A Revolution of Love

“Climate change portends a revolution in the relationship between nature and civilization, but this is not a revolution in the more efficient allocation of global resources in the program of endless growth. It is a revolution of love. It is to know the forests as sacred again, and the mangroves and the rivers, the mountains and the reefs, each and every one. It is to love them for their own beingness, and not merely to protect them because of their climate benefits.” –Charles Eisenstein

“It is to love them for their own beingness,” says Charles Eisenstein about all of the elements of nature, as we grapple with the dramatic changes in the world’s climate.

Can you imagine how our lives would change if we could love every part of the earth and one another for “their own beingness”? I am reminded of author Fyodor Dostoevsky’s daunting invitation:

“Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.”
–Fyodor Dostoevsky

We may not know how to make a difference on the planet or in the thoughts and actions of people, but we can shift our focus to gazing, listening, and connecting with love. Of course most of us will fail often at this endeavor, but trying again and again is worth it. As Fyodor Dostoevsky reminds us of what we receive when we give this love lavishly to all: “you will perceive the divine mystery in things.”

May you become part of this revolution of love – however imperfectly – by seeking to love the world for its own beingness. And may you be rewarded with an ever-growing awareness of the divine mystery residing in all things.

P.S. The quote above by Charles Eisenstein, featured in the introduction of Christine Valters Paintner’s book Earth Our Original Monastery, caught my eye because of this past weekend’s workshop Behold and See. Thank you Elizabeth Ann Gates for reminding us of the power of our attention.

The Sanctuary

“It could be said that God’s foot is so vast that this entire earth is but a field on God’s toe, and all the forests in this world came from the same root of just a single hair of God’s. What then is not a sanctuary? Where then can I not kneel and pray at a shrine made holy by God’s presence?” –St. Catherine of Siena Source: Quoted in Love Poems from God by Daniel Ladinsky and featured in Earth Our Original Monastery by Christine Valters Paintner

We Are All Crew

“There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew.”
~Marshall McLuhan