Down to Earth SpiritualityDown to Earth Spirituality is a journey from heart to heart, from our heart as healers to the heart of the Earth. Through word, photo, and reflection, Down to Earth challenges us to change our way of life, to learn about here (our bioregion) and now (our crisis ridden times). |
Contents
Divergent Paths | 1 |
Denial | 3 |
Escape | 5 |
Excuses | 7 |
No Time to Daydream | 9 |
Keep Our Bearings | 11 |
The Birthing Time | 13 |
Being Uniquely Ourselves | 15 |
Poor Earth Poor People | 99 |
The Anawim of God | 101 |
First Stage of AwarenessCome and See | 103 |
Ecotourism has its Flaws | 105 |
Second Stage of Awareness Come and Give | 107 |
Questions for the Ecovolunteer | 109 |
Third Stage of Squareness Come and Be With | 111 |
Fourth StageCome and Be | 113 |
Connectedness with Creator and Creatures | 17 |
Our Action Requires Sacrifice | 19 |
Our Action Is One of Complementarity In Which Many Gifts and Talents Are Called forth | 21 |
Overview | 23 |
I REDISCOVERING OUR EARTH LINKS | 24 |
Ole Nellie | 27 |
The Glory of Creatures | 29 |
What About Power? | 31 |
Building Sand Castles | 33 |
The Homeless | 35 |
Becoming Ourselves | 37 |
Recognizing our Blessings | 39 |
Experiencing the Earth | 41 |
Beginning Time | 43 |
Beginning Place | 45 |
Touching the Earth | 47 |
Recognizing Interdependence | 49 |
Sustaining Enthusiasm translated The God Within | 51 |
Knowing Limitations | 53 |
Champion Simplicity | 55 |
Moving Forward | 57 |
II Analyzing Social Structures | 58 |
Start Questioning the Circumstances | 61 |
Silent Witnesses | 63 |
Hidden and Subtle | 65 |
A Coverup? | 67 |
The Small Bottlers Lesson | 69 |
Power Behind Power | 71 |
Social Analysis and Packing | 73 |
Using Less is Better and Living Better on Less | 75 |
Green Products and Social Reflection | 77 |
Natural Versus Synthetic Fibers | 79 |
Fuel to Burn | 81 |
Chemical Dependency | 83 |
Deeper Systematic Questions | 85 |
Debunking Corporate Power | 87 |
Factors in Conducting a Social Analysis | 89 |
III Setting Deeper Roots | 90 |
Some Earth Facts | 93 |
The Mystery of Suffering | 95 |
Litany of Earths Woes | 97 |
Power of Presence | 115 |
The Poor Are the Key | 117 |
Acceptance of Vulnerability | 119 |
Seeking Forgiveness | 121 |
IV Doing First Things First | 122 |
A Temptation | 125 |
The Destitute | 127 |
The Poor Will Rise | 129 |
The Affluent Will Be Brought Low | 131 |
A Gift to Be Simple | 133 |
Ideal Simplification | 135 |
Enforced Simplification | 137 |
Simplification in Hard Times | 139 |
Terrorist Simplification | 141 |
BottomsUp Simplification | 143 |
The Launching Time | 145 |
A Call for Added Trust and Joy | 147 |
V Naming Eight Models for Action | 148 |
Earth as Controllable | 151 |
Earth as Mother | 153 |
Earth as Gift from God | 155 |
Earth as Victim and Harmed | 157 |
Earth as Community of Sufferers | 159 |
Earth as Mystery | 161 |
Earth as Oppressed | 163 |
Earth as Whimsical | 165 |
VI Becoming Willing To Act | 166 |
Ever Bolder | 169 |
The Power of Prayer | 171 |
A New Asceticism | 173 |
Auditing Our Current Practices | 175 |
EcoDiaries | 177 |
Choosing Simple Lifestyle Practices | 179 |
Asceticism and Earth Links | 181 |
An Annual Life Review | 183 |
Spiritual Direction | 185 |
Listing Our Talents | 187 |
Decide to Act Now | 189 |
Assemble Resources | 191 |
A Rededication | 193 |
Common terms and phrases
acid rain Action Read Action Select affluent asceticism become better bioregion birds chemicals Comic Relief Congressperson consumer addicts consumption created creation creative creatures destitute down-to-Earth Earth and poor Earth community Earth Links Earth-saving ecodefense Ecology Student Action Ecotourism ecotourist environmental action environmental crisis environmental degradation environmental movement forests forgiveness fuel garden gentle gifts give global God's habitat harmful healing heart heaven human Isaiah land large numbers limited live Luke materials Matthew meaningful Model-Earth mother mystery natural ourselves pesticides plants pollution poor Earth poverty prayer pressure Psalm recognize Recycling reflection reflection group Sand Castles sense Setting Deeper Roots Silent Witnesses Simplification Social Analysis soil spect spiritual Spiritual Direction Stage of Awareness-Come Student Action Guides suffering Synthetic Fibers things thinking touch tree ture vironmental vulnerable waste Yahweh