We draw close to the winter solstice, the time when the dark part of the day is longest. Earth’s seasonal movement invites us into her rhythms and patterns. Resting and waiting within the dark space, the birthplace of creativity, we enter into the realm of the Universe out of which all newness is manifest, the seamless Ground of all Being. The winter solstice is a time for experiencing the essence of existence, for celebration and feasting. EarthSong and the Edmund Rice Network will gather for ritual and feasting at Amberley, reconnecting with the untold groups who have gathered at this moment to honour the relationship between Earth and Sun. Please join us. (details below)
We seek to learn new ways.
Winter Solstice Celebration at Edmund Rice Centre, Amberley: Sunday, June 20, 4.30-7 p.m. Join the EarthSong Team and the Edmund Rice Network as we enter into the seasonal rhythms of the planet and touch the mid-winter mysteries of dark and light. For details of this event click here: Winter SolsticeEarthSong Retreat at Glenburn: July 9 – 11. Bookings are now open for this residential seminar, jointly sponsored by the Centre for Ecology and Spirituality and EarthSong. In a beautiful bush setting, experience a holistic opportunity to delve into the origins of the universe, the birth of planet Earth, the interconnectedness of life and the role of the human in this context. For more information: EarthSongRetreat Registration: $200 Download a registration form (located on the left column of the web page)
We are being called into a new place:
2010 Deakin Lectures 6-12th June. “Brave New World? The Climate Change Challenge.“ An opportunity to hear a range of speakers including Tim Flannery, Melinda Dodson, Johannes Lehman and Sue Halliday. Click on the link for full details of the series and the opportunity to view them online 24 hours after the live presentation. http://wheelercentre.com/calendar/program/the-deakin-lectures-2010/
A Climate of Change. What are the facts? How might we critique current political approaches? What positions might we take in an election year? The discussion will be led by Will McGoldrick, Policy & Research Manager at the the Climate Institute. Saturday, 19th June, 9.30-12.30, Kildara, Centre, Rear, 39 Stanhope St Malvern (Melways ref 59 C7) sponsored by the Brigidine Community for Justice. RSVP 9509 0361 or email csbsecretary@brigidine.com.au.
Film
Cinemas are currently screening the film Food, Inc., which lifts the veil on the United States food industry and exposes the country’s highly mechanized underbelly. The nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and the environment. In a country that has bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds and tomatoes that won’t go bad, there are new strains of E. Coli, widespread levels of obesity and an epidemic level of adult diabetes
Back on Australian shores, Seed International has produced a series of two videos on the great contribution local food can make in our lives, including examples from around the world and much more. There are links to these videos from the Community Harvest Project Website; a Victorian website which promotes the local food movement on a state-wide level. The harvest project’s slogan is ‘feeding our hearts, communities and environment, as we feed ourselves.’ Visit: http://communityharvest.org.au.
Towards Earth Literacy.
This year’s State of the World Report by the WorldWatch Institute: Transforming Cultures: From Consumerism to Sustainability, gets to the heart of what makes cultural transformation an exciting possibility rather than a daunting burden, by reexamining core assumptions of modern life, from how businesses are run and what is taught in classrooms to how weddings are celebrated and the way cities are organized. (Muhammad Yunus, Founder, Grameen Bank, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate). The book documents that cultures of sustainability are well on their way. Our challenge is to make living sustainably as natural as consumerism is today. (Norton & Co New York, 2010) For further information about the Worldwatch Institute visit http://www.worldwatch.org/
