Taking a Vow for Humanity and the Earth

Summary

It is no wonder that we are terrified by the current unchartered territory of global population growth, ecosystem stress, polarized political struggles, the decline of traditional religious practice, and more. How do we avoid curling up into a ball and giving up? Our guests share the vision of a co-creative, emergent, self-organizing movement they call the “Order of the Sacred Earth (OSE)” as an antidote to the many negative forces that surround us. There are OSE pods sprouting up all over the country. These groups of people are reading the book Order of the Sacred Earth, taking the vow “ I promise to be the best lover and defender of Earth I can be,” and then expressing that vow in any way that feels right for their community.

There are no “shoulds” as to how each individual pod will accomplish their ends. Each community creates their own meaningful rituals. Listug, Wilson, and Fox are creating a hub website to assist with connecting people to one another and for a cross-fertilization of ideas to support growing a movement toward a more sustainable and equitable world. It is the intention that this vision will attract those of like mind and that many others will take the vow. It also creates a platform for younger people and elders to share their wisdom through mutual dialogue and shared rituals. Listug talks about the power of taking the vow: “The moment one definitely commits one’s self then Providence, Universal Energy, God, Essence moves too . . .[P]rovidence will help our efforts in ways that we’re not aware of.” (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)