Democratic Forest Trusts (PDF)in Watson, Alan; Dean, Liese; Sproull, Janet, comps. 2006. Science and stewardship to protect and sustain wilderness values: Eighth World Wilderness Congress Symposium; 2005 September 30-October 6; Anchorage, AK.Democratic trusts with leadership elected by citizen-members promise to solve many of the problems afflicting both traditional government and corporate ownership of forestlands. This article explores these issues in some depth.Complexity and the Dream of Human Control of Eco-Systems (PDF)in Watson, Alan; Dean, Liese; Sproull, Janet, comps. 2006. Science and stewardship to protect and sustain wilderness values: Eighth World Wilderness Congress Symposium; 2005 September 30-October 6; Anchorage, AK.The title captures it. I then explore the kinds of institutions compatible with both nature and the modern world that are implied from this analysis.Rethinking the Obvious: Modernity and Living Respectfully With Nature (PDF)The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy, Winter, 1997.Modernity is usually considered a wrong turn in terms of respect for and sustaining the environment. I argue the reality is more complex, for modernity has freed us from personal dependence on agriculture, ended the economic value of children, radically reduced the likelihood of large scale wat, and shifted much production to intellectual rather than material capital. This partially decouples society from nature, which gives us important opportunities as well as problems.Towards an Ecocentric Political Economy (PDF)The Trumpeter, Fall, 1996.This paper begins my effort at showing how liberal modernity can be harmonized with an ecocentric perspective on our relationship with the natural world. It is a corrective to much “free market environmental” literature that sacrifices Nature to money as well as to anti-liberal attacks by well-meaning but economically naïve environmentalists.Unexpected Harmonies: Self-Organization in Liberal Modernity and Ecology (PDF)The Trumpeter, Journal of Ecosophy, 10:1, Winter 1993This is my initial paper exploring how what I term ‘evolutionary liberal’ thought can be an important means by which society and nature can be brought into greater harmony. The other Trumpeter papers build on it.Deep Ecology and Liberalism: The Greener Implications of Evolutionary Liberalism (PDF)Review of Politics, Fall, 1996.Liberal thought and deep ecology are usually regarded as mutually exclusive. But the “evolutionary” tradition offers a way to integrate the two through commonalties in the work of David Hume, Michael Polanyi, Arne Naess, and Aldo Leopold, providing a stronger foundation for liberalism while strengthening the case for an ecocentric ethic.(Related subjects: Ecology)Saving Western Towns: A Jeffersonian Green Proposal (PDF)in Writers on the Range, Karl Hess and John Baden, eds., University Press of Colorado, 1998.Developmental pressures in the rural and small town West involve three groups: long term residents, new arrivals, and environmentalists. Today their interests often conflict. This conflict is in part the outcome of institutions which prevent harmonizing competing interests. The concept of developmental trusts, both for rural regions and for small communities offers a means whereby these interests can be harmonized for the benefit of all concerned.(Related subjects: Politics)Social Ecology, Deep Ecology, and Liberalism (PDF)Critical Review, 6: 2-3, 1992.Murray Bookchin is considered a leading radical environmental theorist. However, his analysis is incapable of leading humankind towards a more respectful and sustainable relationship with the natural world. Criticisms of Bookchin from both the deep ecology and evolutionary liberal perspective complement one another, pointing the way towards a better understanding of how modernity relates to the environment.The paper as a whole offers an early discussion of issues that are more clearly addressed in later papers, particularly Deep Ecology and Liberalism (1996) and the three Trumpeter articles in 1997, 1996, and 1993. However, there are other ideas in the article which have not been developed more thoroughly elsewhere.
Pagans are famous (infamous?) for taking seemingly mundane occurrences and finding something deep and meaningful in them. We can take just about any occasion and turn it into a sacred, festive celebration. Whether it’s an ancient seasonal festival, the feast day of a saint from someone else’s religion, or a Hallmark-inspired date we just happen to like, our symbolic literacy and sense of fun enables us to find occasions for joy, camaraderie, and Spirit in places where most other people don’t even bother to look.
So when Gus asked me to write a blog post in his absence, and suggested the possible topic of birthstones, I thought, “Perfect–something I know very little about! Let’s have at it!”
Birthstones were initially linked to the astrological calendar, and each sign of the zodiac had a stone or stones associated with it. The month of June, ruled by the signs of Gemini and Cancer, has as its birthstone that beautiful water creation, the pearl. Cancer, sign of the crab, is associated with water and the moon. The pearl, whether freshwater or saltwater, is luminous like the moon, glowing with a diffused inner light that can be tinted a light cream or gray, lavender to blue or yellow, even pale green or black.
The Pearl of Great Price is a Christian parable about giving up everything to attain the Kingdom of Heaven, but pearls were considered extremely precious well before the gospels were written. Pearls were powdered and used as aphrodisiacs, worn only by royalty, and connected to the power of dragons and myths of the Gods being born from the seas.
To modern Pagans, pearls carry the power of the watery depths and the rarefied, cyclical beauty of the moon. I have seen some gorgeous strands of pearls for sale at Pagan festivals, some alternating glowing white pearls with brilliant amber beads, creating the perfect marriage of sun and moon all in one elegant necklace.
June also has two alternate birthstones: alexandrite, a rare gem with changeable colors, and moonstone, another stone with strong associations to the moon. My friend Cybele, who works with many stone allies in her bodywork, teaching, and magical practice, advises people to wear their birthstones only if it feels good to wear them. The most important thing, she stresses, is to pay attention to our body’s reaction to the feel of the stone, and our emotional response to having that particular child of the earth in our energy field.
Knowledge of stones and healing is intertwined with ancient lore from many cultures. For Pagans, the lore of birthstones presents a wonderful opportunity to bring the color and beauty of a different gemstone into our houses and our devotional practices every month. Over time, these displays can deepen into magical alliances, and may even suggest more occasions to celebrate with gratitude, feasting, and celebration. What’s not to love?
This post was contributed by Anne Hill, blogger at the Huffington Post and Blog o’ Gnosis.
posted June 6, 2009 at 8:12 am
VERY INTERESTING BLOG, MAY I ADD A FEW MORE INFO ? GEMSTONES USED ORIGINALLY WAS NOT BASED ON BIRTH STONES BUT HINDUS EDIC ASTROLOGY BASED.HINDUS HAVE BEEN USING NINEGEMSTONES FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. NOT ALL GEMSTONES ARE GOOD FOR HUMAN. FOR MORE INFO http://WWW.NINEGEMSTONES.COM
posted June 6, 2009 at 10:15 am
Reading that first paragraph just made me shiver, as I sat the following variation on it at the same time as the words you wrote.
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Christianists and their allies on the far right are famous (infamous?) for taking seemingly mundane occurrences and finding something evil and threatening in them. They can take just about any occasion and turn it into a terrifying, bible-defying ‘crime.’ Whether it’s an ancient seasonal festival, the feast day of a saint from someone else’s religion, or a Hallmark-inspired date they just happen to hate, the Christianist’s symbolic literacy and sense of fun enables them to find occasions for hate-mongering, dogma-affirmation, and a need to destroy others in places where most other people don’t even bother to look.
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It wasn’t intentional on my part that I saw this variation. And it felt weird when it happened.
posted June 6, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Hello Anne, thank you for the nice blog posting.
I simply adore crystals and gemstones, I suppose that’s partly because I’m an Earth sign. I’ve never found one with a vibration I didn’t like.
My favorite gem is the Emerald and I have quite a bit of it (thanks to utterly shameless hints to my husband as my birthday approaches each year); it’s my birthstone and I like the way it makes me feel when I wear it. Although most of it is jewelry quality set in gold, I do have a few large inexpensive pieces that are “Emerald Crystals in Matrix”. Not beautiful at all for jewelry, but I love them too as I find they are perfect for Magickal workings. It doesn’t seem to matter that they are not pure, so you don’t have to spend a fortune to work with them.
I hope it’s okay to say this here, but if you’re looking to get crystals on-line I’ve had good results with healingcrystals.com. I have no affiliation with them other than as a customer. They also have good articles about crystals on their site so I highly recommend them for anyone looking for information or an on-line place to purchase crystals and gemstones.
posted June 7, 2009 at 10:40 am
How wonderful to read about pearls, I just made a pretty strand of peacock hued freshwater pearls for a birthday gift to a nine year old girl! I did feel I was sending something special and magical to her.
posted June 8, 2009 at 3:44 pm
I’m a June baby! Alexandrite really does change colors. It’s neat. My parents gave me a pearl ring for graduation as well. Also beautiful. Nice reading your post, Anne!
posted June 9, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Christianity or “Christianists” are not the enemy, nor are they all guilty of the close-minded rhetoric of the loudest of their fanatics. Every group has fanatics, even neo-pagans.
Pagans really need to get over this Us vs. Them mindset when it comes to other religions, especially with Christianity. If paganism, like many religions, is about celebrating what is beautiful in this life, then we need to switch our focus in regards to Christianity from the close-minded, fanatical to their generosity, their supportive communities, and their desire to love one another.
In spending all our time bemoaning the actions of their fanatics, we forget that the majority of their community do not support such actions or mind-sets.
Just like pagans don’t appreciate being painted as devil worshippers, idiots, or suspicious dabblers in the dark arts, we must resist the temptation to fall victim to the same practices.
posted August 14, 2009 at 6:15 am
Different sun shine have different gemstone . If you wears gemstone you should have to need to do proper care of your gemstone. Because every day you meet different people and they touch your stone and this touch will effect on your positive and negative attitude. You can clean your Peridot Gem with water, essential oil and the things which are related to your sun shine.