Celebrating Earth Dayby Selena Fox
We did controlled restoration burns on both our prairies. In the morning, we burned the Remnant Prairie, a surviving piece of the original Oak Savannah Prairie that once was widespread in southern Wisconsin prior to the arrival of European-American settlers. In late afternoon, following our main ritual, we burned portions of our Restored Prairie on the hillside which we have been converting from old farm field back into prairie as part of our Prairie 2000 project.
Following his talk, I guided a Nature walk that included meditative visits to Brigid's Spring and the Wetlands. We observed a variety of birds along the way as well as violets and marsh marigolds in bloom, plus enjoyed the sounds of Spring peepers.
Selena Fox, founder of Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, has celebrated Earth Day since its inception. In 1970, while a college junior year, she helped organize an Earth Day teach-in at her campus, the College of William and Mary in Virginia. More recently, she has begun the Earth Day Spirit Project and
is collecting chants, meditations, stories, readings, rituals, and
other materials used in multi-tradition Ecospirituality rituals
for Earth Day. If you have material to contribute, contact her:
Selena Fox, Circle Sanctuary, P.O.Box 9, Barneveld, WI 53507 USA;
circle@mhtc.net; (608) 924-2216.
An outline of her Earth Day Spirit Ritual, plus more information
about her project appears on page 51 of the Spring 2000 issue of
CIRCLE Magazine.
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This
year's Earth Day Festival, on Saturday, April 22, included individual
and group Nature walks, bird watching, the dedication of our newly
expanded Eastern Bluebird trail, prairie restoration burns, an environmental
education talk, a potluck feast, and a community Earth Day Spirit
Ritual which included readings, music, drumming, meditation, and
a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Earth Day. Joining the
Circle staff and members of the Circle Sanctuary Community were
members of the Neighboring Faiths class of the First Unitarian Society
of Madison, Wisconsin; members of the Modern Alternative Religions
Society from the University of Northern Iowa; students from other
colleges and universities, plus others.
Before
doing our first burn, we circled the Remnant Prairie and attuned
ourselves to each other, to the land, and to Earth Day. Then we
called to the Elements of Nature to aid us in our prairie burns.
Facing North, we called to the Soil to receive the Fire and let
it stimulate growth of prairie plants. Facing East, we called to
the Winds to blow very gently and to aid us in Fire control. Facing
South, we called to Fire to consume vegetation encroaching on the
prairie and to work with us in keeping flames contained within the
bounds of the prairie. Facing West, we called to Water to work with
us in extinguishing the Fire as needed. Facing Center, we called
to the Spirit of the Prairie to bless and guide our burn. We then
took our positions around the prairie area and did some raking and
other preparations. Then the fire was kindled. As we worked with
rakes, fire flappers, fire starters, water tanks, and other equipment,
we sang: "Prairie Fire Burn, Prairie Fire Burn, Phoenix from
the Ashes, Prairie shall Return." When the burning was complete,
we paused to give thanks to the Prairie and the Elements and to
envision the Prairie springing to life again in the weeks and months
to come.
In early afternoon under a warm, sunny sky at our large Festival
Circle, Dr. Michael Nelson gave an eco-philosophy talk in which
he discussed how Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic fit well with contemporary
Ecofeminist environmental ethics. Among the points he mentioned
were Leopold's use of first person narratives, his sense of place,
the non-gender bias of this philosophy, and his holistic orientation.
Dr. Nelson is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Natural Resources
at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, and coeditor of
the eco-anthology, The Great New Wilderness Debate.
In
late afternoon, we began our preparations for our main ritual. We
gathered at the Bonfire Circle to the sounds of Community drumming.
As we processed along the field road, we dedicated it as the Circle
Sanctuary bluebird trail. We held our Earth Day Spirit Ritual in
the Stone Circle atop Ritual Mound near our Restored Prairie. The
ritual included smudging as we arrived at the Circle; attunement
to the Circle, Land, and bioregion; casting the Circle; honoring
the Divine and Earth Day; honoring ancestors and human diversity;
honoring the Elements, creatures, and plants; and communing with
Mother Earth. Following our Mother Earth meditation, we added stones
to the Circle as we each made pledges about specific actions that
we could do in our own lives and regions to help the environment.
The ritual concluded with thanksgivings. Marble stones, energized
during the ritual, were passed out to participants as symbols of
the day. After the ritual and the prairie burn that followed, our
Earth Day celebration concluded with participants feasting and making
merry around the bonfire. 