There have been a lot of messages lately about the nature deities and spirits and the environment, including a dream that I had. Recently, three people posted a thought for the day in the Centre for Pagan Studies Facebook group about Pan. And I also had a message in ritual from the god Frey, who cares for green things.
So this is my prayer:
Lords of Animals, Ladies of the Flowers,
Gods of green growing things and goddesses of wild animals
Teach us to tread lightly on the Earth,
And walk in harmony with Nature.
The earth, the fire, the water, and the air:
All are sacred,
And the fifth sacred thing is spirit.
Once we were wild,
and instinctively knew
how to walk in a sacred manner.
Now there is so much destruction,
that some are already in mourning,
believing that there is no hope.
I still hope, but I also fear.
May our hearts be open to your promptings,
May our hands be ready for your work
May our minds be in the service of healing
So mote it be.
4 comments:
Greetings. Thanks for this prayer which was, today of all days, particularly and powerfully relevant to me. Why? Well, on posting a piece about "Green Men and Women" about half and hour ago I noticed you had put this up. So I came over to have a look. The connections are, I think, obvious.
"No intimacy: no revelation. No revelation: no givenness of things." (Henry Bugbee) — On becoming modern "Green Men and Women"?
Warmest wishes as always,
Andrew
Excellent. Experiencing the other in its independence as truly present reminds me of Harry Hay's concept of Subject-Subject Consciousness - the idea that in a relationship, we should regard the other as a subject in their own right, not merely as the object of our desires. And this is also true of the environment, if we wish to be in (right) relationship with it.
Intriguing..Your strong opinions here and at a Quaker site (where I urled over from)have me both interested and confused:-)
This poem says, "all is sacred..."
But having worked in the mental health field, juvenile hall,witnessed young adults die of cancer...etc., I don't see how.
In your bio you say, "Don't ever call me a Christian...too many people have been killed in the name of Christianity for me ever to call myself one;"
Well yes, just the history Jesus Wars by Phillip Jenkins should give any Christian pause.
But then you say you are Pagan...
As a former anthropology major and a teacher of some forms of Paganism to students for years, I must admit your statement also gives me pause.
Would you also agree with some modern Pagans who claim war, malaria, etc. aren't bad?
Then you say, "I believe in love, wisdom and being inclusive...working for social justice..."
But how does this reconcile with many of the facts of nature? I could give many examples (as I am sure you can) where nature is cruel, heartless,etc. On our coast, elephant seals battle continually for dominance and a harem,very few survive out of thousands.
This I also find puzzling. I'm not raising these points to debate, but to try and understand your view.
See, I'm on a spiritual journey--used to be Christian, and Quaker.
In the Light,
Daniel Wilcox
Hi there Daniel
I have only just seen this comment, so apologies for not responding sooner!
When I say "all is sacred" I don't mean things like cancer or war.
You might like to read these posts that I have written at Patheos:
A Beginner's Guide to Paganism
Stephen Fry, burrowing insects, and lions and tigers and bears - a discussion of the nasty bits of nature.
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