An Offering of Remembrance – a talk by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
Jan 16, 2024
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Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Speaker at St. Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, explores the need for inner transformation, shifting perspectives, and embracing the Earth as our mother. He discusses the importance of creating sacred spaces and nurturing future generations, emphasizing love and connection with the dying, unraveling, and emerging world.
Shifting our perspective away from a human-centric paradigm and towards a remembrance of the Earth as a living, divine being can lead to profound inner transformation amid the great changes engulfing the Earth.
Recognizing and offering our sincere recognition and gratitude to the Earth, while deepening our relationship with her through the senses, can awaken a deep understanding and commitment within us that guides our actions towards a more sustainable and respectful way of being.
Deep dives
Shifting landscapes: Inner transformation and remembrance of the Earth
The podcast episode discusses the need to shift our perspective away from a human-centric paradigm and towards a remembrance of the Earth as a living, divine being. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing the interconnection between ecology, culture, and spirituality. They suggest that the outer shifting landscapes, such as climate change and ecological devastation, are a reflection of the inner shifting landscapes within ourselves. The focus is on descending from the narrative that centers the human being and turning towards the Earth as the central character. By recognizing and offering ourselves to the Earth, acknowledging her abundance and beauty, and feeling her pain and grief, we can awaken a deep, primal love within us. This love, rooted in a recognition of our kinship with the Earth, can transform our relationship with her and guide our actions towards a more sustainable and respectful way of being.
The power of recognition and the senses in relationship to the Earth
The podcast highlights the importance of recognizing the Earth in all her forms and offering our sincere recognition and gratitude. The speaker describes how the senses play a role in deepening our relationship with the Earth, from perceiving the rising sun and the passing clouds to appreciating the profound beauty and abundance she offers. They suggest that through this recognition, we can develop a different way of being, one that is attentively connected to the Earth and all she provides. By opening our outer and inner senses, we can feel the tremors of the Earth's pain and allow it to awaken within us a deeper understanding and commitment. This recognition and sensitivity to the Earth's experiences can lead to a profound shift in our perception and actions, creating a space within us where love, grief, and offering are held in reverence.
Becoming a space of refuge and offering for the Earth's remembrance
The podcast explores the idea of becoming a space of refuge and offering for the Earth's remembrance. The speaker emphasizes the need to transform ourselves and turn away from being the central character in the story towards recognizing the Earth as the center. By feeling the pain and grief of the Earth, we awaken a deep love and vulnerability within us that connects us to her. This love becomes the driving force behind our actions, infusing them with sacredness and remembrance. The speaker encourages daily acts of recognition, forgiveness, and remembrance as offerings to the Earth. They also emphasize the importance of creating spaces, both within ourselves and within communities, that nurture this remembrance and hold it for the present and the future. These spaces serve as a refuge during times of transition and allow the sacred nature of creation to thrive amidst the challenges we face.
We have forgotten the covenant of primordial love and reciprocal care with the Earth that existed from the beginning in favor of a story that casts humans as the center of the cosmos. As the fallout of this narrative culminates in the unprecedented transformation of our outer landscapes, our inner landscapes are also shifting in ways that demand our attention.
Given at St. Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace in London in November 2023, this talk by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee speaks to the possibility of profound inner transformation amid the great changes engulfing the Earth. Exploring the need to step away from a humancentric paradigm and towards a remembrance of the Earth as a divine being, Emmanuel asks: As so much falls away, what can we offer to the Earth? How can we place Earth back at the center of the story? What opens when love once again becomes present between us?