| About
20 years ago, sitting alone in my Oregon kitchen, I listened in rapt attention
to a tape of one of the most staggering and unsettling speeches that I had ever
heard. It was given by a quiet and unassuming nun whose words continue to reverberate
in my mind and heart, and totally changed my perception of life on Earth and my
responsibility to it. I had no idea that these prophetic words were not a common
language to her religious order, but were a new language for our times, and they
struck me to the core as Truth. Today,
it is with a sense of wonder that I am now able to introduce to Conscious Design
readers a little of the life of this remarkable artist and teacher from a remarkable
community-based farm in North West New Jersey. Through the words and great work
of Father Thomas Berry, a 'geologian' and scholar- she has inspired many to a
vision of hope for our future that includes principles of conscious design with
the largest possible perspective. Meaning is brought to life by remembering that
the stuff of earth is divine and is sacred space. That includes you and me at
our interior, as it is in the interior of all life. Sr. Miriam is able to articulate
the story of the Universe and its complexity is a most fascinating way that takes
us on a 15 Billion year old journey to the present moment. She
will be speaking in her own backyard at the Conscious Design Conference and Expo
this September and I encourage you to listen well. As conscious designers, we
seek to be aware of the effects of our environments, but larger than that is to
see our role in the process of the unfolding of a universe which was consciously
designed from the beginning. Miriam
McGillis, the co-founder of Genesis Farm, (www.genesisfarm.org) established in
1980 with the sponsorship of her Dominican congregation of Caldwell, New Jersey.
With almost miraculous expansion to 226-acres, the farm is a learning center for
Earth studies. They offer a variety of residential and non-residential programs,
including an accredited masters-level course in Earth Literacy. Designing in collaboration
with the earth processes that are natural and self healing is an ongoing intention. Genesis
Farm's Community Supported Garden cultivates biodynamic fruits and vegetables
on land free of chemical free soils for over 250 local families. Over many years
of experimentation in a new way of thinking about farming, it has evolved as a
highly successful model of small scale agriculture, independent of the aggressive
and competitive agri-business system which has crippled many small family farms
in the US In conjunction
with several colleges and universities, the Learning Center offers graduate and
undergraduate credits in Earth Literacy. In these programs, the focus is the connections
between the health of our global commons of air, water, and land, and the health
of our local communities and 'bioregions', a term coined by Father Berry to indicate
the distinct differentiated regions of the earth with regard to life forms, geography
and climate. Miriam would
likely say that their work is rooted in a spirituality that honors Earth as a
primary revelation of the divine. As a farmer, Sr. Miriam plants seeds of mystery
that produce an abundant crop of diverse ways to truly love this sacred space
that nurtures and supports the entire communion of life. With the image of the
whole and holy Earth as a divine support system of which we are all integrally
and uniquely a part, we are given a great gift. For one of many, I am so grateful
to have met this wise teacher of transformation. "My
business is the way I express my love to the world." - Sister Miriam McGillis
Written by Anne Mansfield, International Feng Shui Guild President/CEO, 2004-2007
www.annemansfieldfengshui.com
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