activism

Tuesday’s Tales v1e3

Tuesday’s Tales!

My occasional collection of climate crises inspired ways forward using the arts and creativity to nurture community, awareness, and action.

Something that has inspired me recently:

I marched with an estimated couple thousand mostly school and college-aged humans this past Friday as part of the coordinated global climate strike.  It was amazing to see so many empowered humans standing up for our collective future and taking to the streets. The march was a tour of center city Philadelphia and though I have mixed feelings about inconveniencing the working public (a topic for another time) it did feel profound to symbolically disrupt the daily flow in the city as the climate crises threatens to do to all of us. I plan on participating in as many strikes and Fridays for Future as possible from here on, and one of the projects I’m working on is geared specifically for making a large presence at strikes. Stay tuned for that! (hint: it involves a tightwire…)

What I’ve been reading:

“We Were Made for These Times” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

“My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world now. Ours is a time of almost daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people.”

This may be the single most empowering work I’ve encountered about standing up in times of crises and speaking our hearts.  When I encountered it this week I immediately assumed it was written recently and in direct context of the climate crises. But after some further research, I discovered that this was written over 15 years ago and originally entitled “Letter To A Young Activist During Troubled Times”. I am floored. This is profound. It is empowering. And it is stunningly beautiful. I have re-read it numerous times over the last couple of days and it grows more poignant and wondrous with each reading.  It is my sincere desire to see this read by everyone standing up for climate the world around ~ the following link takes you to the piece in its entirety. 

http://www.grahameb.com/pinkola_estes.htm?fbclid=IwAR3sXXgA5UqteJk_C70SUKVEt1JxiEESYsRF25KZybNMmr7iOyPw-8-OPa4

What I’m thinking about / working on:

I have been ill this past week, change of the seasons and whatnot, and have watched our one-year-old daughter be sick as well.  When you don’t have the tools yet to clear your own nose and you can’t breathe it’s got to be kind of freaky, but she’s been a real trooper.  But taking care of her and self and household hasn’t left much time for larger projects. I’ve been plugging away at staying abreast of global developments and striving for balance throughout ~ this was the great work of the week, staying balanced with compromised health and an increasing flood of climate-related data.  The passage has reminded me of how vital it is to ensure self-care in an increasingly stressed world. Take good care of yourself! We need healthy souls in order to not lose heart.

Quote of the Week:

I’m staying with Clarissa Pinkola Estes:

“What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.”

I love how she’s talking about the 3.5%, but intuitively. The deep wisdom of her soul shines brightly and gives her this clarity to share with us, and I am grateful for her words. I’ve been saying a lot recently that every drop in the bucket counts, and eventually adds up to an overflowing vessel. That’s us right now, and even though there are signs of frustration (Greta saying “We have achieved nothing” at COP25 https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/12/07/cop25-bulletin-achieved-nothing/ ) we do need to remind ourselves that it is always darkest before the dawn.

Share this with your friends and anyone you think would be inspired by it! You can also get this delivered directly to your inbox if you sign up for the newsletter.  I am always open to feedback, suggestions, collaborative propositions, and simple Yo Eric how you doin type reaching out and connecting.  

Because Life is too precious and precarious to not make the most of every single day.

I hope you have an empowered and creative week ~ Onwards Team Human! 

Stand up and shine your light!

What Will It Take?

A few months ago I reached out to a fair number of friends and family asking them to video themselves reading a line from a spoken word piece I wrote and then send it back to me.

Little did I know that receiving video clips from so many different people would also mean getting almost just as many different formats and resolutions and other little inconsistencies that ended up making it really difficult to stitch together a couple of dozen clips, and it took far longer than anticipated.

But in the end, all of the puzzles were solved and the result is something that I had been secretly hoping for the entire time ~ the whole is indeed much greater than the sum of its parts. My vision with having a community read of this piece was hoping that it would have greater power with humans from many different walks of life working together to create something.

I’ve been struggling with the fact that each of these questions needs to be asked and contemplated by everyone alive, and this piece was born from my own process of learning how to deal with the immensity of the issues facing us. Because when all is said and done, each of us will end up facing these things regardless of whether we choose to confront them directly or be taken kicking and screaming. I’d prefer head-on and eyes wide open myself.

As always, if this video does anything for you, or makes you think of anyone in particular, please share it and pass it along. The intention behind this effort is to help awaken and stir the pot because every drop in the bucket adds up, and if many of us start contributing drops then the sooner we’ll arrive at a cultural critical mass and begin to effect fundamental changes.

I am proud to present the first public TemplEarth creation, the community reading of “What Will It Take?”

If you’ve enjoyed your visit, consider signing up for the occasional newsletter that features new releases, inspirations, and other Tales from the Shadow Gallery…

Tuesday’s Tales v1i1

A collection of climate crises inspired ways forward using the arts and creativity to nurture community and awareness.

Something that has inspired me recently:

I recently discovered that there is an existing network of circus artists dedicated to utilizing circus arts and performance as climate activism.  The Circus Action Network was founded by Eliana Dunlap whom I don’t know yet but have completely admired her work in that particular digital age way, and in the analog world seeing her on Broadway a couple of years back with the Gypsy Snyder Pippin revival was a real treat. C.A.N. is presented as a supportive community “dedicated to fostering dialogue and exploration at the intersection of social and environmental justice and the circus arts.”  Spot the f#@! on!! An endeavor right up my alley and I am very excited to learn of their existence and connecting ~ it’s confirmation there are kindred spirits out there being active along similar lines.

https://circusactionnetwork.wixsite.com/home

What I’ve been reading:

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler

This is a revisit of an old favorite, but it feels incredibly timely as the dystopia portrayed in the book is a powerful vision of a climate-related societal breakdown.  It is a coming of age story, but with the added dimension that the protagonist is creating and refining her own religion throughout the novel in the form of a series of poems she entitles “Earthseed”.  The basic premise is that God is Change, and how she explores this concept and how it is illustrated throughout the arc of the story is quite wonderful.  I felt extremely inspired reading it the first time 20 years ago, and am feeling an ever greater resonance this time around. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52397.Parable_of_the_Sower

What I’m listening to:

I’ve gone retro lately and have been really enchanted with the songwriting and sheer powerful delivery of David Crosby. I had the treat of seeing him live a couple of months ago and it took everyone by surprise (pleasantly!) how enchanting and profound his music and performance was. It felt so timely, especially songs like “Long Time Gone” with lines like “It’s time to speak out against the madness..” which felt like rallying calls in a time when people standing up is needed more than ever.  What a wild circle, from the activism of the late ’60s and early ’70s to the present day when this body of music speaks louder than ever. Spotify has a “David Crosby Complete Collection” playlist which has been great on random play, though it really isn’t anywhere near actually complete.  Still an amazing collection of songs.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4qC20fkrZyx1ZYOOVQspWd

What I’m thinking about:

It’s pretty hard to not have my climate crises awareness infuse everything, so I’ve challenged myself to use its increasing presence as a continual challenge to be more mindful, and in particular to transmute fears into mindfulness. Using this heightened awareness to nurture my inner observer and maintain my energetic balance feels like an empowered response that enables me to be more precise in my daily and creative choices.  As I do have a Buddhist leaning bent I have been enjoying the community at One Earth Sangha who seem to have a tremendous amount of resources and reading available for explorations along these lines. And at this point, mindful inspirations are more than welcome.

https://oneearthsangha.org/

Quote of the Week:

“Acknowledging our love for the living world does something that a library full of papers on sustainable development and ecosystem services cannot: it engages the imagination as well as the intellect. It inspires belief, and this is essential to the lasting success of any movement.”   ~  George Monbiot

I love this quote because it just spells out the difference between actions based on intellectually knowing something and being fully engaged as a human being.  My personal experience has led me to believe that it is only when my mind is aligned with my heart that I am truly alive, thriving, and have the ability to grow.  I believe our feelings (heart) are our true GPS, and if we honor that guidance in terms of what feels right (integrity) there is a power there that isn’t experienced in paths that have been dictated by thoughts alone.  

Share this with your friends and anyone you think would be inspired by it! You can also get this delivered directly to your inbox if you sign up for the newsletter.  And I am always open to feedback, suggestions, collaborative propositions, and simple Yo Eric how you doin type reaching out and connecting.  

Because Life is too precious and precarious to not make the most of every single day.

I hope you have an empowered and creative week ~ Onwards Team Human!

Back To Top