The Sacred Principle Project

There is a story we tell every year: in the deep midwinter, a virgin mother gives birth to a son-god-king in a stable, marked by a bright star. In this Christian myth, the child who is born is the son of god, god incarnate, who came to the world to save the people from sin, a savior. The story has such influence on our current society that his supposed birthday literally marks the before and after on the calendar of the history of the world. Even those who do not believe in the doctrine of this story are still familiar with the themes. And for those who believe or not, there are elements of the story that are perhaps unconvincing, that do not quite seem to fit, that feel like they need a leap of faith to believe. So, where did this story come from? Why do we collectively need to retell it every year? And why was it set now, at the time of winter solstice in the northern hemisphere? Let's go back 20,000 years... In the Paleolithic era, from the Pyrenees to Siberia, our cave-dwelling...

We climb up the gravel mountain road. I had always thought of caves as low and deep in the earth, but this one sticks out on the side of the mountain, and we have to walk up a good piece to reach it. From a vantage point, we can see clear to the Mediterranean Sea. Our guide reminds us that 20,000 years ago, when the first humans found and made use of this cave, the shoreline was some 20 kilometers further back, and that there was only low shrubbery, not tall trees. So there was a clear view of the valley -- and the traveling herds of animals they ate.  Photo credit: Carol Buck. 17 December 2022 In this cave, Cova Parpalló, over 5,000 painted and etched rocks have been found. Animals were drawn on flat rock pieces separated from the cave walls, like tiles, and found in different parts of the cave. Carvings directly in the cave walls remain to this day. Our guide tells us that inside the cave, they also found animal bones: rabbit bones were the most common, but also boars, deer and a...

When did we split from the sacred? By "we" I mean the "Western", White, Anglo-Saxon, Judeo-Christian peoples. My people, my ancestry.  In my time living close to and learning about Indigenous traditions especially in the Andes of Peru, I came to wonder: where and when was my lineage Indigenous? We are all from somewhere originally, we all were native to someplace at sometime, right? So when did my family lose our Indigeneity?  At first I thought, it was when we left the land, that the physical settling on one piece of land and staying in one place generation after generation was the characteristic of Indigeneity. Which I do not have as my ancestors left their homelands in the 1600s and early 1900s, I grew up as a settler/colonist/invader on Native American lands, and I have moved to several countries none of which match my native ethnic heritage. But I came to realize that it is not about place itself, it is about mentality. Our relationship to the place. And that ...

 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,...

 What would a food system based on the Sacred Principle look like? It may take many names, but the common approach would be that this food system would be built on values.  Four values ground this food system: relationship, reciprocity, respect, and reverence.  In relationship, we would understand that we are interconnected and interdependent with the food we eat. We would be in deep relationship with the land. We would honor our relationship with water - rain, streams, catchment systems. We would be in right relations with our neighbors, practicing trade as mutual aid, community, circular economy, to fulfill needs and flourish together. The principle of relationship would shift us from the center of control and domination to one of fluidity and interconnection in a web of relations.  The type of relationship is one rooted in reciprocity. A mutual give and take, offering and accepting. The land is generous, and provides for us abundantly. And we must care for the lan...