COUNCIL OF ALL BEINGS
This morning I had an idea about creating some sort of edifice or structure in which human participants could become advocates for other non-human inhabitants of Earth’s biosphere, a kind of United Nations for all living organisms. I did a web search for “council of beings”, and I hit pay-dirt (to use an earthy term)…
Way back in the 80’s Joanna Macy and John Seed created a “re-earthing” ritual called the Council of All Beings, and they subsequently produced the book, THINKING LIKE A MOUNTAIN - TOWARDS A COUNCIL OF ALL BEINGS based on this ritual.
Here is John Seed’s description of the ritual
And here is Joanna Macy’s take on it.
Here is another write-up I found on this ritual.
Now, back in the 80’s I was extremely active in the experimental theatre community in the USA, but I’d never heard of the Council of All Beings work being done at the time elsewhere. Back then there was no internet. If I’d had this idea back then, I would have “reinvented the wheel” to some extent, not knowing that people elsewhere in the world were doing similar work. Now that’s OK, and I believe in the motto: “Let all flowers bloom”, but I personally would rather synergize and build off of the work of like-minded people where possible.
So… HOORAY for the internet! I think its advent is a major milestone in the development of human civilization.
Actually my idea on a “council of beings” was conceived as an internet/web construct, where participants from any part of the globe could choose to take up the advocacy for any species or natural phenomenon (river, mountain, swamp, etc.) that they wished. That is what I initially meant by “edifice or structure”. However, I think creating a specific mask and invocation or brief for each represented being and posting those artifacts on the web via whatever “edifice” I create for the purpose, is a very viable idea!
