What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Think of yourself as an incandescent power, illuminated and perhaps forever talked to by God and his messengers.
- Brenda Ueland
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
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
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)
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
In a dark time, the eye begins to see.
-Theodore Roethke
” 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)
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)
“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 New Monk Project is a 501 c3 non-profit organization, © 2009 material is not to be printed, reproduced or otherwise manipulated for material gain.
Eco Spirituality
“A quality of sacredness is to be found in all things of the Earth.”
If you believe this to be true, you are attuned to the concept of eco-spirituality.
Ancient traditions remind us of humankind’s universal sense that the source of Creation in its infinite wisdom, brings into the natural world, without exception, expressions of perfection. This simple understanding helped guide The New Monk Project to its present sense of mission, and connection with the sacred quality inherent in Earth, Herself.
Eco-spirituality can be seen to be universal in its nature and not affiliated with any particular religion. No matter what you believe to be spiritual in nature, if you believe there is sacred essence inherent in Nature, the presence of planet Earth as a being in Her own right, and in the evolution of a science based cosmology, then Eco-Spiritual Pioneering ideas can help you broaden and communicate that which is alive in you.. For many, the eco-spiritual concept adds a missing ecologically oriented component to their traditional religious faiths.
Eco-spirituality is an emerging consciousness that is swiftly taking root within the human community. It holds that all living and non-living components of Earth are of equal importance and have equal rights per the international Earth Charter as propagated in the year 2000.
The idea of being an Eco-Spiritual Pioneer is inspired by growing cadres of people who are willing to blaze new paths towards renewed respect for all living organisms, and components of our planet’s ecosystem. These are people who see that we are a part of the web of life, and therefore we are not predestined to hold ultimate dominion over all the things of Earth. Eco-spiritual minded people are leading the way towards formulating new environmental ethics which protect and serve Nature as we individually and collectively go about our lives.