1. Spiritual Leadership in Our Time: The Process
2. Ecological Transformation and Spiritual Maturing
3. Where are you now?
4. The Process of Becoming an Earth Elder
5. Leadership in Covid time
6. The Integral Ecologist as Spiritual Guide
7. We Need People with a Strong Soul Life
1. SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP IN OUR TIME: THE PROCESS
Now it is time to discover the path of transformation to asssume leadership in the challenges of today. It is a choice everybody can and needs to make.
It starts with stepping out of the darkness of our time into the light of the future. Can you see it? We need to see and believe in the greatness of every human being. Now we have to make the most radical choices humans ever had to make . We are called to co-create the future.
“We cannot solve the problems of our present world with the same consciousnes that created these problems. ” Albert Einstein
It is a journey of discovery and transformation to become this leader. There are three steps:
1. We need a basic understanding of an ecological worldview and commitment.
2. We have to learn to act and speak for the whole community of life.
3. Earth Eldership / Leadership. Now you guide others.
We have to go through a process of learning, growing awareness, change and conversion. We cannot guide others in this transformation if we have not experienced this ourselves. True humility is needed and not a great guru. We must be embedded in the safety and supportive power of a learning community. We learn together. We will discover our personal call and gift for the benefit of the whole Earth Community.
And so we walk as an Earth Worker, doing what we can for the healing of the Earth and a sustainable future. We become the Earth Healer, being healed ourselves by the Earth and healing others in turn. Growing in wisdom a great vision will come to us.
For further deepening of this process go to Module 3, nr. 6. and find the PDF Assuming Spiritual Leadership in Our Time. A further description of the learning process.
2. ECOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION AND SPIRITUAL MATURING
May be in the past you followed a program in spiritual ecology. A retreat, workshop on Laudato Si, or another program on Spiritual Ecology. It might have brought a great change in your life, especially when the processs included the New Story of the Universe. A new worldview can be confronting and can put core beliefs in life upside down.
The human tried to find the answer to the questions about the origin of everything.
The lack of a story that grounds the meaning of our existence, can be a root cause of a crisis of meaning, identity. We might be overwhelmed by all kind of thoughts, strong emotions, depressive feelings. Also beautiful new insights that can bring a very deep joy, can ultimately also be a source of stress. For more than 30 years I supported and guided people in the crucial shifts in consciousness and I have learned very much from my own process. This experience and obtained skills I gladly offer to people today. I call this guidance transition coaching.
You are most probably already for years aware of the situation of our planet and you might have found your own inspiration and the energy that comes with it, to continue your journey. What is the core and your deepest Source for all this ? In his book “Spiritual Ecology” Llewellyn Vaughan Lee, a Soefi master says: “We all need to take our responsibility….( for the ecological, crisis. e.v.). So much has been done already, yet it shows that there is too little change on a collective level. It seems that our materialistic culture continues to choose for sustainability as a goal in itself. There are few signs yet, that the world is ready to let go of materialism. Collectively we seem to have forgotten the sacred dimension of all life. And it is this consciousness that nurtures our soul and we have to relate to it…..” (see pages 245-251)
The confrontation with the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic has thrown us in the turmoil of the deep crisis that was going on already for such a long time. Now we have to look in our present situation again. ‘The normal’, we got used too , presents itself in a new oppressing way. Will we see, listen and act this time? Will there be a ‘new normal’?
To respond to our call for our work for the Earth, we have to build a strong spiritual foundation. This is a long and profound process. From my own experience I know how much time is needed to integrate the new visions, insights, new feelings that are part of the shift. I consider myself a very lucky person, because I was part of a training program of three months (Genesis Farm, NJ, USA, 1998) where I was in the midst of wise teachers and guides. There was the circle of co-students with whom I could learn and share. We really were a great help to each other and this learning community was a true gift. I also could take all the time for this process of transformation; step by step, up till today and already for more than 20 years.
In this process of Guided learning I want to offer you such a process on line. May many feel the strength and beauty of a learning community.
You are for ever a student in the school of Mother Earth.
Elly Verrijt
3. WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
Most probably changes in the way you look at everything were so convincing and enlightening and you deepened a lifestyle of mindfulness; the heart of an ecological life. You might have found your own way to commit yourself to the healing of the Earth. Might be you are looking for new resources to nurture your growing intimacy with the Earth. Or you look for ways to share your insights and learnings and look for connection with like minded persons.
Spiritual Guidance and Transition Coaching
I saw people going through profound existential crisis, after they were so courageous to let go of the worldview that served them no longer. They see the emerging ecological worldview coming up. A source of their suffering is often that people close to them, no longer can understand what is happening to their loved one(s). Often it is called a burn out and people are summoned to rest, while in fact a lot of hard inner work needs to be done. Persons in such a great shift are quite often treated as patients and their symptoms seen as pathology. Where is adequate help?
More than forty years I accompanied people in their spiritual quest of search for a deeper prayer life, meditation, call etc. In the past years I noticed, that there are great changes in this spiritual quest, as situations in the world change drastically. I understood that growth of an ecological worldview is the foundation for spiritual growth. To discover the Oneness of all of which we are a part.
There is one real answer to the many questions of the life of a human of today: to reconnect with Earth and to take our place in the Cosmos. When that happens people find new meaning, new joy and vitality and a clarity of purpose. And most of all a radical gratitude for the Earth and all she gives!
This is the fruit of initiation into the Cosmos. In ancient times at the beginning of puberty a child was introduced to the mysteries of the Cosmos by initiation rites. Who has answered our questions when we were children? When we asked a loved one where we have come from and how everything came into existence, did you get an answer that satisfied you? The caves and the forests of the initiation rites have now become our livingrooms with endless tv songs on what to consume next. Children are handed over to a consumer society. In his book “The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos”, Brian Swimme wrote sentences like this printed in gold! Who has taught us what it means to be a human presence in the Cosmos at this moment of evolution? Nothing less than the future of life and the next step in the evolution of humankind is at stake. This is the work of the shamans, the wise elders among us. But who will do it now? It is very crucial for the life of our future and that of next generations. To be able to do this work, we will have to know this process from our own experience. If we do this work we will know that we deal with very strong vital energies.
This is an invitation for an intensive and beautiful process. A path of study and reflection, through texts, videos, meditations and suggestions for an ecological life. There can be sharing as “co-walkers” and find the support of a learning community. With the many links from the internet you can find also your own resources. It is not only a journey of information and knowing alone, though this is also important. The path goes through your heart, your soul and mind. And also through your body; you might experience more physical health and well being.
Who knows, in the near future you will be one of those like the shamans in ancient times, who will initiate people in the life of the Cosmos. Continue to learn, meditate and do your work for the healing of the Earth. In every awakened human the Earth will be more radiant again.
Consider to make a commitment for your spiritual growth ( retreat) process. What is asked of you is not complicated, but profound. Why hesitate ? Have a look at the website of F. Coppieters. You will find there “inspired” meditations.
www.livinglightcenter.com
More resources for this page
Spiritual Ecology The cry of the Earth L. Vaughan Lee. ISBN 978-1890350-45-1
Handbook for the Evolving Heart, F. Coppieters PH.D. ISBN 0-9753559-9-6
Coming Back To Life. Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, our World. Joanna Macy and Molly Brown. ISBN 978-0-86571-8. Also look for the dvd’s Joanna Macy’s website.
The Stormy Search for the Self. Christina and Stanislaus Grof, MD. ISBN 0-87477-649-x A description of the deep transpersonal crisis of people of today.
Navigating the Coming Chaos. A Handbook for Inner transition. Carolyn Baker. ISBN 978-1-4502-7087-8, ISBN 978-1-4502-7088-5 (ebook)
4. THE PROCESS OF BECOMING AN EARTH ELDER
by Elly Verrijt
More than thirty years ago, I was part of a conference on World Peace. There were two parts in the conference: the first days in which the focus was on the political aspects of world peace, international dialogue, negotiating skills and other ways of peace building. And the second part was a gathering of World Elders. Much attention was given to the spiritual journey of becoming a World Elder. There they were; men and women, mostly in their wisdom years, sitting in a circle. Their presence was impressing as they were not saying much, but spoke their truth clearly and with a deep love for our planet and humanity.
I was deeply touched by these people and ever since that day I felt a deep desire to grow into an Earth Elder ; to be a spiritual leader in this way. To take responsibility for my own experiences and wisdom. In the years that followed an inner world has opened more and more…I began to know her….the World Elder, the Earth Elder in myself. Have you found the face of the Earth Elder in yourself ? Have you made contact with her? Have you asked her for advice and insight? In the history of humanity we see that in all ages there were (Earth)-wise men and women who have safeguarded the knowledge and the wisdom of the Earth and of the Cosmos from generation to generation. Not much of all this wisdom was written down, but expressed in a way of life and in deep connection with all life on Earth and the wisdom of the Cosmos. In their oral traditions and ceremonies this wisdom and sacred knowledge comes to us through in our time. They always have considered themselves to be the keepers of the Earth and it was a sacred vocation. Because their way of life and even more because of their way of seeing deeper in what happens to the world and the Earth, they were and are given a specific authority as wisdom keepers, seers, guides and leaders of communities and tribes. A true elder guides a people in times of crisis and upheaval and points to places of hope. They are a living remembrance of values and pathways into the future and keep the human soul and the soul of a culture alive and hopeful. They are mentors, supporters of all those who want to work for a better future for the Earth and all her life. Their power is the insight in the ways of the Cosmos and the Earth. Through their natural or acquired deep connection with the Earth and the whole community of Life they “see” the sacredness of everything. It has brought them on a path of prayer, a process of spiritual transformation and healing. In the Book of Wisdom ( bible, OT) we find the experience of an Elder, thanking for the Wisdom that was granted.“…(S) He it was who gave me sure knowledge of what exists, to understand the structure of the world and the action of the elements, the beginning, end and the middle of times, the alternation of the solstices and the succession of the seasons, the cycles of the year and the position of the stars, the natures of animals and the instincts of wild beasts, the power of spirits and human mental processes, the variety of plants and the medical properties of roots. And now I understand everything, hidden or visible, for Wisdom, the designer of all things, has instructed me.” Wisdom, 7, 17-21 Over the past centuries Elders from all over the world knew that a great shift and transformation was going to happen to the Earth and all people. We see now that some of the Elders of our days speak about these great changes and are therefore the true spiritual leaders of our time. They come and bring us the Wisdom we need now as we have to live in these times of chaos and confusion. They point at the great light and hope in the midst of all this. Where are the Earth Elders in the present Covid crisis? Indeed a great revolution through Elders is taking place. They gather in communities and find deep power and strength in these circles. The awareness that you have this power and wisdom in you, is your gift to the Earth at this moment. Once you know this, you will be present in a different way. Is it something extra ordinary? In fact not. So many people nowadays have grown in awareness of who they are in the circle of the community of life. They have taken their right place in the circle. They know that they are connected with so many people all over the Earth and this gives them the strength to do what they feel called to. They know they are not alone but knit together as one family. When do you know that you have ripened into Earth Eldership? It is a spiritual process and does not depend on studies and degrees. It is a very different way of knowing. Sometimes too much intellectual knowledge prevents us to look deep into things. Is it a matter of age? Not really. In my many workshops and programs all over the world I have met young adults, people in early midlife with a wonderful sense of wisdom and eyes that “see”. It all starts with the awareness of a call from within. This awareness can come after a shock, an illness, a deep sense of loss because of something that has happened to the Earth community. But also through a program, retreat, a gathering, a sudden awareness of the state of our planet Earth. It can be a sudden wake up call or a steadily growing awareness and spiritual ripening. The awareness of being an Earth Elder has to do with certain virtues and quality of life. In yourself you have discovered “a sacred other, a wise woman or wise man”. You know that you can see deeper than what you are everyday aware of. You might have been working with Mother Earth for the healing of the whole, yourself included. You have accepted a leadership role in this. You might have experienced that others give you authority, because they feel that you “know” from deep within. You are more and more in touch with the deeper wisdom of the Earth and the Cosmos. Sometimes there are strong emotions, tears, visions, specific dreams, voices. Trust them and speak about it with an Earth Elder you trust. You become aware of the Earth Elder in yourself by living a simple life in connection with the Earth and her life. You might have discovered in the silence the pure voices in your heart. You might have a sense of the unseen powers of the universe and the resilience of the Earth and that is the source of your hope. Silence, prayer, meditation, mindfulness will have led you there. You have allowed the immense suffering of the world to enter into your heart. You might have come to know a new name, given to you by Mother Earth. You are becoming the name given. Because in the name is your specific gift and strength. The call of an Earth Elder is always unique. Your passion and deep love for the Earth comes from the deep connection with Mother Earth, your love for creation and the Creator. You have recognized the urgency of a change in how we live on this planet and the call to help Mother Earth in her distress. You have understood the mystery of the journey of the whole universe and the process of growth of (human) consciousness and you understand how precious our moment in time is. Therefore the Earth Elder accepts the call to help increase human consciousness, ecological awareness. Earth Elders know that they stand in-between generations. They gather the fruits of past generations and point at ways for future generations. With their love and passion they show the way for the next generation, how to live now the Earth is so seriously threatened. Pictures:source free internet Thomas Berry, an Earth Elder himself, has so well named the task of the Earth Elder in our time. There are five components to the call of an Earth Elder. He speaks about Elders as tall trees, who keep up the whole forest. 1. Defending the Earth so that there is a beautiful Earth left to live on for our children. To defend the children and tell them The Story of the Universe and to nurture the innocence and wonder of the young child. 2. To initiate the adolescents into the cosmos, so that they will know their place in the world and will discover their call. To support the young adults and help them dream their dreams for a beautiful future. 3. To help the adults in their soul work so that they will find the strength to do their work for the Earth and be true warriors to defend life and work for a harmonious world. To support, encourage and nurture them so they do not loose hope. 4. To guide evolution and transform our culture with values that are causing so much harm. To work for a benign presence of the human community on our Earth. 5. Together with those who are awakened already find visions, values and virtues that will transform our present culture. The Earth Elders can connect with the soul of a culture. And to share wisdom, always. (1) picture: the thirteen grandmothers free internet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Council_of_Thirteen_Indigenous_Grandmothers Elder: A blessing Elly Verrijt More resources
To accept the call as an Earth Elder is most of all a readiness to serve in love and support the community of life, where ever you live and are called. And while walking the path, your strength, power and the passion will grow. When you are known by Mother Earth as her helper courage, strength and insight will never fail you.
May you welcome the Earth Elder in you.
May the Earth Elder in you grow.
May you trust him or her.
May you feel the quiet strength in your whole being.
May courage, joy and visions never fail you.
May you feel the embrace of the Earth Mother in all you do.
And in your quiet moments,
may you sit in the circle of Earth Elders
of all times and feel their support.
Dedicated to all the Earth Elders of our present time.
Nature and the Human Soul, Bill Plotkin. ISBN 978-1-57731-551-3
Grandmothers Counsel the World. C. Schaefer. ISBN 978-1-59030-293-4
5. LEADERSHIP FOR OUR EARTH IN COVID TIME
The urgent need for our time is a new type of leadership and spiritual guidance/leadership. I still remember very well, that now more than 20 years ago, I was very much struck by what Miriam Mc Gilles in Genesis Farm (USA) called ”the need for new ways to inhabit the Earth”. At that time I had not yet given much thought to that, since I was convinced that I, we, humanity know how to live on Earth. Now so many years later, after moments of awakening and all kinds of experiences in different parts of our world, I see that the most pressing question is: how can we live lightly on the Earth and share her wealth with all in the community of life, now and in the future? Which ways of organizing our life as nations, peoples, communities can serve this purpose? And what kind of leadership do we need towards that transition.
Image: picture HEAL, The Philippines
“We can not depend on governments to to heal our wounds, we have to help each other“, says Hene, a Maori elder. Those who are aware of what is happening to the Earth and all her life -(systems) and have gone through a process of personal change and transformation can help others to heal their wounds. They are ultimately the ones who are able to help redirect the course our world has taken. Each of us carries unique gifts to help bring about the great transition our time needs, especially now we are totally overwhelmed by what happens to all of us on the Planet in the Covid Pandemic.
The Great Transition in Leadership
On our tv screens great masses of people of all ages, religious and political backgrounds are moving to the streets. Social unrest, the longing for freedom for a different life, for democracy and simply for bread, rice and a future for the children, make people risk their very life. A movement, more than a political momentum. Leadership is asked for. The leader with integrity and a sense of true justice. The old forms, structures and institutions can no longer serve our collective needs it seems. Is a great vision and massive awareness breaking through in people? Will we as humanity truly respond to the present situation and change our ways for a truly sustainable Earth?
Only persons connected to the life of the whole planet and who know the processes of the cosmos and the Earth, are able to make the right choices for life of the Earth and the community of life. Leadership in our time is about leading ourselves, our communities and nations from slavery into freedom, from greed to a spirit of sharing, from disruption of the natural systems of the earth to building sustainable life styles and communities. It is about inspiration and a vision to live in harmony with the Earth and the whole community of life. This shift and transformation can happen in each person.
When Ghandi was asked, why millions followed him, he simply answered:
“I have never asked anybody to do anything I have not tried and tested in my own life. We have to practise what we preach. In other words we have to be the change we wish to see in the world”.
We are all potential leaders
We people of our time, living with an open heart and mind and being in touch with the Earth and her life, can lead our lives in the right direction. We can make our lives into an example of a responsible way of living on the Earth, we can share our processes of conversion and change. Our lives can radiate that a simple life can be joyful and good and a source of inspiration and spiritual fulfilment.
While we live with the willingness to know what is happening to our Earth, we can still draw hope from what is left after all the devastation that has taken place and the enormous challenge to hand over an habitable planet to future generations. “We do not have to wait for governments, institutions, for the hero leader who will emerge or for others who will do it for us”, says the Maori elder Hene. We know that true leadership is about integrity and acting in love and not out of fear. That is within our reach. It is a matter of soul courage!
To find the true leader in ourselves we need to go to a place of respect in ourselves. And as that place is in everyone, so there is a potential leader in everyone.
“The Integral Ecologist is the spiritual leader of our time”, says Thomas Berry. This person can be a spokesperson for the planet and can act from the wisdom and the numinous ( divine) aspects of the universe as it was meant from the beginning. In our time we have to go back to the Earth to be guided by it’s wisdom. True growth in leadership sprouts from the deep connection with the Earth and her life. The new leader of our time is the one who sees most, who can look far and who can deal with the fear and anxiety of the moment. The Elder has eyes to see and a spirit to perceive that a new world and a new Earth are emerging right before us, in the turmoil and chaos.
“We are more than social agents to improve the existing situation. We are called to something more. We have a sense of the future motivating us to look beyond the current limits of humanity”. Jonas Salk.
6.THE INTEGRAL ECOLOGIST AS SPIRITUAL GUIDE
A Reflection by Thomas Berry
“Throughout this modern period, the traditional spiritual leaders –scholars, religious teachers, and social reformers – have been unable to provide sufficient guidance. They failed to recognize that the basic issue is not simply divine-human or inter-human relations but human-Earth relations, and beyond that, relations with the comprehensive community of the entire universe, the ultimate sacred community. The failure has led to the plundering of the planet by good persons, even deeply religious persons, for the supposed temporal and spiritual benefit of the human. The plundering of the planet to serve human purposes is what needs to change. The industrial movement, with it’s ideal of subjection of the planet, must now give way to the ecological movement. Only such an ideal will sustain the integral functioning of both the human and the non-human components of the planet in a single integral community.
This ideal requires a new spirituality. We need the guidance of the prophet,the priest, the saint, the yogi, the Buddhist monk, the Chinese sage, the Greek philosopher, the modern scientist. Each of these personalities and their teachings are immensely important in their own proper field of functioning. Yet, for these times they might all be considered limited as guides to the human process in it’s rapport with the natural life systems of the planet. We now have a new understanding of the universe, how it came into being and the sequence of transformations through which it has passed.
Few of the traditional spiritual guides seem able to accept this understanding as a revelatory experience. This can only be done by an ecologically sensitive personality. (Sacred Universe, Thomas Berry, chapter 10, page 135)
We need an ecological spirituality with an integral ecologist as spiritual guide. So too will the ecologist serve as a guide for these times.
The great spiritual mission of the present is to renew all the traditional religious-spiritual traditions in the context of the integral functioning of the bio-systems of the planet. The integral ecologist can now be considered a normative guide for our times. The integral ecologist would understand the numinous aspect of an universe emergent from the beginning. ….The integral ecologist is the spokesperson for the planet in both its numinous and physical meaning, just as the prophet was the spokesperson for the deity, the yogi for the interior spirit, the saint for the Christian faith. In the integral ecologist, our scientific understanding of the universe becomes a wisdom tradition”. (Sacred Universe, Thomas Berry, chapter 10, page 135-136) ISBN 978-0-231-14952-5
Source of images used on this page: free internet
7. WE NEED PEOPLE WITH A STRONG SOUL LIFE
The present ecological crisis and our soul
In the past years I have met so many people in so many places of the world around the fate of the Earth and the present ecological crisis. I have seen the deep effects of growing awareness of the state of te planet on the inner life of people. A dying planet and the violence done to the life systems touches us at soul level. Now we know what is happening. Where ever life is diminished, soul life withers. Think of the loss of values and loss of connection with the land and life systems. The loss of perpectives because of the lack of a safe future for our and coming generations.
We realize that we have to get used to live in scarcity and loss of beauty of nature. I have seen people bursting out in tears and being deeply shocked once they realized the irreversible damage done to the Earth and how they have been part in it.
Younger people feeling a sense of loss, especially in this time of the pandemic because they never have experienced to be part of a greater whole.
How can our soul grow strong, our feet steady and can we move on in great resilience?
Our time needs people with a strong soul life
It is not enough to be faithful to daily prayers and rituals, personally and as a group. It helps to walk a spiritual path, but we might never find the depth where we will witness what happens between the Divine and the human. We will never grasp the meaning of the present time and all that happens now.
Our time needs people who can converse and live with the Divine, God at the depth of the soul. Where we can see, receive visions, guidance, light on how to move forward. We need people of great wisdom, strength, soul power, fearless and unwavering in the sight of confusion and darkness. People who dare to face the most essential questions in the context of the present situation.
My soul knows why I was born at this moment in history. It is not my, our personal idea or want. Our soul connects with the cosmic intuition of the Greater Purpose, in the context of the evolution of the whole universe. Once we realize this, there is a tremendous power that takes over our life. The life- power that created the stars and the sun and keeps everything in balance is at work in us. One of the most powerful statement about the origin of our spiritual power!
My soul knows about the unique expression I can give. We are attuned to the Cosmic plan.
We need a strong soul life first of all to cope with the effects and demands of the deepening crisis.
We are called to be mystics, people connected with what is sacred. We need people who experience the Oneness of everything at soul level. People who pray and act from there. The Ancient people say that for the last 500 years the old wisdom and prophecies were hidden from the humans. So people lost their way and this resulted in the ecological crisis. Now the time has come that people are called to awaken one by one to deep revelations of Wisdom. We need people with a deep soul life who are open to visions, dreams like the women in Medieval times: Hildegard, Theresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich and other mystics. From their awakening they will lead the way and bring others into the Light.
Various inspirations and reflections
Elly Verrijt, 2021
Everything you see has its roots
In the unseen world.
The forms may change
Yet the esssence remains the same.
Every woundress sight will vanish.
Every sweet word will fade,
But do not be dishearthed,
The Source they come from is Eternal,
Growing , branching out,
Giving new life and new joy.
Why do you weep?
That Source is within you
And this whole world
Is springing up from it.
The Source is full.
Its waters are ever-flowing:
Do not grieve,
Drink your fill!
Don’t think it will ever run dry,
This is the endless Ocean.
Rumi