Make the Climate Crisis Personal

We created this page because we want to make a difference for our forests. We are inspired by the work of the National Forest Foundation and want to support them by raising money as part of our participation in 50 Million Trees for Our Forests.

Please help us help them by giving whatever you can. Use the 'Give Now' button. The more people who know about the National Forest Foundation, the greater their impact, so please also spread the word by sharing our page with your friends and family. Thank you in advance for your generosity, it means a lot!

Make the Climate Crisis Personal by taking Action with us. Are you tired of waiting for federal and state politicians to take action on the climate crisis? Then you can act now and join us in planting trees to sequester carbon for the future of the planet and our children. This year instead of buying presents for your friends and families we ask you to consider donating a tree in their name. It is estimated that 20 million trees burned in California wildfires in 2018. Help us to replace these trees and others by joining our effort at Help Make the Climate Crisis Personal Plant Trees make a difference National Forest Foundation https://50-million.everydayhero.com/us/make-the-climate-crisis-personal-plant-trees all donations are tax-deductible.

WHY ARE TREES SO IMPORTANT TO THE ENVIRONMENT?

1. Fossil fuels and deforestation are causing increasing levels of carbon dioxide. Trees absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide and reduce the effects of the climate change crisis.
2. By capturing rainwater, trees play a major role in reducing the risk of flooding and landslides.
3. Trees can reduce the overall temperature in cities by up to eight degrees Celsius by storing carbon dioxide in their trunks, branches, and leaves and releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere.
4. Trees provide shelter for animals and shade for people from the sun’s harsh rays.
5. Walking through a forest of trees allows reconnection with nature and the reduction of stress.
6. Trees support life on our planet. Trees are homes for hundreds of species of insects, fungi, moss, birds, and animals. Trees contain key ingredients for some of our life-saving medicines. Thank you for taking action with us.

Gene and Joyce Stone

The Equinoxes for Mystics 2018

New life breaking free as a concept for freedom and power as the awakening of the Bear to be reborn and overcome challenges rising from entangled tree roots of the past.

Spring Equinox 2018

On the spring equinox, the Earth hits the turning point in its orbit where neither the North or the South poles are tilted towards the sun. As a result, the Sun spends a roughly equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on the Earth, so night and day are about the same length.

The word equinox is Latin for "equal night". Meteorologists use it as the official turning point in the seasons because, although it can vary from year to year, it allows for the most accurate record-keeping.

There are many rites and celebrations and prayers for the end of winter and the return to spring, rites of renewal and celebrations of the return of the sun and from the darkness and cold of winter. The renewal of the mind, body, and spirit, all of which are important ways for us to celebrate this season.

The Solstices and Equinoxes for Mystics in the modern of now, “the cycles of the sun have their own special significance. Going back to their most ancient origins, the various myths and rituals surrounding the solar journey are reflective of a universal process of spiritual change: the ascendency from the material to the spiritual, the struggle against inner darkness, and the victory of spiritual light. This is a process that mystics aim to experience within themselves, on a personal level. It’s a universal process, not owned by any place or time but having clear and unique manifestations in many cultures throughout history.” By inexplore

Today, I wish to consider and pray about our commitments and responsibilities at this time of renewal in our modern age now in 2018. Our commitment of renewal to making a world a better place for everyone, our commitment of renewal to our children, our commitment of renewal to Mother Earth, our air, water, and the land that feeds us, our commitment of renewal to our democracy at this time in our nation when many in our government are trying to destroy it. How and what will we do at this time to live up to our commitment to renewal and the responsibilities of our time? These prayers and actions are up to each of us each day. 

Here is a prayer I would ask you to consider and share if it feels right please join me in this prayer. Using the One Mind, intuition, creativity and consciousness, my prayer is that we ask Spirit to guide us to not only a spiritual but a physical and absolute solution of the world's nuclear waste problem. In my mind, I'm asking Spirit to guide us collectively to find a physical and a permanent solution to make radioactive material inert so that it be stored safely without the dangers of long-term storage of nuclear waste to our Earth Mother and its inhabitants. To manifest this into reality for the good of creation and all living things.

Please join us March 21, 2018, 7 P.M.The Spring Equinoxes for Mystics bring your prayers, children and drums to the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley 1201 Puerta Del Sol, San Clemente, CA 92673.

Prayers for the Earth

Save the date November 29, 2017, 7 pm for "Prayers for the Earth Ceremony" at the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley 1201 Puerta Del Sol Suite 100 San Clemente, California 92673.

Bring your prayers and drums as we will have four rounds of prayers to share with all that join us for our wonderful Earth Mother that gives us all we need to live.

Discussions of the Tao

Please join us for a "Discussions of the Tao" with Pattie Mercado and Gene Stone Tuesday Oct 10 6:30 to 8 pm, Oct 17 and Oct 24. This free discussion group will take place at Center for Spiritual Living San Clemente 1201 Puerta Del Sol, Suite 100 San Clemente, CA 92673.

Our handout for this discussion:

Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching was written by Lao Tsu 2600 years ago. The Tao is the complete explanation of space and time. Te is the use of Tao by all living things. The purpose of the Tao Te Ching is to teach the world to live harmoniously can open us you a higher wisdom and happiness.  This is because understanding of Tao bring us closer to our innermost source a place of balance and peace within and without.

Taoism's roots, like much of its visible manifestations, are buried in shamanic prehistoric China. Sometime around 500 B.C.E., a shadowy figure who is called Lao Tsu set down the philosophical principles of a Taoist way of life in a collection of teachings we know as the "Tao Te Ching." It has been pondered, studied and used as a guide for living ever since. Gradually, some of the trappings of religion grew around the essential philosophy. There are Taoist priests who perform the complex prayer rituals, temple protocol and scripture memorization, which functions as a kind of prayer. But Taoists do not pray in the way Christians do, for example. They regard gods as embodiments of the principles of the Tao. The essence of the Tao is a personal journey to "Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place."

The four cardinal virtues are found in the Tao.

1.  Gentleness

2.  Natural Sincerity

3.  Reverence for all Life

4.  Supportiveness

Tao will answer 8 questions:

1.  Where do we come from and where are we going?

2.  Can the opposite of a profound truth also be true?

3.  What is the invisible action of Tao or the Way?

4.  What happens when we reach total silence?

5.  Are we born as enlightened beings?

6.  Is there Cosmic Justice?

7.  What is enough?

8.  Are we altruistic in nature?

Tao can be grouped into 8 principles:

1. Tao

2. Oneness

3. Action

4. Silence

5. Life

6. Peace

7. Contentment

8. Love

Tao can be universally applied to: Religion, science, politics, commence, medicine, education, arts and Kung fu just to name a few. To be a warrior in the inner-outer life you have to be a warrior on the inner life.

Drumming for World Peace

Join us for Wednesday's Wisdom June 7, 7 pm at the Center for Spiritual Living 1201 Puerta Del Sol, Suite 100 San Clemente, CA 92673

CALLING IN THE SPIRIT OF PEACE PRAYER
I Declare World Peace

To gain the power to be able to Declare Peace, we must find peace in ourselves, make peace with our neighbors, with all religions, with our governments, with our environment, with our enemies.

The man who sat on the ground in his tipi meditating on life and its meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures and acknowledging unity with the universe of things was infusing into his being the true essence of civilization. Chief Luther Standing Bear

Peace cannot look like this to any group of people! After being sent to an indian boarding school in the late 1800’s a Hope Chief later said:

“I had learned many english word and could recite part of the Ten Commandments. I knew how to sleep on a bed, pray to Jesus, comb my hair, eat with a knife and fork, and use a toilet…. I had also learned that a person thinks with his head instead of his heart.”  Sun Chief Hopi 1890

The Centers for Spiritual Living in a effort to make peace with our environment made this statement on June 2.

Call to Action for all Centers...                                                                                         June 2, 2017 Centers for Spiritual Living Golden, Colorado Climate Change Statement and Position The Centers for Spiritual Living (CSL) stands in support of the Paris Climate Accord (Paris Agreement). We view Thursday’s decision by the Trump Administration to back out of the agreement to be a significant setback for any global effort to curb global warming. The Paris Agreement was created to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions to help reverse the devastating effects of Global Warming. It is unfortunate that a Nation, which is one of the largest polluters historically, is taking such a step. The United States now joins Syria and Nicaragua, who did not sign the Agreement because it was viewed as too weak.  The Agreement has been signed by nearly 200 other countries. We believe that God acts through creation, not independently of it. Statements which have been made to the effect that, “God will take care of Global Warming,” fail to recognize that each of us individually and us as a whole are responsible for our own experience - that God acts through creation. If we want a green and verdant planet, we will have to act in ways which support that outcome. “Centers for Spiritual Living believes climate change and environmental deterioration are moral issues and as a spiritual organization, we must take a stand,” said Rev. Dr. Kenn Gordon, CSL Spiritual Leader. “Climate change will not only affect our generation, but our children, our grandchildren, and all future generations of humanity, as well as other forms of life. We stand united with other faith communities in our call to care for the earth and to protect the poor and suffering.” CSL recognizes the evidence of science: Human activity is the main cause of the climate crisis. This crisis is seen in the extreme weather, changes to seasons, rising sea levels, species extinctions, the melting of glaciers, and shrinking of the polar ice caps. The scientific consensus is clear. The United States can best serve its own interests and those of all of humanity by continuing to be an environmental leader of the world in reducing emissions. Today’s decision to exit from the Paris Agreement moves in the opposite direction. “We recognize that our good is within us, so we awaken to our individual responsibility and empowerment to properly steward our planet. So, let our voices be heard and let our actions speak of our love for our planet,” said Dr. Gordon

Prayers for the Earth

We live in a time when it is now more important than ever to rise above the sense of separateness from the natural world. We are invited by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples from around the world, poets and mystics to become aware of the inter-connectedness of everything and everyone in the universe. The Oneness of the Circle of Life.

Examining our world, we can see clearly everything that needs our care - the land that feeds all creatures, the air we breathe, the water which gives us life - and we know in our deepest spiritual self that life is sacred and we are each responsible for doing our part to live in harmony with the earth.

Come add your prayers for the Earth and the life she gives to all. As we drum, sing and dance ours prayers into sacred actions that will heal all creation. November 30, 7 PM at the Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley. 1201 Puerta Del Sol Suite 100 San Clemente, Ca. 92673.

“This we know. The Earth does not belong to us; we belong to the Earth. All things are connected, like the blood that unites one family. Whatever befalls the Earth, befalls the children of the Earth. We do not weave the web of life; we are only a strand of it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.” Chief Seattle

"The beauty of the trees,

the softness of the air,

the fragrance of the grass

speaks to me,

the summit of the mountain,

the Thunder of the sky

the rhythm of the sea

speaks to me,

And my heart soars"  Chief Dan George

"Air, water, plants, animals and humans give themselves to each other.  It is in this giving-themselves-to-each-other that we actually live."    Kodo Sasaki

An Iroquois Prayer

We return thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us. We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water. We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases. We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squash, which give us life. We return thanks to the bushes and trees, which provide us with fruit. We return thanks to the wind, which, moving the air, has banished diseases. We return thanks to the moon and the stars, which have given us their light when the sun was gone. We return thanks to our grandfather He-no, who has given to us his rain. We return thanks to the sun, that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye. Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things, for the good of his children.

“Sowing the seed,

My hand is one with the earth.

Wanting the seed to grow,

My mind is one with the light.

Hoeing the crop,

My hands are one with the rain.

Having cared the the plants,

My mind is one with the air.

Hungry and trusting,

My mind is one with the earth.

Eating the fruit,

My body is with the earth.”  Wendell Berry

Oh Great Spirit, Grandfather, Grandmother, 
You walk together hand-in-hand
across the sky of the Sacred Earth Mother,
walking with great beauty 
with your robes of stars trailing along behind you as the milky way,
you walk on rainbows
coming to us in the sacred hoop. 

Your gifts of love keep the heart of we, 
the two legged people, beating with the breath of life. 
We stand before you with our hearts filled
from the Sacred Mountain. 

We ask only to give away and share the gifts of this hoop,
this sacred ceremony, as we come out of this circle
into this land of beauty that you have asked us to hold 
and take care of for you, Grandfather. 

We see many of our brothers and sister 
are sick in their hearts and bodies,
and the Earth Mother cries with tears of the souls
of many who now walk upon the rainbows with you.

We know that if one child cries or is sick 
it is because the sacred hoop of love is broken by hate and lies.
We have only to listen to our hearts and speak the truth
that is spoken within the great circle of life. 

The power of our vision, Oh Great Spirit, is within our hands.
We have only to speak it and share it, each in our own way. 
I hear you speaking Grandfather, form the Sacred Place,
from Pa-ha Wast-ta: The Mountain Beautiful. 

You call to us to sing in a sacred way,
and to dance in a sacred way 
so that we might heal ourselves. 
In doing so also heal others, as the sacred circle fills
and ever expands with all human beings
and our understanding of all living things grows,
with the light from within.

So that we may stand before you Grandfather,
in a Sacred Way.  Eagle that Flies through Two Skies

Prayer from the Green Gulch Farm

"It is lovely indeed, it is lovely indeed.

I, I am the spirit within the earth.

The feet of the Earth are my feet,

the legs of the Earth are my legs.

The strength of the earth is my strength,

The thoughts of the Earth are my thoughts,

The voice of the earth is my voice.

The feather of the earth is my feather,

All that belong to the Earth belongs to me,

All that surrounds the Earth is me.

I, I am the Sacred works of the Earth.

It is lovely indeed, it is lovely indeed." Suzanne Anderson

"Sometimes, when the birds cry out,

and the wind sweeps through a tree,  

or a dog barks at a far-off farm,

I hold still and listen a long time.

My world turns and goes back to the place

Where, a thousand forgotten years ago,

The bird and the howling wind

Were like me, and were my brothers.

My soul turns into a tree,

And an animal, and a cloud bank.

Then changed and odd it comes home

And asks me questions. What should I reply?  Hermann Hesse

"We live by the sun

We feel by the moon

We move by the stars

We live in all things

All things live in us

We eat from the earth

We drink from the rain

We breathe of the air

We live in all things

All things live in us

We call to each other

We listen to each other  

Our hearts deepen with love and compassion

We live in all things

All things live in us

We depend on the trees and the animals

We depend on the Earth

Our minds open with wisdom and insight

We live in all things

All things live in us

We dedicate our practice to others

We include all forms of life

We celebrate the joy of loving-dying

We live in all things

All things live in us

We are full of life

We are full of death

We are grateful for all being and companions" Stephanie Kaza

“O our mother the earth, O our father the sky,

Your children are we, and with tired backs

We bring you gifts that you love.

Then weave for us a garment of brightness,

May the warp be the white light of morning,

May the weft be the red light of evening,

May the fringes be the falling rain,

May the border be the standing rainbow.

Thus weave for us a garment of brightness

That we may walk fittingly where grass is green,

O our mother the earth, O our father the sky!” Tewa Pueblo

"Apprehend God in all things,

For God is in all things.

Every single creature is full of God

And is a book about God.

If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature--

Even a caterpillar--

I would never have to prepare a sermon. So full of God is every creature." Meister Eckhart

"And now we will count twelve

And we will all keep still…

For once on the face of the earth

Let’s not speak in any language,

Let’s stop for one second,

And not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment

Without rush, without engines,

We would all be together

In a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea

Would not harm whales

And the man gathering salt

Would look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,

Wars with gas, wars with fire,

Victory with no survivors,

Would put on clean clothes

And walk about with their brothers

In the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused

With total inactivity.

(Life is what it is about,

I want no truck with death.)

If we were not so single-minded

About keeping our lives moving,

And for once could do nothing,

Perhaps a huge silence

Might interrupt this sadness

Of never understanding ourselves

And of threatening ourselves with death.

Perhaps the earth can teach us

As when everything seems dead

And later proves to be alive.

Now I’ll count up to twelve,

And you keep quiet and I will go."  Pablo Neruda

"Lord the air smells good today, straight from the mysteries

within the inner court of God.

A grace like new clothes thrown

across the garden, free medicine for everybody.

The trees in their prayers, the birds in praise,

the first blue violets kneeling.  

Whatever came from Being is caught up in being, drunkenly

forgetting the way back.  Rumi

Apache Blessing

May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night,

may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being,

may you walk gently through the world and know it's beauty all the days of your life. Apache Blessing

Black Elk last Prayer

"Hey! Lean to hear my feeble voice.

 At the center of the sacred hoop

 You have said that I should make the tree to bloom.

With tears running, O Great Spirit, my Grandfather.

 With running eyes I must say

 The tree has never bloomed

Here I stand, and the tree is withered.

 Again, I recall the great vision you gave me.

It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives.

 Nourish it then

 That it may leaf

 And bloom

 And fill with singing birds!

Hear me, that the people may once again

 Find the good road

 And the shielding tree."  Black Elk