Going Green
Going Green on the Vedic Path
click for more discussions fromThe Vedic View thru the eyes of Arci Edwards
Two of the teachings I received from my teacher which shape my understanding of "Going Green" is "Simple Living and High Thinking", and "To live in the lap of nature and depend on Krishna (God)"
Simple living - let us meditate on that concept for a moment. Unencumbered, direct, uncomplicated, free-flowing, honest, modest, unproblematic, free from ostentatious displays. Here are a few antonyms of "simple" - knotty, tangled, torturous, complicated, mazy, thickening, multiplex, convoluted, difficult, hard. Is it any wonder that the greatest teachers throughout history have taught and exemplified simple living and high thinking.Click for more....
Simple living - let us meditate on that concept for a moment. Unencumbered, direct, uncomplicated, free-flowing, honest, modest, unproblematic, free from ostentatious displays. Here are a few antonyms of "simple" - knotty, tangled, torturous, complicated, mazy, thickening, multiplex, convoluted, difficult, hard. Is it any wonder that the greatest teachers throughout history have taught and exemplified simple living and high thinking.Click for more....
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Going Green on the Beauty Way Path
click for more discussions fromThe Beauty Way View thru the eyes of Robin Lynn Rainbowfeather
"Oh, Mother Earth, beautiful and bountiful mother, we are so grateful to you for our lives. Thank you for the good way you nourish and sustain us, for the life giving waters that fall upon us, for the winds that bring us new seasons and the changes of life that support us. We honor all the creepy-crawlies who create such good soil and take care of all the physical waste of the world, for the winged ones who inspire us, the finned ones who teach us how to dive deep within ourselves, the four-legged ones who give of themselves so we can have full bellies and those four-leggeds who have agreed to be close companions to us two-leggeds so we learn better how to love unconditionally. We honor the plant beings - oh what great diversity - for sweet smells, energizing colors, medicines to heal ourselves and such wondrous tastes to feed our bodies. We honor the tall standing ones - those tree beings and all the stone people who help us build our lodges and creations. Our hearts are full of gratitude, Mother, for your wisdom and for this beautiful life that is available to us all, filled with grace and ease. Ah Ho."
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Going Green on the Universal Spirit Path
click for more discussions fromThe Universal Spirit View thru the eyes of Wilda Spalding
Almost all known Faith traditions recount creation stories that include a pictorial of either an original or an ideal place of balanced plenty, of some kind of intimacy both with the Creator and with the other created non-humanoid species of plant, animal, and mineral. Humanity seems to be entering a time when, whether by spiritual illumination or rawly desperate survival instincts, it is increasingly intensifying seeking ways to move beyond this apparent, uncomfortable time of knife-edge survival: for many this means more powerfullly experiencing the intimacy of intrinsic Oneness. May this be achieved albeit in spite of the membranes of fear and the illusions of incapacity that have encased so much of humanity today. It is said that the retina of a single human eye contains 127,000,000 rods and cones. May we open the eye of the mind of our heart and the eye of the heart of our mind that sees as if through the unquantifiable, infinite eye of the Creator, so that we can exercise the intentionality to both see and be sensitive to the largest picture of what it means to “go green” and its layers of consequences. May we bring forth an unending “green” harvest of dignity, hope, and peace.Click for more....
Going Green on the Pagan Path
click for more discussions fromThe Pagan View thru the eyes of RavenHarte
Green. To those of nature-based spiritualities, it's not just a color. Green is the grass spreading lushly across mother earth, the leaves just beginning to unfurl, the bushes that have reminded us through the dark time that life always renews, and of course the most beautiful of Gaia’s waters. Green is the cloak of the Druid, or the magic of witches who work with the flora and fauna, as well as the blessed Emerald Isle itself. It is also the shining jewel of the heart chakra, which connects all people, and the glowing sephiroth of Netzach, the sphere of beauty and the loves of filia, eros, and agape. Green is an energy that pulls at our heartstrings, and shows us where we connect to each other, the earth and the Divine. Is it any wonder that the movement to cleanup the earth is Green? Click for more....
Going Green on the Judaic Path
click for more discussions fromThe Judaic View thru the eyes of Rabbi Mark Strauss-Cohn
Writing about the Jewish connection to the earth may well be one of the easiest assignments for me, as I was once dubbed “The Eco-Rabbi”. To me, Jewish ethics and laws are about protecting and respecting people, the planet, and God. A sage from the second century, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said three things are of equal importance: Earth, Humans, and Rain. Rabbi Levi ben Hiyyata explained: These three (earth, humans & rain) are connected as follows: without earth, there is no rain, and without rain, the earth cannot endure, and without either, humans cannot exist (Genesis Rabbah, 13:3). While the teaching is nice, we may derive a very useful set of principles for living based on this ancient teaching: Collect rainwater, reduce our consumption of water, engineer our homes and buildings so they are efficient users of water. Click for more....
Going Green on the Baha'i Path
click for more discussions fromThe Baha'i View thru they eyes of Rafael Castillo
Things have to make sense, completely, in order for me to embrace them. If it does not appeal to me logically, as well as aesthetically, it would be hard for me to accept. To me, the love, respect and care of our environment makes as much sense as the love and care we would have for our children. Polluting the Earth, damaging our natural environment is akin to giving God the middle finger. After all, God created the heavens and the Earth so who are we to trash it but insolent children? Too many of us think nothing of dumping motor oil down a storm drain or tossing that empty soda can to the side of the trail. It makes no sense to me why someone would travel all the way to a state or national park, hike a trail, and dump their empty water bottle! I am a witness to that.Click for more....
Welcome to our 7th edition of Pangaea: What does "Going Green" really mean?
The signs are upon us; the consciousness is growing - you cannot pick up the newspaper or magazine, watch TV, listen to the news without hearing about green cars, green jobs, sustainable this, renewable that, eco-friendly, organic, natural, zero waste.... Today is Earth Day. And this past Saturday was the very successful Earth Day Fair in Winston Salem, NC, with over 120 "Green" booths and over 7,000 attendees. So, since it is such a hot topic, I thought it appropriate to discuss, "What does Green actually mean?"