In 1987

In 1987, we moved to the town of Niles to a small stretch of road which for a time became affectionately known as ‘Carrot Junction.’ It was made up of three houses on Grange Hall Road; our house, the home of the Age family and the Wakely’s, where the Niles Gourmet Bistro is today. It achieved its nickname due to the fact we were all vegetarians and organic farmers. There became a tradition of Saturday night pot luck dinners at the Wakely’s. Both Dale Wakely and Dan Age were ministers at that time, Dale Congregationalist, Dan Baptist. Often there was a diverse group of house guests that included 7th Day Adventists, TM teachers, psychenauts and NewAge philosophers from Dan’s health food store, the Greene family and us.  After dinner, while the women talked in the kitchen, the conversation among the men usually centered on environmental spirituality.

One afternoon, I was walking with Dan Age, when he was discussing a premise raised at the pot luck. It was in regards to the symbolism of the cross. He pointed out that it was much more than the crucifixion. He believed it went back to the translation of Genesis. It was his belief that man was not put on earth to have dominion over the planet and its resources but to be the stewards. That humankind had been placed as a pole connecting the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother. The Father being in charge of all that is of the spirit and the Mother all things of substance. That we, as the stewards were the arms of the cross, connecting to all the creatures, the plants, the earth and stones, the water and the air. This is why we were put here to teach the natural law, and build the kingdom on earth by taking care of all around us to provide for generations to come. Somewhere this has been lost and is not the role we have taken on.

Unfortunately in this day and age we have separated ourselves from the environment. Chief  Irving Powless Jr. states in his book, “Who Are These People Anyway,” the difference between those that came after and the Indigenous people, is that we have separated ourselves from the environment, whereas the Native American can only think one way and that is they are the environment and act accordingly. Perhaps we need to once more start thinking of ourselves as a part of the whole. Realize the bottom line should not be profit, but health and happiness. It may well be a matter of survival for us as a species.

So let us start here with prayers of gratitude for the water.

 

 

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