Our 6th annual Aphelion Attunement Celebration,
An experiment in spiritual ecology...
Sunday, July 3, 9:30 am - 1 pm Nature/Culture Specialness Celebration
Exploring the relevance of the evolutionary story as an aid to achieving sustainability. Celebrating the specialness of our place and time, when earth and sun are furthest apart (aphelion). Contemplating emerging stories of biological and cultural evolution. Evaluating our unique capacities, and their best use in attuning our culture to nature. Motivating necessary change.At
North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago.
Program (times are estimates)
9:30 am - Introduction and Motivation
10 am - Present - the specialness of where we are, and the problems
Nature experiences - with Wayne Swiboda, Emeritus Chemistry Professor, NEIU, Nature Center Steward.
BREAK
11 am - Relevance of the Past - presentations on deeper patterns, the new evolutionary story
Time in the Eye of the Beholder - by Edwin McCullough, lawyer, environmentalism activist
Albert Einstein's approach, the Timescales of the Universe, and How Modern Americans use their Time.
Evolutionary Leaps - by Greg Rajsky - Restoration and ecology instructor, Morton Arboretum
The emerging story of life on earth suggests that mass extinctions may have preceded significant leaps in
evolutionary development. What might this portend for the future of humanity . . . and the planet?
Nature, Culture and Civilizations - by Ed Berggren - Adjunct Professor, Wright College
Jared Diamond's "scientific" and historical approach to nature, culture and civilization, sustainable and
non-sustainable cultures/civilizations (including our own), and his proposed solutions to our global crises.
Noon - Futures Sharing Circle - attuning ourselves and our culture to nature's possibilities.
Explore our unique capacities. Contemplate the coming differentiations and questions such as…
How can we speedup the transition to sustainability? How can we better prepare for the coming changes?
1 pm - End & Evaluations
See the bottom of this page for more information on the background and motivation of this event.
[The following is a sample of the handout material]
Contemplate the Context… The core of these celebrations is the emerging story of many names:
The New or Great Story, the
Universe Story,
Epic of Evolution, or
Evolutionary Epic.
Its multiple functions include: "... an inclusive history of everyone and everything ... a meta-religious contribution that can enrich the world-relational experience of all peoples and philosophies. ... [a resource] for GUIDING AND INSPIRING our personal and cultural choices. " http://www.thegreatstory.org/what_is.html
Cultural historian and geologian Thomas Berry has inspired many to look to "The Great Story" for guidance in the
necessary individual and collective "Great Work of Conscious Evolution" -- the need for us to move from being a disrupting force on this earth to a nurturing and benign presence. His view is that due to the enhanced extinction rate..." we, along with the rest of the integrated Earth community, are at a critical point of our development. We are in a transition out of the Cenozoic Era, that has lasted for the last 65 million years, into a new era. This new era will be either: a
Technozoic Age (the mindless application of technology in pursuit of a wonder-world); or an
Ecozoic Age in which the human and non-human live in mutually enhancing relationships." http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/earth%20jurisprudence/Earth%20Justice.htm
"In his book "The Great Work", Berry identifies
the four human institutions that need to change to facilitate the transition to the Ecozoic Era --
government, religion, the corporation, and the university. [He] ...discusses the necessary reforms in all of these ... observed that the single most devastating document for the nonhuman world has been the American Constitution, with its exclusive emphasis on human rights." -- Andrew J. Angyal http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/GreatWork.html
The universe is shaped by
three primordial expressions or creative principles.
"According to Thomas Berry,
"differentiation" is the primordial expression of the universe. Out of the fiery violence of the "Big Bang" came radiation and differentiated particles that through a certain sequence of events, found expression in an overwhelming variety of manifestations.
...The second primary creative principle of the universe as identified by Thomas Berry is that of
increased "subjectivity". Together, every reality that makes up a part of the universe is not just a collection of objects but is a community of subjects. As subjects, we all have an inner dimension, an interiority or inner reality
...Thomas Berry's third creative principle of the universe "is
the communion of each reality of the universe with every other reality in the universe." http://www.larkinarchitect.com/PDF_files/earthprine_architect.pdf
All evolutionary developments can thus be considered the interplay between varying opportunities for differentiation and communion, which in a hospitable field, eventually result in increased "subjectivity".
Finally - Beyond Evolution/Creation James Gardner, in his book
BIOCOSM: The New Scientific Theory of Evolution, claims our universe was deliberately designed by a super-intelligent being or beings in a prior cosmic cycle. Scientific supporters cite the scientific rigor of his presentation, including potential falsifiability and compatibility with current theories. He gives us additional reasons to reconsider how we are shaping the future of our planet and the cosmos. http://www.biocosm.org/
Act - Promote Glocalization and Smart Mobbing - Become an I-Neighbor! Build "neighborhood social capital".
Create a free community website. Meet and communicate with neighbors to share concerns and nurture local solutions. Promote service exchanges and other efficiencies. Leaflet your block/neighborhood to jump-start the process. http://www.i-neighbors.org/
React - Watch http://freedomfromoil.com/watch_the_animation/ and sign the Declaration of Independence from Oil to help put us on the road to a peaceful energy revolution and an oil free future!
Keep up with
recent web publications of interest:
<>
Transpersonal Ecology and Spirituality. - P. Mark O'Loughlin cfc. January 2005
http://www.geocities.com/echinoderms1935/Spiritual_Essays/Transpersonal-Ecology.html
<>
Sustainability Science - and What's Needed Beyond Science http://ejournal.nbii.org/archives/vol1iss1/communityessay.reitan.html
