Emerging from Emergency: Callings, Sacred Activism and Quantam Leadership

 

I'm writing this as New Zealand is in the second week of a protest on the grounds of Parliament. The protest is mainly about Covid mandates, but it seems there are various groups and various issues to protest about. It's as if there is no clear leader or direction which makes mediation and a way forward difficult. The topic of sacred activism and sacred leadership could not be more relevant.

Shadow work. In this Birth The New Earth conversation one theme comes up several times. We need to face our shadow - personally and collectively. That unconscious "stuff" that we all carry, comes out forcefully when we have some "other" on whom to project our animosity, criticism and anger. We all do it! Anyone we "other" and react to has something to mirror back to us. 

Activism can become just as angry and oppositional as the original issue. Stephen Dinan said: "Don't denigrate 'the other' in your activism. Speak to the divine essence of the other." That's a challenge to stop us in our tracks! It's all too easy to catch myself classing all the protesters as "them" and wishing they would just see sense (the way I see it!) and go home. 

Facing our own shadow can feel like an impossible task. If shadow is what is hidden from my consciousness, then how can I face it, let alone deal with it?  One important step is to be compassionate with ourselves when it is revealed and mirrored back to us! It's easy to berate myself for my anger and frustration at "them" (and thus create more anger and judgement, this time at myself!) Another way would be to compassionately understand how stressful this whole issue is and offer myself emotional support or practical care. 

Of course there are cultural, as well as personal, shadows to be addressed. We all need to "come to terms with our undigested history", said Stephen Dinan. Here's a clip where he speaks about his experience of  being the only white person in a group of elders in Peru.

Sacred Activism requires a balance of activism and spiritual practice. Activism on its own can become egotistical and lead to burnout. Focussing only on spiritual practice can be a way of avoiding taking any action. The Centre for Action and Contemplation,  founded by Richard Rohr, models a healthy balance. Instead of seeking to destroy what isn't working seek to build a better way. Knowing what that better way might be requires prayerful discernment, rather than reactionary energy. 

Quantam Leadership. This quote from Mother Teresa has stayed with me for decades since I first heard it. And that reminds me that an apparently small thing (like this one quote) can have a significant and lasting impact. That is exactly what quantam science is telling us. We influence the world around us by every action and attitude. This has been a recurring theme in these Birth the New Earth conversations.

The challenge to be a "quantam leader" can seem totally unreachable. It's easy to say, "I'm not in that league"and dismiss leadership as someone else's role.  But the startling perspective of quantam theory is that, whether we like it or not, we are 'leading' in some direction by every choice we make. The Biblical parables of a planting a tiny mustard seed which grows into a huge tree or adding a small amount of yeast which then "works through all the dough" say the same thing. (Matthew 13:31-33) 'Quantam' refers to the mystery of how a small choice can lead to a surprisingly significant outcome. 

 

The Biblical story of David and Goliath demonstrates this in real historical terms. It was indeed a "quantam leap" to see power shift from an army equipped with weapons and full body armour to a young man with a stone and a sling. 

Every one of these conversations ends with the contributors challenging us to find our own particular contribution to a quantam shift. It could be the mustard seed of an idea, the yeast of offering a different perspective in a conversation or courageously standing up for justice even though we may be ridiculed or hurt.

 

Links:

Catherine G Lucas Founder of Co-Creating Our Future, Author and Birth The New Earth Host

Stephen Dinan CEO of The Shift Network

Carolyn Baker PhD Author and Sacred Activist

Mick Collins PhD Author and Birth The New Earth Team Member

Prophecy and the Great Shift: Knowing, Being and Doing

 

The first time I saw the title of this conversation I admit I felt a bit sceptical. There's a lot of misunderstanding about prophecy "foretelling the future". There are false prophets as well as genuine ones. In my Judeo-Christian heritage there are many genuine prophets, as well as warnings about false prophets, so perhaps my scepticism was more about being discerning rather than dismissive. I was delighted to find that once again this conversation was enlightening, challenging and grounded.

One person said quite simply, "prophecy is speaking for the divine, however you hear that." We are all connected to God, Spirit, Source however we name that essential essence. Tuning in and listening to the wisdom of the creator of this universe is an invitation and a responsibility. 

The four people in this conversation each gave an example of how they 'heard' something that motivated their passion for the work they do now. Steven saw a bumper sticker (370-0) that led to a conversation about how the American government had made 370 treaties with First Nations people and every single one of them had been broken. Here in New Zealand I'm writing this post just before Waitangi Day when we celebrate the Treaty of Waitangi.

There are always celebrations of all that has been accomplished since 1840 and protests that remind us we cannot be complacent. We still have plenty to do. I am personally aware how little I know and how few ways I am involved.

Luisah grew up in countryside that was full of trees and natural beauty. Then oil companies came in and destroyed "her whole world". She said she "heard the trees screaming" as they were felled. 

Mick spent three years in a monastery and  realised how disconnected we are from nature and native people. He had a powerful vision of the reality of the Ethiopian famine happening at that time. One day Catherine 'saw' millions of souls being taken into the light. It struck her that this represented millions of people dying. 

Whether it is a bumper sticker, a vision, or trees being felled, God is speaking. Prophecies from many traditions tend to say the same things. The themes of deep listening to creation and to indigenous people recur again and again. 

In my work as a spiritual director one of the main issues people are exploring is "how can I hear what God is saying?" One person in this conversation said, "Just be open and stop the chattering mind!" So simple and yet so hard for many. I think the difficulty is often because of an expectation that "God's voice" is somehow separate and distinct from any "ordinary" observation, thought, or issue that touches us deeply. How else is God supposed to speak?! 

Any readers who have spent time in a retreat setting will know how the spaciousness and silence usually heightens our alertness. One of the best ways to attend to what the Spirit is saying is to notice what you notice. It might be a bumper sticker, a flower pushing up through concrete, a homeless person, a breath-taking sunrise, a sentence in a novel, one line of a song, a dream... the options are endless. The divine creator of the universe is communicating all the time. You don't need to be on retreat to notice!

Notice

what you

notice!

The challenge of course, is to consider why you noticed and whether this noticing is a call to action of some kind. Each of the four people in this conversation were motivated by what they saw or heard. They are now giving a lot of their time, focus and energy to speak, act and share what they 'heard'. They each have their own unique prophetic voice.

We must be rather deaf and emotionally insensitive if we fail to hear the voice of creation at present. Luisah put it this way: "we are digging in her body, draining her blood, messing up her lungs..."

 

Thankfully, many of us individually and collectively are heeding the cry of our planetary home. Of course, there will always be those who ignore what they don't want to see and hear. As the prophet Jeremiah said: "Listen to this you foolish people, who do not have any sense. You have eyes but you do not see. You have ears but you do not hear." Jeremiah 5:21 

History reminds us that periods of great chaos precede times of great transformation. Throughout these Birth The New Earth episodes this reassurance is repeated. A tipping point is coming when those who hear and act outnumber  those who turn a blind eye. Biblical references to "a new heaven and a new earth" are spread throughout the Old and New Testaments. (Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1) We can each play a part in birthing the new earth. However insignificant we may feel, we can be given a vision of our particular part in the whole. 

Without a vision

the people perish

Proverbs 29:18

Luisah talked of "de-colonising" our minds and hearts and respecting indigenous wisdom. (We are all indigenous to the planet even if we don't have direct link to an indigenous culture where we live!)   Let's have the humility to stop assuming we know best. 

Steven talked of supporting restorative justice initiatives. Click here for the website of Restorative Justice Aotearoa. We can also empower businesses and organisations with our purchases and support.  The web of relationships means that every dollar helps and every perspective offered can influence others who may begin to act in new ways. The current pandemic vividly demonstrates the multiplying spread of one person's actions.         

Yeyeluisah Teish

Steven McFadden

Catherine G Lucas

Mick Collins The Unselfish Spirit  The Visionary Spirit