On Memorial Day I drove down to Marin County to meet with a
number of representatives from other religions to discuss what we might be able
to do together to promote a more sustainable relationship with the earth.  We were searching for something that
would not simply duplicate what others were doing, and might make a difference
in people’s understanding of this issue.

We came up with the idea of a Fall Festival, celebrating the
season and the earth and our relation to it from the perspective of our various
faith traditions.  Our idea is to
combine a spiritual celebration with some kind of service work.  Hopefully each faith tradition can contribute something in keeping with their own practice.

With respect to service, my own bias would be to work with the
State Parks Dept at helping eliminate some infestation of invasive plants.  That also fits the symbolism of that
time of year.  But we’ve just begin
thinking about the festival. 
Hopefully we can have a celebratory dimension as well.  As Her charge goes, “reverence and
mirth” and the other traditions who will work on this project also have nothing
against having a good time. 

One of the long-term signs of hope in today’s America is the
number of faith traditions that are coming to a realization that the earth is
worthy of respect and care, that it is more than simply a storehouse of resources
for human whims.  I think we Pagans
have a great deal to offer in encouraging this welcome trend.