A slogan on a 350 Eugene shirt that I have says: The Active Hope process is to first ground yourself in reality, and then get inspired to take action. The reality is that carbon pollution from fossil fuels is warming our planet and throwing natural systems out of balance. The results are severe fires, catastrophic storms, rising seas… (read more)
None of us know what the future holds – what movements might rise up; what a big corporation may suddenly decide to do; what planetary shifts might still occur. But as environmental journalist Arno Kopecky writes in his book “The Environmentalist’s Dilemma”: We are “living on borrowed time. The worst is yet to come.” In a… (read more)
Trusting the Spiral Active Hope is not wishful thinking. Active Hope is not waiting to be rescued by the Lone Ranger or by some savior. Active Hope is waking up to the beauty of life on whose behalf we can act. We belong to this world. The web of life is calling us forth at this time. We’ve come a long way… (read more)
Those “light glib words of hope” that Thomas Kelly refers to – like wish, desire, expectation, and anticipation – are based on wanting things we do not currently have, and trusting that life will give them to us. This kind of hope can help us to cope in the short term, but often leads to the disappointments of unmet expectations,… (read more)
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings. “As the days get shorter and winter sets in, we each experience the darkness of… (read more)
One of the reasons that early Friends tried to abolish the celebration of holidays was because they believed that every day was a holy day: we shouldn’t need a special Thanksgiving Day because we are giving thanks every day. Quaker songwriter Jon Watts wrote a blog post titled, “We Don’t Need A Holiday To Give Thanks!” In it… (read more)
Our North Pacific Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice section on Harmony with Creation begins: “The mystery and beauty of the universe reveal their Source. Spiritually and physically nourished by our home, the Earth, we are filled with gratitude and wonder.” Being filled with gratitude and wonder is a start, but where does that good feeling carry us? In November… (read more)
This First Day at 10:45 a.m., during the outdoor Meeting for Worship, we will recite the Haudenosaunee (pronounced who-DIN-oh-show-nee) Thanksgiving Address Greetings to the World. Please join us! The Haudenosaunee people (also known as the Iroquois) have said that the words of the Thanksgiving Address are their gift to the world and are meant to be shared…. (read more)
The harvest season has traditionally been a time to express gratitude for the bounty and benevolence of nature – for the abundance of food and beauty that the natural world supplies us with. And it’s easier to feel true gratitude when we feel a sense of connection to the source of what we receive – when… (read more)
It is clear that we cannot solve the plastic crisis simply by changing our buying habits or by recycling “better”. We need legislation. Environmentalists and lawmakers in some states are pushing for legislation that bans single use plastics, and for “bottle bills” which pay customers to bring back their plastic bottles. Oregon and Michigan’s bottle… (read more)
Click the picture for information about community group use of the Meeting House.
