Just a reminder to my readers that this blog will be on hiatus until June 18. I’ll continue to put comments through on the previous open post when I have the chance, but long delays are pretty likely. See you then!
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Nature Spirituality in the Twilight of the Industrial Age
Just a reminder to my readers that this blog will be on hiatus until June 18. I’ll continue to put comments through on the previous open post when I have the chance, but long delays are pretty likely. See you then!
Comments are closed.
Enjoy your trip!
“Stonehenge! ‘Tis a magic place
Where the moon doth rise with a dragon’s face”
Hope you have a safe and smooth journey!
Wer here
Nuclear war is getting really close now….
GodSpeed John, May you have a wonderful trip.
Enjoy your time away from the day job, Brother Greer.
Hey John,
I’m from Austin, Texas — generations deep. That might be problem number one. Last year, the proverbial wheels came off everything around me for no obvious reason… except maybe …YHWH.
As I’ve tried to make sense of it and course-correct, things have only gotten stranger. Silence, I’ve learned, must be the new love language.
I think I’ve been asleep at the wheel — or just too busy — for the last 45. Now I’m wide awake and learning everything I can: Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, Latin… and tearing through the canons as fast as my brain will allow.
After a lifetime in full gospel churches, I’m realizing I may not have been told the full truth and I was always too loyal to question, goodness was in me… so you think, yeh others have it too. And the moment I started questioning scripture, I was reprimanded. But the breath in my lungs still says: dig.
I’ve got a life story. I’ve got a ‘weird’ and valuable perspective. And I’m leaving this here because I think you might be one of the few willing to actually hear it. I look forward to being friends.
— Sabrina
Hi Sabrina
You can wager your last penny you weren’t told the full truth. That’s not because of any ill intent on the part of the church leadership – most, if not all, are faithful and honest – it’s just the cussedness of human nature. As soon as there’s a formal organization there, all manner of hidden agendas begin to grow in the form of political posturing, career objectives, and plain old-fashioned selfishness. Although we’re all pretty consistently 85% honest, some of us make poor choices as to what parts of our lives should belong to the other 15%.
The cure for this problem? Do what it sounds like you’re already doing: read the scriptures. Also read history books, particularly those dealing with biblical time periods. Also read commentaries – on both historical works and religious ones – but when you do, bear in mind that the commentators are just humans, imperfect beings using imperfect language to express imperfect concepts on subjects that we can only ever know imperfectly. Round out your knowledge with discursive meditation (yes, even the bible recommends this) and come to your own understanding. Do not allow your own personal relationship with the Divine to become contingent on any human construct. Seek God, and God will find you.
I expect you will find quite a few kindred spirits here. One thing that sets the commentariat of this forum apart from others of lesser quality is that we are in the habit of doing our own thinking – and respecting the thinking of others, regardless of whether or not we agree with their conclusions. Your perspective, no matter how weird it may be, will be valued here because it is yours of your own making and not some political agenda swallowed whole from a propaganda machine.
Welcome.
Hi Sabrina,
A lot of the people who comment on this blog have had a similar life experience, including me. When I started into my post-evangelical change-of-life experience, I took a tip from Soren Kierkegaard; Kierkegaard wanted to explore different ways of thinking about his own Christian experience, so he created a handful of aliases, assigned them different beliefs, and then had them chat with each other, and debate each other. I did the same sort of thing.
You may, for example, wonder about other gods and goddesses, but maybe you don’t want to jump feet first into being a polytheist. One option–Create a character whose name might be Katrina. Katrina is a friend who is a lot like you, but she gives honor and respect to other gods and goddesses and is happy to talk about it. What will she say to you? What will you ask her?
Katrina might even write a blog that explores and expresses things you don’t necessarily agree with.
Our host, John Michael Greer, has provided a boatload of information and useful self-help courses that are free of charge, and available thru links at his other blog, ecosophia.dreamwidth.org .
I particularly recommend;
Modern Order of Essenes
https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/tag/modern+order+of+essenes
and
Octagon Society
https://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org/tag/octagon+society
This commentariat is a group of people who don’t always agree, but who have found that they can get along with each other.
All the best to you on your exciting spiritual journey!
–Emmanuel Goldstein
Sabrina,
I know exactly what you’re going through because I myself came out of the Charismatic/Evangelical American church scene that I was raised in. It was a long and emotionally painful process both to unlearn and to come to a clearer understanding of the things I was taught as a boy. Many people today have no idea what the subculture of Americanized Christianity is really like and how truly bizarre it is. I always say that someday I’ll write a book about it. This blog is a good place for you to be. Keep asking questions, and don’t hesitate to reach out to others here.
I will take this final opportunity to remind all that the 8th Annual Ecosophia Midsummer Potluck will be held June 21, 2025 at our house, behind the Charles Dexter Ward Mansion in Providence, RI. Only 24 days to go! Sign up here. I look forward to your presence, and once again, whomever comes from furthest is welcome to stay in our guest room.
From behind a paywall is this headline.
“Hail accounts for 73% of financial losses for US solar PV projects, despite representing just 6% of the total number of loss incidents.
According to a new report from US-based climate insurance provider kWh Analytics, the financial impact of severe hail on solar installations is “disproportionately severe” for the frequency with which they occur.”
That might change the economics a bit. Although if the installation is on trackers (that follow the sun across the sky) those drive controllers can stand the panels vertically giving the hail a much smaller target especially if you were to put a bumper on the upper edge of the frame.
Examples below.
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/solar-hail-damage
@Peter Khan
I won’t be able to make it up there, but I just wanted to point out that June 21 is 7 days from now, not 24!