May 20, 2022 is the 17th annual Endangered Species Day.
"Words are not enough to express the magnitude of the loss and urgency of action. And so we turn to music, weaving words into Rachmaninoff's "Variations on a Theme of Corelli" which expresses the heartbreak, anger, bewilderment and responsibilities of living in the sixth great extinction. ~ Kathleen Dean Moore
In this unique creative collaboration, classical pianist Rachelle McCabe and essayist Kathleen Dean Moore carry us through a process: Recognition of the fragile inter-relatedness of all life on earth; next sorrow, anger and despair; then seeking creative solutions; and finally, transformation and action based on deep love and moral resolve.. This artistic expression asks: What do we love too much to lose?
This process is similar to the path of Creation Spirituality, based on the work of Matthew Fox, and Marcia McFee's liturgy from WorshipDesignStudio.com:
Via Positiva - Recognizing Inherent Goodness - The first path invites us to celebrate! The pulse of creation is singing the goodness of God and God's gift of goodness in all things. We become more aware of the beauty of all that is and tap into gratitude as our first task in creating more goodness in the world.
Via Negativa - Befriending the Dark Places - This second path recognizes with open hearts the pain that coexists with goodness and gratitude. We listen to the groans of the world and the Spirit helps us to grief and to intercede on behalf of all those who suffer, letting go of our fear that can make things worse at times.
Via Creativa - Exclaiming the Divine Creative - The third path creates spaces to explore how God is working in and through us and all of the universe to renew each day every direction. Each moment offers opportunity to express our God-gifted creativity. We hear messages - ancient and new - that express and affirm the Divine at work and encourage us in our creative collaboration with the Divine.
Via Transformativa - Embodying Compassion and Power - The fourth path will lead us out. We pray for movement within our own hearts to embody - peace and passion - compassion and power - on behalf of spreading goodness throughout the week. We are not at the mercy of "the way it is," we can claim our agency to be fully present and fully active in the world into which we now go.
Note: My suggestion is to set aside 54 minutes to allow uninterrupted attention to this video, to feel what words alone cannot describe.