I'm closing a circle tonight. A circle I have been holding with countless others, that our countries might do something at the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference that would bring the human family together around our common planetary crisis.
I've wondered why I was so focused on this event, when so many political world events have come and gone in my relatively apolitical life. Of course, the issue is rather compelling... only the survival of the earth... you'll forgive me, I hope, if I confess that I haven't really comprehended at a gut level this potential reality.
Tonight I know why I was so intrigued... by Bill McKinnon's invitation to candle vigils at http://www.350.org/, the World Council of Churches bell-ringing campaign at http://www.oikoumene.org/en/events-sections/countdown-to-climate-justice/bellringing.html, the Real Deal initiative at http://tcktcktck.org/events/major-moments/real-deal , the signature campaign at https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_copenhagen/ , and by the smaller initiatives I featured in this blog, sent out through the women's networks that I participate it... by all the moment-by-moment Internet weaving that happened through Facebook and Twitter and...
It wasn't the leaders who were making history these past two weeks... WE were making history! WE were the voices of the masses connected and empowered by technology! And I participated... I participated in the greatest self-organization of human beings yet to be seen on this planet!
WE mobilized ourselves...no one told us to. WE spoke our passions and hopes, our observations and demands! And WE were united, not so much in the details of our perspectives, but very much in the sense of mutual accountability for our One Interconnected Home World. There is no question that this united awareness will be a lasting "accord" of great significance...
Showing posts with label UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. Show all posts
Friday, December 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
A global moment... time to attend and intend
Those who can sense the inner aspects of this global moment, speak of a rising tide of unity... a growing awareness of our one planet. No matter what the outcome of the Copenhagen talks, this awareness is unstoppable! Once the truth of inter-connectedness is made visible, there is no returning to blindness.
There are so many visible threads of this "rising tide"...
I am left crying at the first 3 headlines of Copenhagen's official website http://en.cop15.dk/ Wednesday evening. Japan: 15 billion dollars in climate aid / Kerry: US to pass "major" climate legislation / Countries pledge billions to protect rainforests... positive news ... even though the negotiations have left much to be done by the world's leaders arriving for Thursday and Friday's work...
Then http://www.350.org/ speaks of unity among over 100 countries and throughout Africa because of their initiative. And Bill McKibben, though 350 ppm will probably not be included in the emerging agreement, continues to invite the grassroots into participation... by calling our leaders and leaving a message, or by fasting on Thursday. Fasting... like Ghandi... fasting together and listening for truth... Imagine...
And while women's perspectives are not yet very visible at the negotiating table, they were prominent at the Parliament of the World's Religions just proceeding the Copenhagen talks, and they partnered with a strong indigenous presence as well. An aboriginal Elder shared the dias with the Dalai Lama at the Parliament's Concluding Ceremony... painted stones were given out as participants left the hall [See Glenys Livingstone's blog at http://medusacoils.blogspot.com/ ]. Imagine representatives of every religion being given such a reminder of the importance of the earth itself...
The indigenous perspective on the Earth, as our collective home, as a sacredness, as our Mother, is surely one aspect of the "Sacred Feminine". In a sense, all the negotiations at Copenhagen are about approximating this perspective, this indigenous feminine point of view... we are one earth, everyone accountable.
The BEIJING DECLARATION OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN, created at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, Huairou, Beijing, 1995, states:
1. The Earth is our mother. From her we get our life, and our ability to live. It is our responsibility to care for our mother and in caring for our mother, we care for ourselves. Women, all females are a manifestation of Mother Earth in human form.
See the whole declaration at http://www.ipcb.org/resolutions/htmls/dec_beijing.html .
[See also how women are working on climate change locally:
http://www.wayswomenlead.net/home/global-news-2/indiagrassrootswomanleadsresponsetolocalclimatechange (adapting to flood conditions);
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49563 (example given of women tending forests holistically);
http://www.wedo.org/learn/campaigns/climatechange/global-gender-and-climate-alliance (working since Bali 2007)]
There are so many visible threads of this "rising tide"...
I am left crying at the first 3 headlines of Copenhagen's official website http://en.cop15.dk/ Wednesday evening. Japan: 15 billion dollars in climate aid / Kerry: US to pass "major" climate legislation / Countries pledge billions to protect rainforests... positive news ... even though the negotiations have left much to be done by the world's leaders arriving for Thursday and Friday's work...
Then http://www.350.org/ speaks of unity among over 100 countries and throughout Africa because of their initiative. And Bill McKibben, though 350 ppm will probably not be included in the emerging agreement, continues to invite the grassroots into participation... by calling our leaders and leaving a message, or by fasting on Thursday. Fasting... like Ghandi... fasting together and listening for truth... Imagine...
And while women's perspectives are not yet very visible at the negotiating table, they were prominent at the Parliament of the World's Religions just proceeding the Copenhagen talks, and they partnered with a strong indigenous presence as well. An aboriginal Elder shared the dias with the Dalai Lama at the Parliament's Concluding Ceremony... painted stones were given out as participants left the hall [See Glenys Livingstone's blog at http://medusacoils.blogspot.com/ ]. Imagine representatives of every religion being given such a reminder of the importance of the earth itself...
The indigenous perspective on the Earth, as our collective home, as a sacredness, as our Mother, is surely one aspect of the "Sacred Feminine". In a sense, all the negotiations at Copenhagen are about approximating this perspective, this indigenous feminine point of view... we are one earth, everyone accountable.
The BEIJING DECLARATION OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN, created at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, Huairou, Beijing, 1995, states:
1. The Earth is our mother. From her we get our life, and our ability to live. It is our responsibility to care for our mother and in caring for our mother, we care for ourselves. Women, all females are a manifestation of Mother Earth in human form.
See the whole declaration at http://www.ipcb.org/resolutions/htmls/dec_beijing.html .
[See also how women are working on climate change locally:
http://www.wayswomenlead.net/home/global-news-2/indiagrassrootswomanleadsresponsetolocalclimatechange (adapting to flood conditions);
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49563 (example given of women tending forests holistically);
http://www.wedo.org/learn/campaigns/climatechange/global-gender-and-climate-alliance (working since Bali 2007)]
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
What if the Divine Feminine in-formed the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference?
One of the most exciting panels at the Parliament of the World's Religions last week was on the Divine Feminine, and later, Sister Joan Chittester was the catalyst for a question and answer session on the Divine Feminine that drew over 500 people. Sister Joan was then set to travel to the Copenhagen talks on Climate Change. [More detail with Kathe Schaaf at http://www.womenattheparliament.blogspot.com/ .]
My friend and partner Ann Smith (Ways Women Lead, http://www.wayswomenlead.net/ ) writes of Sister Joan: Joan Chittister is known throughout the world as one of the most prophetic voices for today’s times. She is a leader in the global women’s movement. I remember when she spoke at the Women and Power Conference that was held in New York City with 1200 women attending. This was a gathering of spiritual and secular women co-sponsored by Omega Institute and Eve Ensler’s organization. It was the first time that I had experienced a blending of the two intentions. The majority of the women attending were anti-religious. Sister Joan was the only woman speaking as a religious person. She received a standing ovation with cheers to have her run for president of the US. She transformed prejudices that day, and continues to be right on in her message, a message that transcends gender and the divide between secular, religious and spiritual.
"Without the inner freedom it takes to defy the chains of convention, without the self-esteem it takes to trust our own truth, we face our worlds unprepared and unaware.” Joan Chittister
Just think about the two global conferences occurring simultaneously today... people gathered from every religious tradition on one side of the world reaching into spiritual commonalities, while representatives from 192 nations gather on the other side of the world to consider the climatic fate of the planet that rests between the two conferences. Consider Sister Joan, perhaps others, personally bridging these conferences, threading the energies of the Divine Feminine across the world into the secular world...
On the Parliament side, December 1, the Association for Global New Thought (http://www.agnt.org/) , Unity.FM, and the Gaiafield Center for Subtle Activism (http://www.gaiafield.net/; see WiseClimate2009) co-created a global blessing and meditation from the Parliament for both conferences. [Tune into the energy of this subtle activism at www.unity.fm/program/SpecialBroadcast.]
On the Copenhagen side, Sister Joan joins a multi-faith delegation of key religious figures, organized by the Global Peace Initiative of Women, who will be emphasizing the moral and spiritual aspects of the climate change issue, as well as the need for each individual to do their part. Their conference, taking place from Dec 7-13, is entitled: "Addressing Climate Change by Awakening to Oneness", and on Dec 10, Sister Joan will be participating in a panel called "The Divine Feminine: An essential force in addressing climate change." She will be in "East-West" dialogue with Swamini Pramananda Saraswati, Spiritual teacher and educator from India. [See http://www.gpiw.org/ and http://www.gpiw.org/copenhagen.html for more information.]
The overlap of these conferences, the continuity in spiritual intention, the presence of the Divine Feminine, the global convergence of perspectives that each represents... these are deep moments of potential unity for humanity. Are you feeling this?
My friend and partner Ann Smith (Ways Women Lead, http://www.wayswomenlead.net/ ) writes of Sister Joan: Joan Chittister is known throughout the world as one of the most prophetic voices for today’s times. She is a leader in the global women’s movement. I remember when she spoke at the Women and Power Conference that was held in New York City with 1200 women attending. This was a gathering of spiritual and secular women co-sponsored by Omega Institute and Eve Ensler’s organization. It was the first time that I had experienced a blending of the two intentions. The majority of the women attending were anti-religious. Sister Joan was the only woman speaking as a religious person. She received a standing ovation with cheers to have her run for president of the US. She transformed prejudices that day, and continues to be right on in her message, a message that transcends gender and the divide between secular, religious and spiritual.
"Without the inner freedom it takes to defy the chains of convention, without the self-esteem it takes to trust our own truth, we face our worlds unprepared and unaware.” Joan Chittister
Just think about the two global conferences occurring simultaneously today... people gathered from every religious tradition on one side of the world reaching into spiritual commonalities, while representatives from 192 nations gather on the other side of the world to consider the climatic fate of the planet that rests between the two conferences. Consider Sister Joan, perhaps others, personally bridging these conferences, threading the energies of the Divine Feminine across the world into the secular world...
On the Parliament side, December 1, the Association for Global New Thought (http://www.agnt.org/) , Unity.FM, and the Gaiafield Center for Subtle Activism (http://www.gaiafield.net/; see WiseClimate2009) co-created a global blessing and meditation from the Parliament for both conferences. [Tune into the energy of this subtle activism at www.unity.fm/program/SpecialBroadcast.]
On the Copenhagen side, Sister Joan joins a multi-faith delegation of key religious figures, organized by the Global Peace Initiative of Women, who will be emphasizing the moral and spiritual aspects of the climate change issue, as well as the need for each individual to do their part. Their conference, taking place from Dec 7-13, is entitled: "Addressing Climate Change by Awakening to Oneness", and on Dec 10, Sister Joan will be participating in a panel called "The Divine Feminine: An essential force in addressing climate change." She will be in "East-West" dialogue with Swamini Pramananda Saraswati, Spiritual teacher and educator from India. [See http://www.gpiw.org/ and http://www.gpiw.org/copenhagen.html for more information.]
The overlap of these conferences, the continuity in spiritual intention, the presence of the Divine Feminine, the global convergence of perspectives that each represents... these are deep moments of potential unity for humanity. Are you feeling this?
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