Seeds for Thought: an Ecopsychology Blog

eve of may and one party newspapers

best Beltane wishes to everyone. I was going to write a blog reviewing 1st 4 months of retirement, but am distracted. There seems to be trouble around, personally, as well as in the world of course. I'll talk about a tiny one.

My neighbour came round with a problem with the little stream that runs through our gardens. I checked and it was running fine through ours, high after yesterdays thunderstorm. In her garden downstream it was still and had been seeping out. I put on my wellies and tried poking into the culvert at the end, could not reach any blockage and the next people down are away. So not much I could do.

And it seemed a bit like a tarot reading. blocked energies, numbness, feelings leaking out into the wrong places. and strong people picking up the pieces, getting out their plungers and doing their best  while trying to keep distance from the bits we can't reach or help or solve.

mayday, new life, labour, help me

and if in the UK please go and vote tomorrow particularly in London, a curse on the tory fool and the monopolistic daily paper that is his campaign mouthpiece. The only local paper here "forgot" to mention the Green candidate. Funny no one worries about them while accusing the BBC of bias.

workers, mothers, lovers go and vote in your shared interests. we are in this thing together

i want to have a baby

I wanted six children to match the six favourite names I had chosen: three girls and three boys. I imagined them as adults with interesting personalities and careers.

Then...

I wanted a daughter named Helen and I always used to imagine walking with her, hand in hand, down Solano Ave. on my way into uni.

Then...

Cultural richness in linguistic diversity

Several months ago, a Montrealer called David Millar contacted me through this blog and invited me to comment on various documents and ideas -- some written by him, others from other sources.  I didn't have much time to offer him as I was working but I was fascinated with what he was doing and I did try to be helpful once or twice.

Now that I am heavily and deeply wintering (15 cm of snow yesterday, April 2, 2008, to add to the mountains of snow in Rivière-au-Tonnerre, 51 degrees latitude, with more snow forecast for the weekend) and that I am expecting to be in this state until July, I have more time to check out interesting "stuff" and I want to introduce you to David Millar's blog.  What made it interesting when I first read it was the depth of its content; what makes it utterly fascinating now is the fact that it features entries in English, French and Spanish!

Waiting out the Storm

There wasn't much fanfare when spring arrived earlier this week:  one snow storm follows on the barely cleared storm of the previous week, and it's been like that since November 5.  Now that it is the Saturday before Easter, it feels less like spring and new beginnings than ever.

Faith and the Environment

The MultiFaith Action Society and Langara College Continuing Studies are co hosting a conference “Faith and the Environment” [FATE] at the Langara campus by invitation to the leaders of Vancouver's faith communities. This event will be an historic meeting of the leaders of Vancouver’s major religions to consider their role in addressing the environmental issues facing British Columbians.

The occasion has the following goals:
• Explore the implications of the climate crisis for religious communities in BC
• Identify areas of common interest and common action to address the issues.
• Share “best practices” for reducing “ecological footprints” in sacred spaces
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Program highlights include:

• Background on the environmental issues facing British Columbia in the next decades.
• Roundtable discussion with Premier and the Climate Action Secretariat on new policies.
• Workshops on efforts to reduce human impact on natural processes and restore damage.
• Forum discussion of public policies and the role of religious communities and their leaders

The success of this event will depend to a large extent on the level of participation from the Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and 1st Nations faith communities from the lower mainland. One challenge has been to identify what constitutes “leadership” in the context of an environmental crisis.

strong women

Canada's theme for international women's day is strong women - strong world. Over the border the possible first woman presidential candidate and possible first black presidential candidate are destroying each other's chances. Can they not cooperate? Has nothing been learned since the arguments over whether woman or black people (men of course) would get the vote first?

So too sad today to feel strong. let's turn instead to a strong black woman to cut through the crap, oh Sojourner where are you we need you?

Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): Ain't I A Woman?
Delivered 1851
Women's Convention, Akron, Ohio

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

International Women's Day (2)

According to a new report released this week by the Canadian Labour Congress, women are, on average, still being paid about 70% of what men are being paid in the workforce.  Back in the early 1970s it was about the same thing.

With this enduring economic situation (rent and groceries aren't 30% cheaper for women), isn't it marvelous that women have the consciousness, the concern and the desire to do something with respect to the environment?????