MOVING FORWARD
On December 21, 2017 weMatthew, Skylar, and Jenniferhosted a Solstice celebration and ritual ceremony launching the Order of the Sacred Earth. About eighty people joined us at the Sacred Stream Center in Berkeley, California, while hundreds of people attended satellite events across the country and countless people live-streamed the event online.
It was a beautiful evening of reflection by our panel with the three of us and essayist Broderick Rodell, followed by contributions from participants. Music and a dance led up to the vow-taking ritual, during which each person held a sacred object, stood around an altar we created for the occasion, and took the vow: I vow to be the best lover and defender of the Earth I can be.
We received many poignant questions and wise insights and stories from the participants, and we encourage you to visit our website and watch what transpired. (orderofthesacredearth.org)
There are two very important questions that continue to come up about the OSE and we want to answer them, one more time, as succinctly as we can.
(1) Yes, I feel inspired by this vision, but I still dont understandwhat is the Order of the Sacred Earth? What is its form?
The Order of the Sacred Earth is a self-organizing, emergent movementa network of individuals and communities who are committing to the pledge to be the best lover and defender of the Earth I can be. We use the word self-organizing very intentionally because we do not want to operate in the old, patriarchal paradigm where we create a rigid structure and set of rules and implement that on anyone who wants to join, and therefore spend inordinate amounts of time, money, and energy on the bureaucratic process of managing the form. Instead, we leave it open. We are encouraging local groups to come up with forms that work for them, and to share them with the three of us so we all might collaborate. We want anyone who feels inspired by our vision to contribute to the form, to share their ideas and visions, and to co-create with others in their area as well as with us.
We have also used the word order very intentionally, understanding its double-meaning. The Order of the Sacred Earth is an Order, mirroring revolutionary religious Orders of the past which arose when societys spiritual (and in this case, sociopolitical and environmental) cultural needs were not being met. The word order also indicates the natural order of the Earth, and our use of the word mirrors our desire to bring order to the many disparate movements and organizations who are already doing the Great Work, as well as to bring order to these chaotic, turbulent times.
(2) How do I get involved?
It is of course a little difficult to tell you how to get involved with a movement whose shape is not completely formed. But there is a fundamental way you can join right now, and that is on the individual level. Create for yourself or better, with others living near you, a time and space and a ritual, and take the vow.
What we are now calling OSE Pods are beginning to form in communities all over the country: groups of people who are inspired by this message and are starting their own communities of vow-taking sacred activists to carry on the work and are discussing its fuller implementation in actions they can take. Find one and join it. Or even better, start your own.
The Order of the Sacred Earth is launched! Here are many more ways you can become involved:
Take the vow to be the best lover and defender of the Earth that you can be.
Start an OSE Pod where you live. Talk about the Order with others where you live and create your own vow-taking ceremony or event.
Visit our website to learn more and watch the video of our launch celebration: orderofthesacredearth.org
Sign up for our mailing list on the website to stay connected and be informed of all future goings on.
Donate to our cause on our Generosity crowdfunding page: http://bit.ly/OSEdonate . If you are moved to donate, we promise a transparent reporting of the use of fundsthey are intended to support the building up of the program, including awareness building, correspondence, and future events.
Share the book and create study groups to discuss it.
Stay tuned for more information about formation classes, including initiation retreats and other classes as well, which we will keep you posted about very soon.
Join our blog, and share your story about what you do, and how you are cultivating change in your communities and what visions for the OSE you carry inside. Or, tell us about another community/organization which is participating in change-making and implementing values of the OSE into their work and citizenship.
Let us rise up together as the mystic warriors that we are!
CONTRIBUTOR BIOGRAPHIES
(In Order of Appearance)
Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox has been called a maverick, a rebel, and by some a heretic. In his quest for a viable spirituality, he discovered the ancient (but often suppressed) creation spirituality tradition that honors the sacredness of all creation. He has worked closely with Native spiritual leaders, feminists, scientists, activists, and others, and got himself in trouble with his mother church and the pope. He has written 34 books on spirituality and culture (now translated in 67 languages) and has taught in many schools, including Stanford, the University of Creation Spirituality, which he founded, and the new Fox Institute for Creation Spirituality in Boulder, Colorado. He is a visiting scholar at the Academy for the Love of Learning and a professor at the new Fox Institute for Creation Spirituality. Among his books are Original Blessing, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ , A Way To God: Thomas Mertons Creation Spirituality Journal , Meister Eckhart: A Mystic Warrior for Our Times . See matthewfox.org.
Skylar Wilson
Skylar Wilson is the founder and co-director of Wild Awakenings, an adult Rites of Passage organization dedicated to the thriving of Earth, life, and humanity. Over the past 16 years, Skylar has led retreats all over the world focusing on ecological restoration, wilderness knowledge, meditation, and ceremonial practices. Skylar is director of an intercultural ritual called the Cosmic Mass, which brings together the worlds spiritual traditions into an embodied, transformational ritual that builds community through music, dancing, and the arts. He works closely with community organizations including the Stepping Stones Project in Berkeley, California, which holds Rites of Passage groups for teenagers, using a community-based curriculum. He enjoys surfing, swimming, climbing, writing, giving and receiving bodywork, as well as facilitating one-on-one integration sessions with people of all ages and backgrounds. He received his masters degree in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2012.
Jennifer Listug
Jennifer Listug works in book publishing as a private consultant for authors assisting with manuscript editing and book publicity. She is also the co-director of Wild Awakenings, an adult Rites of Passage organization dedicated to fostering the thriving of Earth, life, and humanity. Jennifer was on the board of trustees at the Unity in Marin Spiritual Community for three years, serving as the board president for 18 months. Also at Unity in Marin, Jennifer was a guest speaker for Sunday mornings, led Rites of Passage groups for teenagers, and founded a young adult interfaith group committed to conscious connection, community service, and social activism. She is a passionate hiker, reader, writer, and public speaker.
