The Sacred Principle Project

The ultrasound said the sex of the baby was female. We picked out a name and for over a month, got used to the idea that we would have a baby girl.  At the next ultrasound, the doctor asked if we knew the sex of the baby. What a strange question, I thought, when I had handed him the paperwork from the last appointment. That is when we found out the first ultrasound was wrong, and our baby had the undeniable anatomy of a male.  I was in shock. It felt like such a huge change. And the fact that I felt it so deeply also came as a shock, because I had convinced myself that it did not matter, that we would be gender neutral, that society places so many associations and expectations on sex and gender stereotypes, and I would resist that.  Lucky thing, we had decided to keep the sex secret during the pregnancy, so we were the only ones who knew of this change of plans. I did this, especially, to avoid the pink-and-blue dichotomy of newborn clothes and gifts. We refused to tell p...

Ever since I heard the news, the phrase that keeps playing on repeat in my head is: ...a struggle for the soul of America... The news being, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in the United States. (Good coverage on that here at Democracy Now! ) But also being, the two debates that divide the country along moral lines: gun control and abortion. Each side is adamant they are right, and neither side is open to negotiation. Each side feels only their position will save the soul of the nation. I first heard this phrase listening to Rick Tarnas of the California Institute of Integral Studies describe the state of the planets in 2022. The United States, he explained, will be undergoing a Pluto return this year, meaning the return of Pluto to where it was when the country was founded in 1776 as a political entity. Pluto, the planet of death, birth and transformation, upheaval, and raw, natural power, representing secrets, the underbelly, the shadow side. Tarnas described ...

Imagine a field.  You are standing in the middle of a field.  All around you are stalks of corn. Deep green, eye-high plants in every direction. Soft tassles hang from ears of corn on each plant, swishing gently in the wind. The ground beneath you is hard, brown-grey. The rise and fall of the rows are like waves, up and down, up and down.  Notable is what you do not see: no bugs, no birds, no weeds. Just stalk after stalk of corn, so dense you can hardly walk through.  A tractor planted this corn. Each seed placed in the dirt was identical, property of a multinational corporation and modified genetically. Herbicide and fertilizer is sprayed routinely along the rows.  This corn will be harvested by machines. It will be processed and packed by machines. It will be turned into feed for factory-farmed animals or high-fructose corn syrup for junk food. It will not nourish. It will not be stored for seed for future plantings, because each seed includes a "terminator ...

 A few weeks ago, I participated in the Sacred People, Sacred Earth Global Multi-Faith Day for Climate Action. Hosted by GreenFaith International Network, I felt deeply aligned with the call to action , which begins:  We are united by a fundamental belief that all people, all living things, and the Earth are sacred. It goes on to say that we envision shared reverence, connectedness, flourishing life, just distribution, and healing for people and the planet. The set of demands are for political leaders and government, corporations and financial actors, religious institutions and individuals. From a place of faith and principles and universal values. I signed on and I signed up, aligned in this call.  My "action" was simple: an offering to Mother Earth. Based in the Andean tradition of ofrendas , this act of gratitude and reverence is a ceremony of relationship and interaction with the earth. Taking my Quechua manta to a pine-needle strewn spot in our favorite local park,...

My thought exploration is posited on The Sacred Principle - the tenet of respecting and revering all of nature and creation as sacred as a starting point.  But I have recently been engaged in conversations and reading that are pulling me to explore sacred principles -- those values and beliefs of Indigenous communities and world religions that have universal, timeless wisdom.  So here is a collection of some of those sets of beliefs and value systems that speak to me and feel interconnected. Included here without assigning priority, judgement or analysis.   Andean cosmovision In the Andes, the Inca had three laws: Ama sua. Ama llulla. Ama quella. Do not steal, Do not lie, Do not be lazy. Of course the cosmovision is much more complex, with the concepts of ayni (reciprocity) as a Golden Rule and ayllu (community) as an organizing principle. A deeply held belief of Andean people is that we are all children of Pachamama, Mother Nature, and owe her our deep respect and...

 I realized recently that my politics are based on my spirituality, and vice versa.  I had never put it in that way before, although my religious ideas have always been a deep inspiration for my social justice convictions. But now, after separating myself from Christian doctrine and connecting more with nature-based spirituality, I recognize that my spirituality and my politics are one and the same.  If I believe in the sacredness of the earth, I must then work for climate justice. If agroecology and food sovereignty are guiding political frameworks for me, the root of them is environmental stewardship. The heart of it is the Sacred Principle. The manifestation is how we live our lives.  The work of Ricardo Levins Morales is a visual reminder of this beautiful interconnection.  My work is political. I would not have it any other way, it is intentional and fulfilling for me. But I also realize that my work can be spiritual. It can be meaningful and satisfying on...