One of the key concepts I got out of reading Starhawk’s book The Earth Path relates to the mechanistic approach verses the animate approach to how life is viewed in western contemporary culture. “The mechanistic model assumes that the world is knowable and controllable. Unintended consequences of an action are seen as anomalies, not “real” consequences, and therefore often go unseen, unacknowledged, and unaccounted for.”(16) This model of thinking shows up most readily in agriculture and the way western contemporary society relates to nature. Starhawk exemplifies this by showing how a corporation can clear-cut a field, spray pesticide to kill off weeds and say the salmon that die from the herbicide run off are “externalities” unintended consequences. After reading this it made me clearly see how one action is connected to a web of relations. “West Africans believed in an animated universe, in the process I call ‘continuous creation.’ Continuous creation means that the generation and recycling of energy is always in effect.”(21) “While indigenous cultures are all different, one thing they share in common is a perception of the world as alive and themselves as embedded in a matrix of complex relationships.”(22)
This book has greatly affected the way I look at the history of my culture in North America and re-examine the way I choose to be in the world. I started this book before attending the earth activist training. Using these tools and way of thinking on a daily basis during the training really enriched the text and made me more ready to dive into Starhawk’s approach to observing the natural world. The Earth Path is full of examples and exercises of ways to connect with the earth and see all beings as sacred. I want to use this book and its exercises as a physical tool in connecting to my home and the land I live on. I have chosen to keep it as a resource throughout this quarter, to take some of her observation with me when I go to my secret spot, when I have social interactions in groups and when I am moving around in my day to day life grounded and aware.
“To be a witch is to be someone who has concisely accepted the challenge of serving the powers of life and balance.” (134)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
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