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* Letter No.8 * July 2018 *

just keep growing

Hi dear Earthlings!  * * * * *

How has your summer been? Mine so far is a summer of transition, road trips, learning, processing, and clearing away clutter - physically, digitally, & emotionally. (+ trying to be floating in cool bodies of water as much as possible). I've been thinking a lot about this country we call America, about my own ignorance & privilege, about healing, art, and what's next for me personally and for this adventure/experiment known as Church of Earth. 

I don't have any big events or projects planned right now, but some things are starting to take form.  I'm feeling drawn to make lots and lots of art of all kinds using repurposed "trash"/ found materials -- paintings, wall hangings, clothes, cloth napkins. I'm in the midst of writing my story of sexual assault and the effect its had on my life, what I've learned about healing. I'm becoming fascinated with herbalism and foraging for edible plants. I've been craving talking circles, action-oriented workshops, opportunities to be of service and connect with others.  Are there any juicy human topics you are interested in discussing?  Anything you're interested in learning about?  What's important to you right now? 

 
Quote by Maya Angelou outside of the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama

This past month I had the opportunity to travel with my mom and grandma through a handful of states in the southern U.S. — an area unfamiliar to me. On the journey we stopped at many different civil rights museums and memorials, and witnessed places where historical acts of both cruelty and incredible bravery occurred in this country as black people fought (and still fight) to be treated as equal human beings.

While I've learned about these things somewhat in public school and tried to educate myself in recent years, it was very different to be immersed in these places and come face to face with the disturbing and heartbreaking reality of this country, a wound that still has not been given the respect, energy and space to truly heal.  In many ways I felt stupid, like I was seeing the U.S. for the first time.  As a white person who has spent the majority of my life pretty insulated from racial issues (& diversity) in Colorado, the physical experience of being in the South was striking to me and forced me to take a deeper look at my own internalized racial biases and all the messy uncomfortable guilt, shame, anger, confusion, and grief that comes along with it. Acknowledging on a deeper level that the privileges and opportunities I've been given in my life come at the cost of the oppression and disenfranchisement of others. 

These things are difficult to look at, and process, and know what to do with. But I know that we have to do it — we have to face the reality even if it's uncomfortable, because we can't really help fix things without understanding how broken they are. 

I have so much awe and deep respect for all the people that have put their lives on the line in the fight for civil & human rights, and continue to this day. I'm reminded that revolutionary change requires the bravery, action, and thoughtfulness of everyday individuals, over and over and over again. 

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On the summer solstice, I drove out to the Sky Lake Cypress Preserve in Mississippi. Some of the trees there were almost 2,000 years old. Watching the sublime patterns of light on the water and listening to the bird & insect sounds of the swamp, I tried to fathom one thousand, two thousand years in this same spot. Some of these trees had started growing long before the "United States" was ever conceived. They've continued growing throughout the human experiment as it expanded here and entrenched itself — through European immigration & colonization, through generations of violence towards native people & enslaved Africans and their descendants — through all the cycles of human civilization and its struggles to evolve, these trees have reached deeper and anchored into the rich nutrient Earth. They've just kept growing. They continue to grow now, in this new place and time that we find ourselves, where so many things are at stake. 

It was humbling to remember that with all the mess we humans have created amongst ourselves and our environments, and the pain of our histories and present, there are much bigger forces at work, silent and strong. Resilient, wise, and healing. Forces we can return to to remember our own strength, grace, persistence, and capacity for growth. 

It's not always going to be easy or pretty. But the struggle for social and environmental justice is worth it, and I believe that we are getting stronger and wiser and more resilient, more free and wild in the process. I'm moved and motivated to see people around me and online doing this work. When we have the courage to see things as they are, and be open to learning and growing as much as we can, we can break the cycles of a very violent and heartbreaking history of humanity, not just in this country but on this planet. We have so many opportunities now to learn from our ancestors and create new, healthier structures for our descendants. Even when it's so uncomfortable, tragic, confusing, or overwhelming, we can remember to just keep growing

 
A thousand + year old Cypress Tree at Sky Lake 


earthling book club



I don't know about you, but summer is the time of the year where I'm most likely to actually finish a book!! Here are some Earth-themed books that have made an impact on me:

The Secret Life of Plants — By Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird
This book blew my mind and changed the way I think about the plant world and reality in general. It demonstrates through a variety of scientific experiments of the last couple centuries that plants are very much conscious beings. Prepare to be amazed.

Active Hope: How To Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy — by Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone
This highly relevant book offers really helpful perspectives and deep wisdoms on the time we're living in, which Joanna Macy refers to as the "Great Turning". There are exercises throughout the book to deal with the grief and confusion we might be experiencing, and how to continue on with grace. 

Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered — by Bill Devall and George Sessions
This book is full of interesting perspectives on how we can shift the way we live to being less anthropocentric (human-focused) and instead more integrated into the whole of life. It addresses topics like capitalism, destruction, individualism, technology — and offers solutions through examples of different environmental philosophies.  

 



GOOD NEWS TODAY ON PLANET EARTH: 


1. The fossil fuel industry is weaker than ever. May it rest in peace. 

2. In October of this year, London will be powered by 100% renewable energy! 

3. In the Philippines, a group of Christians attended a Pride parade to apologize for how they'd treated the LGBTQ community. 
 
4. 73 million trees will be planted in the Brazilian Amazon in the largest reforestation project ever

5. The state of Rhode Island filed a lawsuit against 21 major oil companies "for knowingly contributing to climate change, and causing catastrophic consequences to Rhode Island, our economy, our communities, our residents, our ecosystems." 

6. Plastic straws are starting to disappear from Fort Collins restaurants

 


DIRECT ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:

1. Be aware of your water 
This has been a particularly dry summer in western Colorado, with wildfires across the state. It's got me thinking about water and how often I take it for granted. My parents have some simple ways of saving water that I think are pretty cool/easy to implement: 

 
* Use smaller containers to hand wash your dishes (with nontoxic dish soap) so you don't have to fill up the whole sink basin. Then use the remaining water in the containers to water your plants/yard outside ! *



* Keep a bucket to collect water while you shower. This water can also be given to thirsty plants. *

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This might not be as relevant to you if you live in a wetter climate but regardless I think it's important to think about where our water comes from and respect the life it gives us. <3 

 
So, there was a lot of "I" in this letter which now feels somewhat uncomfortable. This newsletter is an experiment every time ~ trying to keep it flexible and open to adjustments and feedback :). This is intended to be an offering of positivity and information, and hopefully a means for healing in some way...at the very least a starting point for conversation/contemplation. I'd love to hear other perspectives and talk more in depth about these things if anyone is interested. 

Anyway, all I can hope is that this newsletter can be of benefit in some way, even if it's just a medium for me to process my own experience and feel connected to you all through the interwebs. Wishing you all the bright energy of summer and nights FULL of stars ~ * ~ 

love, 
Rachel 
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