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This past fall, 2023 I took an OLLI course called Unraveling the Mysteries of Consciousness. John Kalb, the instructor defined "consciousness" as "a sensory and inner awareness of one's mental activity and sense of self, as well as the environment." But there are many different theories of consciousness including: Global Workspace Theory - Consciousness is a form of information processing, broadcasting data to other brain centers. Higher Order Theory - introspective awareness of, and reflection upon, one's thoughts Integrated Information Theory - mathematical and computational Neurobiological Naturalism Theory - a highly complex emergent phenomenon the result of a long evolutionary process Orchestrated Objective Reduction Theory - quantum phenomenon at work Panpsychism Theory - consciousness is everywhere Dual-aspect Monism Theory - considers mental and physical as two aspects of one underlying undivided reality that is psychophysically neutral. Wolfgang Pauli, Carl Gustav Jung, Arthur Eddington, John  Wheeler, David Bohm, and Basil Hiley are the originators of this approach which is inspired by analogies with modern physics. Beast Machine Theory - Neuroscientist Anil Seth proposes that consciousness is merely a result of 'controlled hallucinations' that are our brain's attempt to keep us alive. We experience the world and the self with, through, and because of our living bodies. When we agree about our hallucinations, we call that "reality." The philosophical underpinnings of consciousness can be characterized as follows: Physicalism/Materialism - The universe is made of physical stuff, and consciousness states are either identical to or somehow emerge from a particular arrangement of this physical stuff. Idealism - Consciousness or mind is the ultimate source of reality, not physical stuff or matter. The problem is not how the mind emerges from matter, but how matter emerges from the mind. Dualism - Consciousness (mind) and physical matter are separate substances or modes of existence. Functionalism - Consciousness does not depend on what a system is made of. Therefore physical brains are not strictly required. Mysteriamism - Human beings are currently incapable of fully understanding consciousness and we may never will. "Science and religion are not in contrast, but they need each other to complete themselves in the mind of a man who thinks seriously." ~Max Planck Federico Faggin is an Italian physicist, engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur best known for designing the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004. The Faggin Foundation "supports the scientific study of consciousness at US universities and research institutes. "Faggin's curiosity about consciousness started in the late eighties when he asked himself if it was possible to make a conscious computer. After decades of research he states: "Despite being much more powerful, today’s computers are not one bit more conscious, than the computers in the early sixties." According to Wikipedia, Faggin in his 2022 book (in Italian) Irriducibile proposed a theory on consciousness according to which consciousness is a purely quantum phenomenon, unique to each of us.... Consciousness is therefore not linked to the functioning of the body and can continue to exist even after the death of the body." Faggin says "Consciousness is the capacity to perceive and know the world and ourselves. We know our unique selfhood by experiencing it as qualia (the sense of self) within our consciousness. Similarly, the outer world produced by our sensory-brain system is portrayed in the form of qualia “projected” in the space outside of us." Faggin goes on to say, "Each of us experiences two different realities: the inner reality of sensations and feelings (called qualia) and the outer reality of objects interacting in space and time. We believe that the outer aspect is objective and that the inner aspect is the subjective domain of consciousness. These two realities reflect each other in some form, though they are fundamentally different." The website of Essentia Foundation says they "aim at communicating, in an accurate yet accessible way, the latest analytic and scientific indications that metaphysical materialism is fundamentally flawed. Indeed, clear reasoning and the evidence at hand indicate that metaphysical idealism or nondualism—the notion that nature is essentially mental—is the best explanatory model we currently have. "The latest analytic and scientific indications that metaphysical materialism is fundamentally flawed. Indeed, clear reasoning and the evidence at hand indicate that metaphysical idealism or nondualism—the notion that nature is essentially mental—is the best explanatory model we currently have." "Over the past few decades evidence has been accumulating in foundations of physics, neuroscience and analytic philosophy that materialism is false." ~ Essentia Foundation In the YouTube video above, Essentia Foundation recommend Frederico Faggin' two books in English: Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature (2024) Silicon: From the Invention of the Microprocessor to the New Science of Consciousness (2021) Check out Fagin's list of other "quotes from some of the brightest minds in the history of human science" here. "This is a participatory universe that depends for its very existence on human beings." ~ Deepak Chopra & Menas Kafatos In 2007 Deepak Chopra and Menaz Kafatos wrote the book You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why it Matters. The book presents a worldview where consciousness is primary rather than derivative (as a materialist would see it.) The authors assert: "We are creators of reality, living in a consciousness universe that responds to our minds... Mind and matter are different states of the same thing - the field of consciousness... Reality consists of shifting, interchangeable states that emanate from one source: consciousness... Qualia occurs within consciousness and has no dimension... The monist view is that 'everything in existence is part of the body of God'... The universe is in you... Your purpose is to align yourself with the creativity of the cosmos." Chopra and Kafatos draw from Planck, Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, Paul, Schrodinger, and others to provide answers to nine mysteries: What came before the big bang? Why does the universe fit together so perfectly? Where did time come from? What is the universe made of? Is there design in the Universe? Is the quantum world linked to everyday life? Do we live in a conscious universe? How did life first begin? Does the brain create the mind? The authors acknowledge three inspirational conferences: Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona Science and Non-Duality (SAND) Sages & Scientists - The Chopra Foundation "Science has failed entirely to say where consciousness originated... maybe consciousness is woven into the fabric of the universe - a very old notion to which physics is just catching up." ~ Deepak Chopra, Metahuman

On January 9, 2024 The Guardian published an article, Emissions from Israel’s war in Gaza have ‘immense’ effect on climate catastrophe. referencing a study that shows the "first months of Israel/Gaza conflict produced more planet-warming gases than 20 climate-vulnerable nations do in a year", The study noted the asymmetry "during the first 60 days of Israel’s military response equivalent to burning at least 150,000 tons of coal compared with Hamas rockets fired into Israel during the same period generating CO2 equivalent to approximately 300 tons of coal." Globally, "militaries account for almost 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually – more than the aviation and shipping industries combined. This makes the global military carbon footprint – even without factoring in conflict-related emission spikes – the fourth largest after only the US, China and India." Steven Böhm and Sian Sullivan are editors of a 2021 online book, Negotiating Climate Change in Crisis which "brings together 28 essays by over 60 researchers from around the world, who are concerned about climate change." The collection includes a 2019 essay: The Carbon Bootprint of the US Military and Prospects for a Safer Climate by Patrick Bigger, Cara Kennelly, Oliver Belcher, and Benjamin Neimark saying "The US military is one of the largest institutional polluters in history, consuming more liquid fuels and emitting more climate-changing gases than most medium-sized countries... the US military operates more than 800 bases around the world through its ‘lily-pad’ network that renders all the globe a potential theatre of war." While "There have been attempts to ‘green’ aspects of its operations by increasing renewable electricity generation on bases... it remains the single largest institutional consumer of hydrocarbons in the world." The Climate and Community Project (CCP) is a US-based climate policy think tank calling for a "cease-fire now and forever... no climate justice without Palestinian freedom and self-determination."

Awakening of Humanity: The Dawning of a New Earth and Unitive Age - Holomovement As the Unitive Narrative is a new E-book by Drs. Kurt Johnson, Jude Currivan, Robert Atkinson, and Douglas King - four interdisciplinary authors (sharing cosmology, theology, evolutionary biology, comparative religion, monomyth, and spiral dynamics integral). From the authors: "This book offers a unitive reframing of the foundational elements, worldviews, and deeper ontological aspects of reality for understanding the universe as a true superorganism." "Integrating theological, cosmological, philosophical, universal wisdom traditions, and interspiritual perspectives, the authors arrive at a universal identity of humanity consistent with our individual and collective roles within the wholeness-in-motion of the entire creation as an invitation that this will lead to further dialogue and exploration in our re-membering who we really are and who we can evolve to become. " "In certain sections of the book, the collaborating authors intentionally favor wording and expressions of the first author Kurt Johnson (the theologian) to facilitate the express purpose of addressing theological narratives." The book is published online by Light on Light Press on ISSUU.

Wikipedia defines "ecological civilization" as "the hypothetical concept that describes the alleged final goal of social and environmental reform within a given society. It implies that the changes required in response to global climate disruption and social injustices are so extensive as to require another form of human civilization, one based on ecological principles." Deep Transformation for Ecological Civilization was a forum held May 25-27, 2023. It was the 16th International Forum on Ecological Civilization (an annual conference series in Claremont, CA established in 2006) and 5th International Youth Forum on Ecological Civilization. "The largest international conference held on the theme “ecological civilization” (Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization) took place at Pomona College in June 2015, bringing together roughly 2,000 participants from around the world and featuring such leaders in the environmental movement as Bill McKibben, Vandana Shiva, John B. Cobb, Jr., Wes Jackson, and Sheri Liao. This was held in conjunction with the Ninth International Conference on Ecological Civilization. (part of the Claremont ECO Forum) Out of the Seizing an Alternative conference, Philip Clayton and Wm. Andrew Schwartz co-founded the Institute for Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv), and co-authored the 2019 book What is Ecological Civilization: Crisis, Hope, and the Future of the Planet, The Ecospiritual Hub is an online resource for "Those Who Take Nature to Heart" organized by Jack M Greene as part of the Deep Transformation Network. The tagline of the DTNetwork reads: "A global community to explore pathways to an ecological civilization." For an explanation of "What is an Ecological Civilization?" see Jeremy Lent's article published in the February 2021 edition of YES! Magazine. Lent is also the author of the 2023 book, The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe. The Ecospiritual Hub is an online resource for "Those Who Take Nature to Heart" organized by Jack M Greene as part of the Deep Transformation Network. I associate the term "ecological civilization" with David Korten,'s October 7, 2022 article We the People Are All in This Together in Yes! Magazine which references his 2021 Club of Rome paper, Ecological Civilization: From Emergency to Emergence. David Korten co-founder of YES! Media and president of the Living Economies Forum, He is the author of influential books, including When Corporations Rule the World and “Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth. For a different view on ecological civilization from a Chinese perspective see Alexander Ayertey Odonkor's August 20, 2022 article "Ecological civilization: All-embracing Vision For the Global Future" from China Global Television Network (CGTN)

At SOCAN's January 30, 2024 meeting from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. PST at the Medford Public Library, 205 S. Central Avenue, attendees will discuss a short TED talk by biologist and policy expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson who has developed a valuable visual tool for helping us each figure out how we can individually contribute to addressing the daunting climate crisis. Rather than asking folks to try to solve the global problem alone, Johnson offers a relatively painless route to identifying personal tactics. Johnson’s plan involves asking ourselves: 'What brings us joy?' She then asks us to identify 'What we are good at?' Finally, we ask ourselves 'What needs doing (and falls within this intersection)?' Last year clocked in as the hottest year on record, placing us very close to the 1.5⁰ degrees Centigrade above pre-industrial conditions that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change identify as our safe upper limit for warming. Those of us concerned about preserving some semblance of life as we know it on our planet must ensure that 2024 is the ‘Year for Significant Action.’ Last year may also be the hottest year in 125,000 years, indicating that we have not yet turned the corner on addressing this looming and daunting crisis. Responding to the crisis by claiming that, ‘it’s all part of a natural cycle,’ that ‘it’s too late to divert the trajectory,’ or that ‘nothing I do makes a difference’ doom us to crossing tipping points beyond which there is no return. It’s time for us all to reinvigorate ourselves and focus on what needs to be done. Through hands-on engagement, SOCAN’s January Public General meeting will help us explore and identify what we can do.  The meeting will consider both individual actions that we can undertake and collective actions we can join that seek to move communities forward. If you are ready to revisit what you can do to make a difference, please join us on the last Tuesday of January 2024. From a press release by Alan Journet, Co-facilitator, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now; alan@socan.eco 541-301-4107; 541-500-2331

Welcome 2024! Here's a list of some upcoming online and Rogue Valley in-person eco-spiritual activities that may be of interest to you. Check back as this post will be updated during January as we get additional information and a new calendar listing will come out in February. January 4, 2024, at 4 p.m. PST on Zoom - Elders Climate Action is co-hosting with Environmental Voter Project (EVP) a panel presentation: Organizing Older Climate Voters. Join EVP's Executive Director, Nathaniel Stinnett, and a panel of experts. Register here. January 9, 2024, at 1 p.m. PST on Zoom - Deep Transformation Network is having its next DTN Monthly Live Event, offering the opportunity to engage with three luminaries associated with the Earth Charter.  RSVP to their monthly meetings to get it on your calendar January 11, 2024, at 10 a.m. PST on Zoom - The BTS Center is offering a taste of their Ecospiritual Leaders: Encounters with Wholeness. course. This will be an informal gathering with course instructor Kimberly Knight and course host Ash Temin. Register here. January 11, 2024, at 3 p.m. PST on Zoom - Global Ministries is offering an online gathering EarthKeepers Training Info Session w/Q&A to learn details and find answers to your questions about the upcoming March 2024 fully online training. More info here. January 11, 2024,  at 1 p.m. PST on Zoom - The Global Kinship group of Creation Spirituality Communities will have their monthly webinar featuring Stephanie Rearick who will speak on Mutual Aid for a Neighborly Global Economy. Register here. January 12, 2024 - The Oregon Legislative Information System will release information on bills pre-filed before the 2024 Oregon legislative session whereupon SOCAN will be able to preview them for the session starting February 5th and assess which they wish to follow and support, oppose, or seek to amend. Anyone interested in joining the team should contact Alan Journet. January 13, 2024, to June 16, 2024, from 9 a.m. -12:30 p.m. PT - Pachamama Alliance is offering a 6-month course: Cultivating the Visionary Self, a journey where individuals will work with their bodies through what Alixa García calls "Creativity Infused Somatic Practices," which helps move trauma through the body by consciously activating one's relationship with nature and the creative force. Click here for more information and to Register. January 15, 2024, at 5 p.m. on Zoom - Citizens Climate Education is offering a 5-part live Trainers program to learn how to help start a new CCL chapter in your community or another part of the state. They will provide: live sessions and recordings of the session; online resources; and CCL staff support. Email Tamara Staton, Greater Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator by Friday, January 12th if you are interested. January 15, 2024, at 6 p.m. PST on Zoom - Members of the Global Kinship community meet for 30 minutes on Monday evening after each Tuesday webinar. At the gathering through meditation they "invite the focus and vision of the previous Tuesday's presenter to enter our consciousness, expanding the Noosphere." Register here to receive your personal perpetual link. Once you register, your link will remain the same. January 30, 2024, at 6 p.m. PST at the Medford Oregon Library - SOCAN is having their Monthly Meeting – Daunted by Climate Concern? Let’s Explore Our Options. Biologist and policy expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson presented at a TED Talk and will present a valuable visual tool for helping us each figure out how we can individually contribute to addressing the daunting climate crisis developed. March 1-16, 2024 - Global Ministries is now accepting applications for their Spring Earthkeepers Training; the application deadline is February 1, 2024.

January 9, 2024, at 1 p.m. on Zoom - Deep Transformation Network is having its next DTN Monthly Live Event, offering the opportunity to engage with three luminaries associated with the Earth Charter: "Mary Evelyn Tucker, who was intimately involved with the genesis of the Earth Charter, is the founder and coordinator of Yale's Forum on Religion and Ecology. Along with John Grim, she was responsible for a 10-volume series published by Harvard on World Religions and Ecology. She has written and co-edited numerous other works on the intersection of faith traditions and ecological consciousness and is a co-creator of the Journey of the Universe project. Mirian Vilela, executive director of Earth Charter International, has been working on the initiative since 1996, coordinating primarily with UNESCO and other UN agencies. Over the years she has led and facilitated numerous international workshops, courses and seminars on Earth Charter-related values and principles. Sam Crowell, an Earth Charter Council member and leader in the dissemination of its principles for over 15 years, is professor emeritus of education at California State University San Bernardino and former director at the Center for Research in Integrative Learning and Teaching." The Earth Charter is "a document with sixteen principles that drive a global movement towards a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. To support the movement, EarthCharter.org Education Center offers courses, resource materials, and network opportunities to turn conscience into action." "The Earth Charter is an ethical framework launched in The Hague in 2000 and endorsed by over six thousand organizations worldwide, including many governments. It was the product of a decade-long, worldwide cross-cultural conversation about common goals and shared values, emerging from the most open and participatory consultation process ever conducted in connection with an international document." "It seeks to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations. It is a vision of hope and a call to action." This event will be hosted by Jeremy Lent of Worldview Shift. RSVP to these monthly meetings now to get it on your calendar. You will be asked to join the Deep Transformation Network. Note: this gathering is normally on the first Tuesday of the month, but was changed in January because of the holiday. A fifth annual Earth Charter Conference will take place from April 12-14, 2024 at Rollins College, Florida, "This 3-day conference builds on four previous Earth Charter Conferences focused on education for sustainability and global citizenship, and for planetary well-being. It will bring together a global diversity of educators, activists, and Earth Charter educators, affiliates, and partners, to share good practices and research."

Oregon Climate Action Hub (ORCAH) is on a mission "to empower ALL Oregonians to take effective climate action." Their goal is "to build individual and community capacity. By amplifying what is already happening and inviting more people into action, we move toward a world where climate justice IS business as usual." From the Network For Good website: "Starting early in 2021, a small group of committed volunteers envisioned and piloted a website to connect friends, family, and neighbors with the amazing organizations facilitating powerful climate action across the state. We built ORClimateHub.org as a "one-stop shop" for climate action opportunities in Oregon, welcoming all those who are curious about what's happening, and especially those who are ready to take action." "With your support, ORCAH showcases the entire scope of work that is already happening in Oregon and the opportunities that exist to engage at any level. Together, we are creating a platform that supports effective collective action by helping users understand which action opportunities take the best advantage of the time, energy, and resources they have to offer." Their website map is organized to help one find solutions, events, and locations within Oregon. There you can find a listing of organizations to help you look for work, take action, meet up, change policy, learn more, collaborate, and find good news. Anyone can access ORCAH at any time as a Guest. Guests can see all posts and share or like posts via Facebook or share them via Twitter. If you sign up for an account, you become a User. Click here to find out how to use the site.

On December 19, 2023, Rogue Valley Times published a Guest Column by Alan Journet urging the City of Medford Oregon to approve a Climate Action Plan. This opinion piece is also published here with the approval of the author. "Across the nation, we are becoming increasingly aware of the threat climate change poses. We understand that ongoing climate change will cause more than merely increasingly intense hurricanes and more frequent and severe wildfires. Indeed, the climate trajectory we are following will, within decades, undermine natural ecosystems across the planet and the biodiversity they support. In addition, our agriculture, forestry and fisheries will be compromised. Ongoing climate change comprises a threat to life as we know it. Those who understand climate science are quite reasonably alarmed. Naturally, therefore, communities across the nation are developing plans to deal with this threat. Regionally, Ashland, Talent and Grants Pass have developed plans to address the climate crisis locally. Meanwhile, thanks to the foresight of the Medford City Council, the Medford Planning Department is developing a Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CCARP). The Vulnerabilities report was reviewed by the council at a recent Study Session and will be presented to the council in January seeking approval. The fact that Medford is suffering increasing temperatures and reducing snowpack, along with adjusted rainfall patterns, is evident in data from the Weather Service. These trends, if continued, combine to pose problems for our ongoing water security and will stimulate ever more frequent and severe fires. The CCARP reports notes that particularly vulnerable to these climate trends will be the following sectors of our society absent substantial attention to the problem: Natural Systems. Projections for temperature and precipitation shifts may seem small to the non-biologist, but they are sufficient to undermine the health of natural ecosystems across the planet, and especially in SW Oregon. The demise of our Douglas firs, already evident to most residents, is a harbinger of the future of our forests. Many of our trees and other species will assuredly follow the same path. As noted above, our agriculture, forestry and fisheries will be equally compromised. Regional Economy. An economy heavily dependent on agriculture, forestry and tourism will be seriously negatively affected as the biological consequences identified above impose themselves on our region. Built Environment. The heat and cold extremes and increasing flood frequency will likely undermine much of our infrastructure. Public Health. Heta extremes and heatwaves already constitute a severe threat to area residents, especially those working outside. As airborne, waterborne, and vector borne diseases move northwards and flourish in our region, the health of all area residents will be challenged, especially the younger and older among us. Community. Rising temperatures, heatwaves and droughts challenge many residents both physically and psychologically. A resilient community will prepare itself to address these challenges. We applaud the Medford city council for acknowledging that the climate crisis will become ever more severe over time. Though some members of our community are clearly more vulnerable than others, Medford residents, as a whole, are vulnerable to the trends that climate change is imposing on us. We therefore encourage the city council to approve the Medford Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan and support efforts that will allow residents to adapt to this ongoing climate trend. While promoting adaptations that allow residents to thrive as these climate changes is essential, we also recognize that, along with residents across the county, the city of Medford through its administrative activities, and its residents should undertake what steps we can to reduce our contribution to the problem. While reduced emissions of greenhouse gases in the city of Medford will not alleviate the global climate crisis, we should acknowledge that solving the crisis requires that individuals and communities across the globe collaborate to address it. We therefore encourage the city not only to do what it can to promote adaptation and resilience, but also take what steps are possible to reduce city and community contributions to the problem. If we wish Medford to thrive as climate change engulfs the region, we should promote adaptation and resilience, while simultaneously mitigating the underlying causes." Alan Journet of Jacksonville is the facilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now’s Medford Climate Action Team.

On December 20, 2023 the Oregon Court of Appeals found that Oregon’s cornerstone Climate Protection Program was "invalid on procedural grounds" after the oil and gas industry and their allies challenged the rule. A coalition of environmental justice, climate, and business organizations intervened defensively in the case: Beyond Toxics Oregon Business for Climate Oregon Environmental Council Climate Solutions Environmental Defense Fund Crag Law Center Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) On December 20th the above issued the following statement in response to the ruling: “The oil and gas industry just delivered a lump of coal — literally — into Oregon’s Christmas stocking. Today’s Court ruling focused on a procedural technicality. The Court did not undermine the Environmental Quality Commission’s authority to set climate pollution reductions on the oil and gas industry. We look forward to supporting any agency actions to address procedural requirements without delay. Oregon must move forward to protect our communities, especially Black, Indigenous, people of color, low-income, rural, and other communities who have historically borne the brunt of climate pollution and economic disinvestment. We have faced wildfires that have wiped out entire communities, toxic smoke choking our lungs, deadly heat waves, and record-breaking droughts; we will not stop holding the oil and gas industry accountable for the impact it is having on our lives, our families, and our communities. Upholding the cornerstone Climate Protection Program is essential to prevent incalculable harm to Oregon families, workers, and local economies, now and in the future.” More information on the impact of the ruling is available from reporter Alex Baumhardt at the Oregon Capital Chronicle. OEC offers the following background: The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission adopted the Climate Protection Program in December 2021 following an extensive 18-month rulemaking and robust stakeholder engagement process. The Department of Environmental Quality received more than 7,600 public comments on the CPP rules, the overwhelming majority of which were in favor of the program. The CPP requires oil and gas companies in Oregon to reduce their emissions 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050; establishes first-ever requirements for major industrial facilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and enables millions of dollars annually to be invested in clean energy projects that benefit environmental justice and other communities across Oregon. NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas, Western States Petroleum Association, Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Business & Industry Association, Associated Oregon Loggers, and a dozen industry petitioners filed a challenge to the program in March 2022.

January 8, 2024, at 5 p.m. PST Process and Faith (a multifaith network for relational spirituality and the common good) will be offering a free zoom discussion of Ilia Delio’s latest book, The Not-Yet God: Carl Jung, Teilhard de Chardin, and the Relational Whole. Register here. "Entanglement is the inextricable and insuperable relationality of all that is, including God. If pantheism conjures up the collapse of God into matter, then entanglement holds everything together in a relational whole. There is no transcendence without immanence and no immanence without transcendence; there is no God without matter and no matter without God. God and matter form a complementary whole." ~ Ilia Delio Happy Holidays! This is a season of darkness and light. In the YouTube below Sheri D. Kling, Ph.D., Director of Process & Faith with the Center for Process Studies reviews the major holidays in late fall and early winter, noting their significance in each tradition: Diwali, Advent, Hanukkah, St. Lucia Day, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Epiphany, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and Lunar New Year.

John B. Cobb Jr., is convinced that "humanity’s most urgent task is to live in harmony with and, thereby, preserve the ecosphere on which it depends for its continued existence." So, in February 2022 – the month he turned 97 – he helped to launch the Living Earth Movement. He was "troubled by the way in which the American goal to control the planet was (in a sense rightly) regognizing China as its greatest obstacle." According to their website: "The mission of the Living Earth Movement is twofold. The short-term priority is to get the U.S. and China to cooperate for the sake of all life on this planet. The second and equally important priority is to promote the foundations for a new kind of civilization in which humans would learn to value and cooperate with the rest of the ecosphere." "We need a world in which humans understand themselves as part of a living earth community. We call this an ecological civilization." ~ John Cobb For more information on ecological civilization and the formation of the Living Earth Movement read John Cobb and Jeff Well's booklet Is International Cooperation Possible? A Bold Appeal for a Living Earth. Download it here. Check out their Facebook page for information on upcoming presentations and activities. David C. Korten, a member of the Club of Rome, has also written an important 2021 white paper on ecological civilization. "Continued human viability depends on Emergency action to stop the damage, facilitate Earth’s healing, and advance the Emergence of an Ecological Civilization." ~ David Korten Center for Process Studies has a list of partner organizations promoting process thought around the world. Here are some more links: Claremont School of Theology - a progressive inter-religious theology school California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) - offering 33 graduate and undergraduate programs and certificates in psychology, philosophy, psychedelic therapies, human sexuality, consciousness CIIS’ Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness (PCC) - dedicated to shaping the leadership necessary for profound, progressive transformation of social institutions and individual consciousness Process and Faith - a multi-faith network for the common good Center for Christogenesis - seeks to deepen Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s integration of science and spirituality by providing insights and practices to enkindle awareness of love at the heart of reality. Center for Ecozoic Studies - an education, imagination, dialogue, and action center for an ecological age. Center for Open and Relational Theology - a nonprofit organization that promotes and serves as a hub for people and organizations promoting open and relational theologies Church for Our Common Home - "a non-profit that provides artistic, religious, and psychological services to awaken to the moral and ecologic crisis as an invitation for spiritual growth and creating loving community with all of creation, caring for our common home, Mother Earth." They are located in Dallas Oregon near Salem. Earth Charter - turning conscience into action Emerge - a social systems change initiative led by Perspectiva Flagstaff College - a small, innovative, upper-division college located in Flagstaff, Arizona, Gonzaga University - a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. Homebrewed Christianity - a podcast series established by process theologian Tripp Fuller Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought (IARPT) - a community of productive scholars with diverse theological and philosophical perspectives. Institute for Ecological Civilization - Organized by Philip Claton IEC works internationally to support systemic approaches to long-term sustainability by developing collaborations among government, business, and religious leaders and among scholars, activists, and policymakers." Institute for Postmodern Development of China (IPDC) - aims to create and promote new modes of development in China and the West. International Process Network (IPN) - a network of organizations and individuals dedicated to supporting, generating, and disseminating an international discourse on the meaning and implications of process thought.

Every Tuesday from January 9 2024 until Feb 20 2024 from 4-5:45 p.m. PST Creation Spirituality Communities will present Cosmogenesis: Our Common Story - "a  7-week exploration of our inspired origins, a survey of contemporary cosmic consciousness, and envisioning a flourishing future." Join Penny Andrews, with special guest Matthew Fox for one session and Brian Swimme for another session. Grounded in the expansive deep time perspective, each week will cover a different aspect of the Universe Story. Sessions are recorded and are available to watch for paying students. This is a required course for students in the certificate program with tuition of $240 or $120 for auditing. Register here. You will need to sign in to the CSC TrainerCentral site.

This past weekend I was a theology nerd with over 100 people watching online as Ilia Delio, John D. Caputo, Diarmuid O’Murchu, Catherine Keller, Bruce Epperly, Rami Shapiro, Brandon Ambrosino, and Emily DeMoor spoke at the God 2.0: Pantheism and Quantum Reality conference organized by the Center for Christogenesis. It was only two weeks ago that I was dazzled by Ilia Delio and others at the D2 Conference on the Noosphere (the term coined by Teilhard de Chardin 100 years ago referring to and emerging global consciousness.) I consider the God 2.0 conference a glimpse into a positive future for religion and spirituality, while others might call it "radical theology." Ilia Delio challenged: "What if God is not an unchangeable, all-knowing, all-powerful, Being, as claimed by classical monotheistic religions? "Medieval scholars attributed to God the qualities of immutability, omniscience, and omnipotence, but science tells us that "being" is chaotic, uncertain, unfolding, and entangled!" Sister Delio sees a "Not-Yet-God" (also the title of her 2023 book by that name.) in the process of continually becoming, rather than static. Her presentation Can God be Upgraded? Lessons from Science about God was about changing assumptions and key concepts - reinterpretation, reevaluation, reconstruction, and redefinition. "The universe is a temporal drama of awakening whose meaning can be revealed only gradually by looking, in a spirit of anticipation and hope, toward the horizon of a cosmic future." "The nature of the universe is undivided wholeness and religion should be about relational wholeness." Panelists discussed the urgent need to upgrade theology, particularly in light of quantum physics, cosmology, evolution, and rapid technological advances such as artificial intelligence. We need a new "religion of the earth' to bind us together, to effectively address global, existential threats, and to evolve to higher levels of consciousness and a hopeful future. As Ilia implores in her 2020 book, "AI shows the critical need to reconstruct religion for a world of evolution and complexity... religion is the linchpin to the future of AI-mediated cosmic intelligent life... an AI world, oriented by new religious sensibilities, can bring about an ecological re-enchantment of the earth." Jack Caputo spoke about Something Spooky is Going On: Taking a Quantum Approach to God. He took his point of departure from Tillich’s “Two Types of the Philosophy of Religion, and argued that the two types, the cosmological (theist) and ontological (panentheist), also describe the difference between the respective logics of Newtonian and quantum physics. "The world of quantum reality abides by the logic of the ontological, of ground and grounded, not of the cosmological, of cause and effect." Catherine Keller addressed Earth Matters: Generation, Motivation, Eco-civilization. The old modern materialistic view of the world since Newton is that matter at base inert, lifeless, flat, “stuff.” But Keller argued that matter should "not merely be understood as substance or stuff, but as process, an active process of materialization. This shift in perspective has implications for human's relationship with our ecosystem and all creatures." Diarmuid O’Murchu spoke on Grounding Evolutionary Consciousness in our Time, stressing the need for humans to reconnect with nature and how creativity in evolution has made humans exceptional. He said "Ever since the visionary work of Teilhard de Chardin, evolution has become an ever more central feature of our understanding of life at every level. In our time Sr. Ilia Delio has brought that awareness to a new level of coherence and conviction. How to ground that vision still remains a formidable challenge, particularly for the emerging spirituality of the 21st century." Bruce Epperly presented The God, Theology, and Spirituality of Tradition and Tomorrow: 2.0 and Beyond saying that “Pierre Teilhard de Chardin challenges us to seek the God of Tomorrow. A prolific author, Epp[erly is slowly entering retirement after "a career of over four decades of creative synthesis of academic theology and pastoral ministry." Rabbi Rami Shapiro, himself a panentheist, expounded that "God is Everything" as he explored the I AM/Ehyeh that is Everything/YHVH revealed in Exodus 3:14-15. Brandon Ambrosino offered a theopoetic exploration of the process of God becoming: Gods who Rise, Fall, and Become: Psalm 82 and Entangled Love. God’s character is not the result of being; God is only because of the process of loving. In the order of being, compassion is primary. All this was very heady, abstract, and complex - unfortunately, not something that is easily communicated. In some respects, the conversation is familiar, as I had read books by Caputo, Keller, O'Murchu, and Epperly a decade ago. The writings of Ilia Delio are newer to me as are those of Teilhard de Chardin and modern scientists who acknowledge a global movement toward realizing this new Omega. I believe the Noosphere is both real and very important. Emily DeMoor brought the conference to a close with a 35-minute liturgical grounding experience of devotion to the Divine within - not a supernatural, interventionist God, but a relational whole without a center and with no circumference. I don't expect that congregations (churches, temples, and mosques), their leaders, and their institutional organizations will be quick to give up the "guy in the sky" and embrace this new understanding of God. However, I am still "hoping against hope!" "The true function of religion is 'to sustain and spur on the progress of life - to nurture the 'human zest for life.' Religion is another name for the energy of cosmic personalization and unification."

In Charles Darwin's 1859 book On The Origin of Species, he poetically says "There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one..." Evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson pays homage to Darwin in his 2019 book This View of Life, and dares to elaborate on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's 100-year-old notion of Noosphere that envisions the emergence of a global consciousness and self-regulating superorganism called the Omega. Wilson asserts that the Darwinian revolution won’t be truly complete until an "evolutionary worldview" is applied more broadly—to everything associated with the words “human,” “culture,” and “policy.” Wilson uses the phrase "evolutionary worldview" more than "evolutionary theory" because a worldview can tell us how to act - "the Omega Point is not only a scientific possibility, but also one worth working toward." (p. 222) An evolutionary worldview provides a "general explanatory framework that identifies why best practices work and how they can be spread across all domains of knowledge and policy applications." (p.230) "An evolutionary worldview encompasses the length and breadth of human experience in addition to the biological sciences." p. 112) The first step in conscious evolution toward viewing the whole planet as a single organism is to challenge the current orthodoxy and adopt the right theory." The book is aspirational "If we can become wise managers of evolutionary processes, we can solve the problems of our age at all scales—from the efficacy of our groups to our well-being as individuals to our stewardship of the planet Earth." I strongly recommend you consider adopting this view of life.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro formed the One River Foundation with Frank Levy as "a global community of spiritually independent seekers, creatives, activists, and holy rascals teaching "Perennial Wisdom" as an antidote to the tribalism, ignorance, illiberalism, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, and apocalyptic fantasies tearing our communities apart, and inhibiting the thriving of person and planet." They do this "through their One River Wisdom School in Nashville TN and their books Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent: Sacred Teachings—Annotated & Explained (2013) and The World Wisdom Bible (2017) Richard Rohr wrote the Foreword to Rami Shapiro's 2013 book. referring to Perennial Wisdom as "collective unconscious, globalization or the One Spirit of God. One way to summarize the essence of "perennial wisdom" is: There is a Divine Reality underneath and inherent in the world of things; There is in the human soul a natural capacity, similarity, and longing for this Divine Reality; The final goal of existence is union with this Divine Reality. Matthew Fox wrote One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing From Global Faiths in 2000. Thomas Berry notes that out of the world's spiritual literature, and "with reference to the discovery of an emergent universe by contemporary science, he has, it seems, created a new mythic context for leading us out of our contemporary religious and spiritual confusion into a new clarity of mind and peace of soul, by affirming rather than abandoning any of our traditional beliefs.”

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. from the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Accessed from https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ The 2023 interactive edition of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) is now available online here. "The new PHZM is generally about one quarter-zone warmer than reported in the 2012 PHZM throughout much of the United States." But since the USDA PHZM represents 30-year averages of what are essentially extreme weather events and climate changes are usually based on trends in overall annual average temperatures recorded over 50-100 years, the USDA is careful to disclaim that "changes in zones are not reliable evidence of whether there has been global warming." You be the judge. GIS data can now be downloaded directly from the PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University (OSU). "All Plant Hardiness Zone Maps (PHZM) should serve as general guides for growing perennial plants. They are based on the average lowest temperatures, not the lowest ever. In 2021 PRISM released 30-Year Normal Precipitation maps based on datasets from 1991-2020 describing average monthly and annual conditions over the most recent three full decades. PRISIM;s Drought Indicator shows much of western Oregon in yellow at 70-90% precipitation this past 12 months compared with long-term (30-Year) averages. This new 2023 version of the Plant Hardiness Zone Map has several interactive features. In addition to the capabilities listed above, there are several "widgets" that can be found below the Zip Code Search in the map. Most of Rogue Valley is now in zone 8a (15-20 degrees F), with surrounding hill/mountain areas and Ashland in zone 8b (10-15). An earlier 1990 PHZM map showed Medford in zone 7b (5-10 degrees F)! Brookings OR is now zone 10a. Jackson County Master Gardeners (Oregon State University Extension Service) is having a 2024 Master Gardener Class Interest Meeting on December 13, 2023 from 10- 11 a.m. PT in Central Point, OR. The Jackson County Master Gardener Association chapter of the OSU Master Gardener™ Program also has a separate website. to help us "Learn, Practice, and Teach the Art and Science of Gardening in the Rogue Valley". They have a virtual tour of native plant gardens across the Rogue Valley to help us adapt to climate change.

The Earth Charter (EC) is "a document crafted by visionaries over twenty years ago with sixteen principles powering a global movement. The EC enunciates the values and principles by which sustainable development can be achieved. When you apply it to your business, school, or community, you begin turning conscience into action to make all life on Earth thrive.' The purpose of the Earth Charter is "to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations. It is a vision of hope and a call to action." Earth Charter International now has info on speakers and abstracts for their 2024 Earth Charter Conference to take place on April, 12-14, 2024 at Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida. Among the Conference speakers will be Mary Evelyn Tucker who will "shed light on the imperative of ‘ecological civilization’ as a transformative educational approach for addressing our current challenges." Stay informed by regularly checking EC's continuously updated Speakers and Abstracts Brochure here. Register for the Conference here. "The activities of the Earth Charter International Education Center highlight the importance of incorporating sustainability values and principles into the processes of learning and decision-making. The Center forges new paths in education for sustainable development, global citizenship education, and makes efforts to connect these with concepts such as planetary well-being and ecological literacy." "The Center’s work is implemented under the framework of the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter, which works to generate educational programs and research activities specifically at the intersection of sustainability, ethics, and education." In September 2022 the UN organized a “Transforming Education Summit,” convened “in response to a global crisis in education – one of equity and inclusion, quality and relevance”. It emphasized that “many education systems are not providing students with the skills, knowledge, and values needed to face the current challenges." "The world needs to reimagine the education system.” ~ United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4.7) aims for learners to acquire by 2030, the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including education for sustainable lifestyles, global citizenship, climate justice, gender equality, and so on. UNESCO’s Futures of Education Initiative produced a report titled Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education. It highlights the importance of considering education as a holistic process, involving the “heart, hands, and mind.” It promotes efforts to rethink content and pedagogy and to support teachers as agents of change.

November 30 - December 12, 2023 - in person only in Dubai- The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 28 Pre-sessionals took place from 24 to 29 November. The overview schedule of the conference is now available. The detailed calendar of events will be published daily throughout the conference. December 7, 2023, at 1 p.m. PT on Zoom - Spirituality Communities is having their monthly webinar Global Kinship, Exploring the Emerging Noosphere addressing the phenomenon of the complexification of human creativity, technology, and consciousness that has evolved within our species. Register here. December 9, 2023, from 3-6 p.m. PT - SOCAN will have a Solstice Gathering to celebrate the season and to enjoy good food, drink, and company. Bring an appetizer or dessert to share and your choice of beverage. Nonalcoholic spiced cider will be provided. Register here. December 10, 2023, from 1 to 3 p.m. - Ashland Climate Collaborative is having a Photo Day at the Plaza entrance to Lithia Park. Photo at 2 p.m. sharp. Everyone who cares about meeting our climate goals is invited. Please RSVP here so they can bring enough goodies. December 20, 2023, at 4 p.m. PT on Zoom - UU Ministry for Earth will celebrate the Winter Solstice early with music, reflection, meditation, and spiritual grounding. They will be featuring the work of the Energy Democracy Project. The service is part of the larger arc of Clean Energy as a Human Right being led by Side with Love. Register Here For. the Zoom Link. December 26, 2023 - SOCAN will NOT be having its Monthly Meeting this month. January 13, 2024, to June 16, 2024, from 9-12:30 p.m. PT - Pachamama Alliance is offering a 6-month course: Cultivating the Visionary Self, a journey where individuals will work with their bodies through what Alixa García calls "Creativity Infused Somatic Practices," which helps move trauma through the body by consciously activating one's relationship with nature and the creative force. Click here for more information and to Register.