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SEPTEMBER 2019 NEWSLETTER
“The Peace of Wild Things”
By Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
(The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry,
Berkeley: Counterpoint, 1998, p. 30)
We hope this newsletter supports your own work for the flourishing of the Earth community in these challenging times.
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“Simple Gifts for Mother Earth”
On September 11 at 7pm the United Church on the Green in New Haven, CT, USA will host “Simple Gifts for Mother Earth,” an evening of music, conversation, and inspiration to address the climate crisis. This is organized by the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology and Marika Kuzma. This event will be held in advance of the September 20-27 Global Climate Strike, including local events on the New Haven Green and the UN Climate Action Summit. Admission is free. Speakers and performers include: Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Karenna Gore, Mary Evelyn Tucker, Paul Winter, Franz Nicolay, Melinda Tuhus, Kazemi Adachi, Adrian Huq, Viveca Morris, Ben Levin, Nefesh Cordero-Pino, Manu Kumasi, and the Chamber Orchestra with Marika Kuzma. See the schedule, resources, and sponsors on the event page.
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“Faiths for Forests Declaration”
At the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace, religious and spiritual leaders from all over the world united to affirm their commitment to end tropical deforestation and stand in solidarity with the indigenous peoples that serve as their guardians. Recognizing the need for urgent and decisive action to address deforestation as a driver of species loss, deepening inequality and climate change, over 900 religious leaders from 125 countries endorsed the “Faiths for Forests Declaration.” This Declaration by the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative recognizes a “profound moral obligation to make care for tropical forests a top spiritual priority” and commits religious leaders to raising awareness about the deforestation crisis within their communities, places of worship and congregations as an expression of their care for Earth. Read the “Faiths for Forests Declaration” and watch a short video with Jane Goodall about the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative.
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Endangered Species Under Threat
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Journey of the Universe Podcasts:
“Permaculture” and “Indigenous Ways of Knowing”
This month we explore conversations that focus on knowledge that arises from the land and our sense of place. In our conversation on “Permaculture,” Penny Livingston discusses permaculture as an agricultural practice that increases biodiversity and helps us to understand our place in the story of the universe. In our conversation on “Indigenous Ways of Knowing,” David Begay and Nancy Maryboy invite us to understand Navajo ways of knowing. They describe a worldview that is place-based, emphasizes kinship and connection, and intimately orients the human within an interrelated and unified cosmos. Learn more by visiting the Journey of the Universe website. You can sign up for the Journey newsletter here.
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