Center for Ecological Regeneration: A Charge from the Land
April 22, 2022
By Jacqueline Anderson, Master of Arts in Public Ministry, Ecological Regeneration Concentration
In the book of Genesis humans are the last to be created, after all of the other creatures. Vine Deloria, Jr. reminds us that, as the younger siblings of creation, we must look to our older siblings to know how to live well on this earth.
Wolfskin
From ones that have changed the course of the river
May you not forget the silencing of our voice
May you find hope in our restoration
May you look to us for guidance on how to live harmoniously
with the symphony of life
Antler
From the great spotted ones who graze and watch closely
May you find spaces of peace and a practice of holy curiosity and contemplation
May you be watchful and responsive to the needs of the community
and the direction of the Spirit
Feathers
From the ones who bring music to our wetlands, woods, and prairies
who soar above us, night and day
May you keep a wide perspective, seeing the whole
May your work and prayers rise like songs on powerful winds
and be heard by the Spirit
Wild Onion
From the first pungent green to emerge in the spring
May you reach toward the sun by way of rooting yourself in this soil
Look how we live in community with our verdant siblings
May you draw closer to the Spirit by way of the earth
Fungi
From the great subterranean web of nourishment and mutual flourishing
May you enrich the lives of the people
Composting pain and loss
And become a great earthy network of abundance and kinship
Limestone
From the collective of ancient ocean creatures, united by pressure and time
May you too be a strong collective of diverse beings and voices
Recover your long-forgotten spiritual practices
And join us in our ancient cry for liberation and justice
Water from Lake Michigan
From one who birthed life from the primordial chaos
the great nourisher who held the waterwalker
the powerful connector who shapes the land
who continues to nourish in the midst of our ambivalent offerings
May you be connected to lifegiving communities
like the waters through rainfall and rivers
May your works for justice and healing roll down like the creeks
refresh the parched earth,
and puddle in the hearts of the people
Together, we, as elders, as siblings
have come to tell you
Teach others our stories
Help them learn how to hear our voices
Invite us to co-teach with you
We are kin
We are all related
And we are eager to co-labor with you
for the flourishing of all
Know that what you need is here