how and when the universe flared into being 13.7 billion years ago and continued to evolve in what has been described by Thomas Berry as ‘many cosmic moments of grace’. Everything we are , have ever been, or hope to be, is rooted in the moment when time and space began and life burst forth.
But, as we learn from the words of Thomas Berry - we are in between stories… the old, or mechanistic world-view, which has proved devastating for the planet, is gradually being replaced, whilst the new is offering a transforming context for our lives, our hopes, our dreams. The challenge is to reconnect more deeply with our innate sense of being part of the community of all creation, rather than apart from it.
The discoveries of modern science and the spirituality of the mystics combine to convince us that a different way is possible. Both science and religion are necessary, as Einstein pointed out -
‘Science without Religion is lame, Religion without Science is blind’
The split between them led to a loss of the sense of mystery. Our contemporary world is awakening once again to the reality and wonder of Earth.
So, as we explored together this new vision for our time, the story, the one story, of the emergence of life in its unity and diversity, we began to discover together a vivid and living sense of this inter-connectedness with all life. Like the rest of creation, ’I am a speck of stardust with a spark of the divine’. It was a time to pause and try to absorb this wonder with emotions, intellect and experience.
As well as lectures, art, movement, meditation, walking the labyrinth, some of the most precious moments for me were out on the nature walks. Seeing and listening to the sea, the birds, the trees and plants, the animals in the fields or the insects or variety of life all around, or feeling the gentle breeze or contemplating the sunrise or sunset, my awareness of a ‘myriad hues of being’ became awakened more and more.
All of these experiences helped me, too, to reflect on the beauty and significance of all Earth’s species, and the urgent need to try and protect them from extinction- ‘the loss of any species is the loss of one colour more from the rainbow of life’s diversity” (The Saving Heart of the World, by John Feehan)
Now, that the sabbatical is coming to an end, I feel very grateful but challenged to be more sensitive and committed to the great issues of environment, climate change, alternative ways of living. It has been a very graced experience; I have felt more and more drawn into the unfolding beauty, magnificence and mystery, the sacredness and vulnerability of all that is.
“The day of my spiritual awakening was the day I saw- and knew I saw- all things in God, and God in all things” (Mechtild of Magdeburg)
Mary Neylon
Besides the sabbatical we had a week-long conference during January, two retreats last Summer and a week-long course for primary teachers. Throughout the year we offered courses on Vegetarian Cooking, Organic Gardening, Sacred Circle Dance, Art, Meditation, Scripture and Cosmology. We celebrated the equinoxes and solstices with a growing number of interested participants. Also, the centre has been used by a variety of groups such as Wicklow Disability Group, Sunbeam Outreach Services, Yoga Classes, Bridge Club and Transition Towns.
We have had visits from Eamon Ryan, Minister for Energy and Trevor Sargent, Minister for Food, and on May 24th, An Tairseach took part in an RTE programme called Spirit Level.
While there have not been many changes to our activities and work this year, it has been both busy and satisfying. In spite of the recession we look forward in hope. With such good people around us the future looks good. Making a contribution to the welfare of the planet and all its life forms including the human community is a daunting challenge but a rewarding one.
Symph Watson.
7. Working for a Change of Consciousness in Ireland ...
The Be the Change Symposium, whose guiding principles are creating ‘an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just presence on our planet’ is one of the ways currently contributing to bringing about a change in consciousness.…..
Mary Connaughton
I attended the Sabbatical Course in March 2007 and since then I have been blessed with lots of opportunities to explore our wonderful Universe. My companion in community, Rosaleen, and I prepared a presentation on the evolution of the universe and in 2008 we presented it to several of the religious communities in the Dublin and surrounding area. In October 2008 we did a training weekend for the 'Be the Change' programme and that was a mind-blowing experience. Since then we have been involved with teams in presenting the Seminar 'Awakening the Dreamer' or better known as 'Be the Change' to local community groups, schools, women’s clubs and many more. It has given us a great sense of urgency about protecting our lovely planet. Our work on the Green Sod Land Trust goes on in leaps and bounds. The purpose of this Trust is to facilitate the conservation of land with its native biodiversity for the sake of present and future generations. We have received some land into the Trust and are now in the process of training volunteers….twenty-five third level students from University College Galway to work with us. Here in Dublin we hold a cosmology meeting in Booterstown Convent on the second Monday of every month. All are welcome to attend.
Kathleen Kennedy
After my sabbatical in An Tairseach I spent some time in Canada and Zambia On my return I trained as a facilitator for ‘Be the Change’ which has put me in touch with many people concerned about the threat to the planet and has enabled me to create awareness among many groups in Portlaoise , Ballygriffin and Mount St Annes. I hope to continue this work during the year ahead and take on some practical project with a group here in Portlaoise.
Michael J Godfrey
With Fergus Reilly I undertook the Training Programme for 'Be the Change' recently and I think there were about fifteen graduates of An Tairseach out of about forty on the program. Well done.
Maeve McMahon
I go to St. Dominic's College, Ballyfermot, to direct a unit for Transition Year students entitled, Our Universe, Our Planet, Our Lives. This is a ten weeks project of an hour and a half per week in which I invite the young people to accompany me on a journey. We spend time considering our Amazing Universe, Climate Change and the necessity to develop resilience while making a conscious effort to recycle and to cut down on carbon emissions. I believe that some of these students have been deeply touched and will relate to our planet in a new way.
One sunny day in early autumn I brought a bottle of lavender essential oil to the Cosmic Garden. I focused on a lavender plant there and remembered the phrase: ‘I open my eyes that I may see and I close my eyes that I may see’. So I looked, wondering at the variety of colours, the leaf shape, the plant structure, the stem …..I closed my eyes, so much mystery to be drawn into…..
Lavender consists of clusters of blueish- purple flowers on tall, slender stems that draw in energy from deep within the earth. Blue is the colour of healing. They reach up to the sunlight, the source of energy on which life depends. Along the stems are evenly placed small, delicate silver-green leaves.
I am reminded of Ezechiel: 47: 12 : ‘…and the leaves are medicinal, healing’. The use of healing plants spans continents, cultures and centuries. The story I see in the plant is the story of its healing properties. Lavender especially is used to heal a wide variety of complaints and is described as healing, balancing, harmonising, soothing and calming. This knowledge was well known to our ancestors.
Here in the garden contemplating the lavender I see many levels to ponder….the distillation process that transfers oil from plant to bottle, yes, but there is another level. I am wondering about the very essence, that which makes something what it is, the lavenderness. What is this life force, energy, neart? How does this energy-transfer take place? What other secrets are hidden within? So much mystery.
I go further and ask what is the bigger story of this beautifully formed, flowering plant, that holds so much promise?
One of the fascinating exercises for me during this sabbatical course was to follow the Universe 13.7 billion story back in time. One hundred and ten million years ago, as encased seeds evolved, Earth’s flowering plants bloomed for the first time. Anthophyta seeds are packed with nutrients so the young plant can thrive. I wonder at that evolutionary leap forward that we often take for granted, as I look at the seeds here in the Cosmic Garden.
I reflect on the pollination process. Of the 290,000 species of flowering plant classified, only 20,000 species are pollinated by wind and water. This means all of the others depend on animals for pollination. Within the immensity of the universe story I find also the intimacy and the wonder of interconnectedness; in the cycle of life, flowers provide nectar and food for animals and they in turn spread pollen and seeds for the plants. I can think of bees as primary pollinators, yet I have to remind myself that bees evolved much later than flowering plants and it was beetles that were among the first insects to pollinate flowers. I ponder the emergence of photosynthesis, this innovation that captures sun energy and through a complex process causes oxygen to be released — thus making the life of land animals possible. But then the story unfolds further and further back to the great flaring forth and I arrive back at …..Mystery.
The lavender plant may appear small but it is part of the unfolding and evolving story; it has blossomed all summer, it has played its part and now it is time for it to die back. …. death that there may be life, the interacting of the elements that life may be sustained. There is a divine energetic continuum flowing through everything. Thomas Aquinas saw the natural world as the primary revelation of the divine; in nature the word of God is written.
I will finish by remembering the gift of sight, developed some 540 million years ago by the trilobites. It was they who evolved the first eyes out of crystal and they had hundreds of eyes…...and now I close my eyes that I may see and I open my eyes that I may see….
9. The Transition Town Initiative
…..another tool for changing consciousness?
What is it?
The Transition Towns Initiative is part of a vibrant, international grassroots movement that brings people together to explore how we – as communities - can respond to the environmental, economic and social challenges arising from climate change, resource depletion and an economy based on growth. We don’t look for anyone to blame or anyone to save us, but believe our communities have within themselves the innovation and ingenuity to create positive solutions to the converging crises of our time.
http://www.transitiontowns.org.nz/node/1667
While the focus and aims remain the same, the methods used to achieve these vary.
An essential aspect of Transition in many places, is that the outer work of transition needs to be matched by inner transition. That is in order to move down the energy descent pathways effectively we need to rebuild our relations with ourselves, with each other and with the "natural" worlds. That requires focusing on the heart and soul of transition.’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transition_Towns
Where is it?
The Transition Town Initiative was born in Kinsale but is now a worldwide movement. Other towns in Ireland that are currently transitioning are Kilkenny and Kildare.
Where is Wicklow Town in all of this?
Kate Hennessy, Wicklow Transition Town committee member, says ‘In Wicklow Town, a Transition group has recently formed, and links have been made with local government and existing community groups and networks. Meetings are happening regularly, with lively current discussions on gardening, food networks and the development of a local currency for Wicklow Town. A website is being developed, and a range of events and activities are being planned for 2010.’
Regina Daly was enthusiastic about the Transition Town module during the sabbatical programme.
Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day I can hear her breathing.”
Arundhati Roy
Attending Suzie Kahn’s class every Wednesday for five weeks at An Tairseach was a real joy. When Suzie began to speak her enthusiasm was infectious and I knew immediately that my heart was engaged in the discussions. At the beginning we looked at the many issues affecting our planet at this time especially the crises of peak oil and climate change. Most of us avoid thinking about what may happen when the oil runs out and we don’t often fully realise the horrific implications of global warming. It was fascinating to hear the story of a programme that is really making a difference all around the world. It began with a man called Rob Hopkins who had a background in providing positive practical solutions to environmental problems.
In 2003 Rob shared information on Peak Oil with students in Kinsale, Co. Cork. They were deeply affected by the information and worked to create the Kinsale Energy Descent Plan which set out to explore how the town might successfully make the transition to a lower-energy future. This work was the trigger for Rob’s work when he moved to Totnes in England in 2006. That initiative really took off and now the Transition movement is spreading rapidly across the world. Instead of leaving people feeling depressed and disempowered people are finding the Transition approach inspirational and communities are taking matters in their own hands and acting locally. What really enthused me about the programme was the fact that it is a very positive and life-giving response at a time that seems to be dominated by doom and gloom.
One very powerful exercise, ‘Web of connectedness/interdependence’, that Suzie did with our group really helped us to understand the Transition concept. We stood together in a very tight circle representing the variety of professions in a small town or village. A rope was then passed across and around the circle, the only rule being that as you pass the rope to someone you must make clear what your relationship is to them (e.g. I am a farmer and I bring wheat to the miller/ I run the house and I buy bread from the baker/etc). After awhile we ended up with a tight web of rope connecting us. It was very strong and we were proud of the web we had created. We were also aware of the diversity of relationships, their necessity and also their fragility. Before cheap oil our communities depended on these networks of relationships and connections.
Sometimes we can be overwhelmed by the huge challenges facing our world at this time and become almost paralysed by the enormity of it all. Attending Suzie’s class gave us a wonderful insight into the Transition Movement and gave us hope and energy for the future. We were inspired by the way that Suzie and her family ‘walk the talk’ and are involved in bringing about real change. Each of us in the group was excited about exploring new possibilities and connecting with the Transition Movement wherever we live. As Richard Heinberg reminds us “We have little time, and much to accomplish”.
An Tairseach is pleased to be involved in this local initiative; on a head and heart level by actively encouraging the movement, attending discussions and planning sessions and providing facilities when appropriate.
“We wouldn’t be the first life form to wipe itself out
But what would be unique about us is that we did it knowingly.
I mean what does that say about us?
The question I’ve been asking is..
Why didn’t we save ourselves when we had the chance?
Is the answer because on some level we weren’t sure if we were worth saving?”
Pete Postlethwaite, The Age of Stupid
…. ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son……..’Luke 15:18-19
On our last day of our 10 week course in An Tairseach we watched “The Age of Stupid”. The story began in 2055 with Pete Postlethwaite cast as the last man on earth. He was transmitting a message into outer space from a vault that contained the last remnants of a dead planet and a dead people. The remaining and final fruits of 7 million years of humanity and 4 billion years of life on earth. We had succeeded in wiping ourselves out. But why did we as a species, knowing all the dangers, allow this to happen?
Reflecting on this I began to think about the story of the prodigal son who after having wasted all of his inheritance ends up starving and in poverty. He lives with the pigs and eventually arrives at a deep point of depression and isolation. He finally decides to return to the father, to return home, to return to his kin.
If the son had known that he was worthy of love and still loved would he have returned sooner? Could he have avoided the pain, suffering and loss that came his way? And what does this story have to offer us today? What does this have to say to a people who are being warned that our inheritance, given as a gift, is about to run out? Maybe it is inevitable that we will burn the last drop of oil and cut down the last tree before we realize that it is gone, the inheritance has been spent. Maybe then as we try to survive on the scraps of what is left that we will turn back towards where we came from and return to our kin? But where then is home? Does it lie in a realm beyond death or maybe just maybe our kin is closer than we think?
Kinship Stage 1: Humanity
In 1964 at the age of 36 Jean Vanier invited Raphael Simi and Phillippe Seux, two men with disabilities to come and live with him in a small house in Torosly-Breuil in France. There they lived a life of friendship, of peace and of reconciliation. He offered these men a safe and caring place to live a dignified life but he also went beyond that, he offered them a home. Jean did not simply act in stewardship with these men but also in kinship. Over time Jean began to see them blossom and grow but also he witnessed something change within himself too; Jean discovered that healing and reconciliation within his own heart happened best when he began to live a life of communion and kinship with other humans. The community he formed came to be called L’Arche.
As a human family we have been separated and fragmented many times over in our 7 million year long story. We are a human family that has built many walls between ourselves over these years. While the reconciliation with our kin in humanity is a good beginning it is also only a first step to reconciliation with our wider family.
Kinship Stage 2 and beyond: Creation
13.7 billion years ago, the Universe flared forth into existence. 4.5 billion years ago the earth formed and 200 million years later the first forms of life appeared. This is the deeper story of who we are. Everything had a common beginning. Everything alive around us and the whole cosmos is our kin. We have a much deeper well of wisdom to draw upon than we could ever imagine.
Thomas Berry in his foreword to Bill Plotkin’s book Soulcraft says that in earlier cultures, the universe was experienced as a presence to be communed with and instructed by, not a collection of natural resources to be used for utilitarian purposes.
When Rene Descartes declared that only man has a soul and that the rest of nature is just matter we deeply wounded our kinship with creation. We have been living out of this false separation for too long. We have been losing our kinship with creation particularly in the West for many years. We turned our back on our own kin, pretending that we were no longer related. We cast aside a creation that had nurtured us from our very beginnings over 4 billion years. We cut off a connection from our elders and our ancestors, our brothers and our sisters. As a species we made ourselves orphans.
The consequences of that have been horrific for the rest of life on earth. It took until 1962 and Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring to realise that we are all connected, that when we put a harmful chemical into the land, we not only hurt other species than those intended but also we hurt ourselves. This sparked the modern environmental movement that we see today.
Here at the beginning of the 21st century when the human community gathers together to face its wounds of environmental destruction is it not a good time to reach out the hand of communion to the rest of our living kin? But how do we do that, how do we enter into kinship and not simply stewardship of creation? First we need to meet creation where it is and then we must listen and then we must allow ourselves to be transformed.
The call to kinship is a call to transformation. It is a call to be changed and to bring forth something new. When Jean Vanier entered into life with two men with disabilities he left behind the structures of life he had known, the world of academia and the world of success but in doing so he gained something far richer. So to enter into kinship with creation, what do we need to leave behind and let go of so that we may gain something far richer?
We need to risk removing ourselves from some of the constructs of humanity so that we can come closer to the form of creation. We need to place ourselves in and live among nature, we need to turn off the noise and listen to the song of the birds, get out of our cars and walk, watch the 6 o’clock news of the trees and slow down and be. Live with the seasons and the daylight, with the fruits of the earth that are offered at that time of year. But we do all this not apart from others but with others, knowing that it is community with humanity and with creation that is the truest of kinships and in this communion we may find a way to peace. And maybe we will discover that we are worth saving. Maybe then the earth will rejoice and celebrate us in the way it knows best with the million variations of colour in its plant life, the song of the birds and the dance of the sparrow and the hawk.
11. A Valuable Internet Resource
The upsurge of interest in cosmological understandings and implications, resulting from global awakenings, is well served by the website created by Fergus Reilly. The website with the address www.fergusreilly.org is a portal, a space of eclectic connections. Fergus created the website during his time on a ten-week sabbatical in An Tairseach.
Fergus talks about aspects of the website: ‘…. recently I attended the facilitator’s training for “Be the Change Symposium.” Its guiding principles are creating “an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just presence on our planet.” This will become a focus for me in the months ahead as I create links to these principles.
Some of my favourite people include Brian Swimme (over one hour of video) Thomas Berry (slide shows, audio, pdf files), Joanna Macy, Eckhart Tolle, Mary Oliver, Anne Hillman.
The Video page is a gateway to some wonderful resources in the following areas - Awakening Consciousness; Cosmology, Hubble Telescope, Food, the “New Story”; Evolution, Spirituality; Environment.’
Explore, enjoy, and continue on your own journey of discovery.
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