Sacred Principle

This is a thought experiment. A documentation of an exploration. A map, drawn as each step is taken, destination unknown. Welcome.

The idea is simple, and radical.

What would the world be like if our starting point was that the Earth and all of Creation are sacred?

Sacred. Worthy of respect. Holy. Divine. Regarded with reverence. Secured and immune from violence and violation.

This is not a new idea. In fact, it is the oldest idea. And yet, we, as humanity, have generally lost this relationship in modern times. So the proposal is, to posit sacredness as central to our relationships again.

Principle. Fundamental. Primary. Value.

The foundation, guiding tenet, and central axis on which our behavior, decisions and policies be based, recognize the sacredness of all living things.

Beautiful rendition of the sacred cycles and dance of life, with neolithic influence. Artist unknown.

How to apply this?

But first, why?

It is unnecessary to detail all the ailments of our current situation, but just a quick check-in on context. Climate crisis. Global pandemic. Corporate capitalism. Rampant hunger and poverty. Concentration of wealth and power. Degradation of natural riches like soil, air and water.

This stems from a paradigm, a principle, of conquest, domination, competition and patriarchy.

Let us put it in the framework of the sacred principle. Respect. Reverence. Reciprocity.

If we honored and respected the earth and all of creation as sacred, we would never do the things we are permitting now: mining, deforestation, erosion, pollution, extraction.

If we honored and respected the earth and all of creation as sacred, we would think about how everything we do impacts the earth. We would be in relationship. We would understand we depend on nature, not dominate it. All of our systems would change.

The idea is simple, and radical.

It is based on the very essence of our principle as human beings. From the Paleolithic era to the present, we have evidence of reverence and worship of nature as a divine being from peoples connected to the land, in all parts of the world. Much of this sanctity has been lost in doctrine and dogma, consumerism and accumulation. But it is still pulsing inside us.

This is the first episode of exploring this sacred principle. In history, politics, art, poetry and religion. Gathering evidence and courage as we go. Making links. Documenting the journey. Articulating a paradigm shift with the potential to illuminate a new way forward.

This blog is first and foremost for my own process. Putting into words all the thoughts, readings, conversations, experiences and ideas that come through related to this process. If, as I go, others join me in the journey, I can only expect the process to be enriched.

El futuro del origen: un relato ecotópico

Flora estaba perdida. Debería de haber regresado a la comunidad antes del anochecer, pero ya era imposible. Se le llenaron los ojos de lágrimas. “ ¡Se van a preocupar!” lamentó. “Voy a perder mi propia celebración. Y encima, ¡tengo que ver dónde pasar la noche y buscar cómo volver mañana!” T enía apenas 14 años y era la primera vez que iba a pasar la noche sola en el monte. Hoy era su caminata, un paso determinante del rito de la primera sangre. Cuando partió esa mañana, estaba nerviosa por el reto de estar a solas y elegir su propio camino. Ahora se sentía como un fracaso: había tomado una decisión equivocada al elegir la ruta. Además le pesaba la decisión que tenía que tomar sobre la ruta de su vida, el área de la comunidad donde contribuiría. ¿También haría la decisión equivocada? Estaba perdida en todos sentidos. Sin embargo, no tenía miedo. Desde la infancia, Flora había aprendido a integrarse en el territorio, conocer las plantas y animales y desarrollar su i...

Sacred swallows (a poem)

I am not indifferent to the swallows who chirp and fly in the open space at the end of my street. From my balcony I see their festivities when the world is quiet and the sky is pale But as the day sets in and the sky grows bluer their chirps get quieter or rather - everything else gets louder. The delivery truck unloading teas and tomatoes at the natural food store across the way. The city bus starting its route down the one-way street. The sidewalk cafés setting up and filling up with breakfast visitors. And my own world gets noisy, too. My son calling for me, my almost-audible to-do list in my head, pings of messages on my phone, the hustle and bustle of morning busy-ness. The swallows carrying on rejoicing their flying grub. Their high-pitched noise in the background now merely a memory of music. I often wonder why else hears them? Who else notices, or cares? I often forget to check at midday as I cross the street or wait for th...

Mitos nuevos

La inspiración del siguiente texto ha sido el llamado a escribir nuevos relatos, nuevos mitos. Como parte de este proyecto del "Principio Sagrado", el mito central es el asesinato de Tiamat por Marduk, la epopeya de la creación de Babilonia. Esta historia de creación, escrita en cuneiforme en tablillas alrededor 2000 a.C., marcó el cambio en la mitología y la conciencia colectiva de la sociedad occidental de una cultura de la Diosa, con el principio feminino de creación como central, a una ideología de un solo Dios Hombre Creador; instauró la ruptura de la humanidad con la naturaleza. El texto describe el brutal matricidio de Tiamat, diosa madre caracterizada como caos, por Marduk, un dios guerrero-salvador-creador que pone orden. Este mito todavía vive en nuestra sociedad, dentro de los mitos de creación de la cultura Judeo-Cristiana y en cada cuento de hada de un caballero matando a un dragón - y en nuestra programación patriarcal y trato de la naturaleza. Conocido como el...

The Sacred Principle Project

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