Living Earth Meditation – April-October

Living Earth Meditation is offered at 9 a.m. on Saturdays at 1400 Gary St., Columbia, from early April through early October. It is a collaborative program of our church, the Columbia Friends Meeting and Show Me Dharma and will be facilitated by Peter Holmes, Ph.D., and Tricia Straub.

The format will be silent meditation outdoors with an opportunity to share insights and reflection – being at home in Nature while building a connection between spiritual practice and ecological awareness. Sign up to attend by email.

Intentions: To seek deep, embodied, joyful relationship with ourselves, each other, and all the rich diversity of beings that comprise our Living Earth. To awaken to the realization that we are all connected, that we are all part of a constantly changing Mother Earth. To become aware that to consider humans as separate and independent is a dangerous illusion that causes immense suffering in this world. To live into the awareness and the mystery of constantly changing, complex life system (Gaia) that sustains us and is one of the wonders of this Universe. To realize that all we love arises inseparable from Earth and from the living Earth community in ways endless and unfathomable. To pay respects to the lands, waters, creatures, and rooted ones of each place. To be grateful for the rich life that we share with all earthly beings.

Living Earth Study Group – October-March

The Living Earth Study is a book study and discussion group aimed at connecting ecological and spiritual awareness and seeking to bring harmony and healing to our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the Living Earth. It is held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on first and third Saturdays at Show Me Dharma, 1600 Broadway, Columbia. The sessions will be facilitated by Peter Holmes, PhD, and Jared Belden, MA. Our present ecological crisis is the greatest man-made disaster this planet has ever faced – accelerating climate change, species depletion, pollution, and acidification of oceans. A central but rarely addressed aspect of this crisis is our forgetfulness of the sacred nature of creation and how this affects our relationship to the environment. There is a pressing need to articulate a spiritual response to this ecological crisis. This is vital and necessary if we are to help bring the world as a living whole back into balance. Sign up to attend by email.