Lugnasa Garlic Planting Moon
Presented Homecoming: Faith of a Pagan at Groveland UU this morning. They’ve honored me by having me come regularly for over 20 years. Fewer and fewer times as I’ve moved away from the ministry, but still, each year, at least once, often twice.
There’s something about an immediate audience that makes writing fresher, harder, cleaner. During the discussion after the presentation I found myself explaining my reimagining faith project and the more I said, the more enthused I became. Strange, I know, but that’s what happened. Partly I could see connections, heads nodding. This was taking root as an idea.
“Are you trying to start a movement?” one long time Grovelander asked.
Made me stop and think. No, I’m not. But I’m trying to get clear enough to write down my thoughts, make them into a book, because I feel this reimagined faith needs to be part of everyone’s inner tool kit. I don’t mean it needs to replace your Buddhism or Christianity or Judaism or Sikhism. It can be an adjunct, a both/and. Or, like me, it can be whole deal.
An essential awareness of and responsiveness to the world in which we live, the planet on which we depend has too often been lost, especially in developed countries. Now, too, developing countries like the BRIK nations. Unfortunately, those are the very spots where this kind of earth mindfulness is most needed. These countries are the ones that make decisions large and small that effect the future of human life on this planet.
Another Grovelander, a young Macalester student, challenged my pushing off against Christianity as an example of a metaphysic that distances us from the world. She was right. This message needs to penetrate especially religious and economic ideologies, be attractive rather than repulsive. Yet still strong enough to bite. Not an easy task.
But, hey? If it was easy, someone would have already done it.
(illustration above: The Green Knight Gesso tells the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from the Green Knight’s perspective. The old ways are parting for the new, yet in the ancient there is wisdom to learn and to be retained. The Green Knight is symbolic of ancient wisdom.)
