” A wee child toddling in a wonder world , , , I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters, and the sweet breathing of flowers. If this is Paganism, then at present, at least, I am a Pagan.”
- Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (Redbird)
“I salute the light within your eyes where the whole universe dwells. For when you are at the center within you and I am at that place within me, we shall be One.”
Spoken by Chief Crazy Horse, September, 1877.
The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope. —Wendell Berry
Every element of creation expresses the Creator. Within each mountain, each stone, and each heart lies the Great Spirit… When looking upon a sunset, the trees, or even your worst enemy, you are looking at the Creator. Know this and give praise and prayer.
- Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (Redbird)
Think of yourself as an incandescent power, illuminated and perhaps forever talked to by God and his messengers.
- Brenda Ueland
The entire Creation still follows the Original Instructions of life. The Tree, the fruits, they never fail.
They never make a mistake to bring their fruits in their season.
The Animals never make a mistake.
They still live as they were created.
Among the Creation…Life, the Circle, a measurement with no beginning and no ending.
- Phillip Deere (Muskogee Creek 1977)
So be patient with the events in life that find you feeling disappointed, and remember each line we script in the Great Play we call life, is a line that is never wasted, and a line that can ultimately lead to something more beautiful than we can ever possibly imagine in the present. This is true for each one of us.
-Tim Watson
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
-Albert Einstein
The universe will reward you for taking risks on its behalf.
- Shakti Gawain
You too are a Medicine Wheel, and the magic of your Perceiving will be unfolded.
- Hyemeyohsts Storm
What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
In a dark time, the eye begins to see.
-Theodore Roethke
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Epilogue
Reverence for our lives and the Earth
Reverence for the Earth is one of humanity’s sacred gifts. What lives within us is expressed in the outer world around us. The New Monk Project seeks to serve those who desire to deepen compassion for themselves, and for the greater communities of life around them. We support those who have set upon their journeys bridging their personal life story to our planet’s life story.
We see eco-spiritedness in part drawing upon the legacy of countless cultures shaped by their respect and awe for the natural world. According to the well known mythologist, Joseph Campbell, humankind has a long history of universally acknowledging the Great Mystery believed to be embodied in the Earth. We believe our ancestor’s sacred regard for the powers of nature enabled them to maintain a symbiotic balance between themselves and the Earth’s ecosystem.
We today can choose to benefit from their example while at the same time draw upon the insights and new freedoms found in our contemporary world. These two dynamics are merging to help bridge a transformational shift towards a new era of respect for creation, and a healthier planet.
Thus human intentions towards the ecology of their planet are being reshaped, and as these intentions shift towards a new age of equity for all life, the prospects for a truly balanced relationship between humanity and the environment draws ever closer.
Our guiding mission is to help and inspire those who love the Earth.
By our inspiring our membership to more deeply reconnect their inner spirit with the embodied spirit of the Earth, we help open the door to joining human and global ecologies. Thus the term: “eco-spirit”, which forms the principle inspirational term:
Eco-spiritual Pioneers