Gaia Principle

[SleepyJess]

Hello (having just stupidly crashed in on another thread when I thought I was starting a new one.. I WILL now start a new one! D'oh! )

Wondered if anyone had any thoughts on the Gaia Principle.. the concept that the earth is a living entity in its own right? Sounds weird.. but have been reading about it..and it seems to make a lot of sense.

Anyone got an input?

SJ x

[ionesmum]

Makes a lot of sense to me, too, and informs my faith as Christian.

[Papillon]

Hi SleepyJess You can come and crash on the Bong thread anytime.. we are not a closed community rather one that does not live within the confines of societies ideas and conceptions. That way we can find new spaces and places to live and be and not just follow on from the mistakes and senseless reruns that history gives us. We are more than that. And I believe that Gaia and nature (flora and fauna) are our biggest and most ignored teachers of how life/society could be. What is the book you have just read? Shamanism is a path that has alot of earthspeak and does paganism. Both ways are close to my heart.

Ionesmum I would be most interested hearing more about what you mentioned ...about Gaia informing your faith.

[SleepyJess]

Hi Papillon

I haven't read a book about Gaia yet, I was just surfing the net and reading up on it as someone on another site mentioned it to me.

Would be very interested to 'converse' with you (and others) on here re all the stuff mentioned, when you are less jetlagged!

Ionesmum, I am also a christian.. but I actually find that my 'new understandings' from the books I have been reading in last couple of years (as mentioned in the other thread re books).. give me a few problems with aspects of christianity..which I think have always been there, I just couldn't put them into words. These mainly relate to the chrisian concept (and that of most orgniased religions) that God has this 'requirement' of us.. when I strongly feel(having had it suggested to me in the books obviously) that God requires nothing.. He just observes.. and 'waits' for us to 'remember' our the path we have chosen.. turn to Him etc.

Christianity I feel (not that I am anyone.. I don't mean to imply I know it all. far from it! :lol doesn't have it 'wrong' I just feel as if it is 'barking up the wrong tree' a bit in SOME respects. The Bible is obviously full of profound truths.. but it was written a long time ago, by human beings like us.. but about a society which bears little resemlence to the one we live in today. I kind of feel as if churches/religions need to embrace new understands.. that work with the old ones in most cases.. that work better for our world, today.

Papillon.. you will of course feel the strong influence of NDW in CwG in all of that.. but nothing else has ever made so much sense to me ever.. the CwG books literally blew me away. They scared me a bit to begin with.. didn't want to carry on reading.. but did of course and am glad I did.. The God of those books makes so much more sense then the one that the one who is supposed to stand in judgement over us all! And also so the fact that if, like you, a person doesn't really go with the God concept.. it still makes sense.. in that it all comes from within.. that, in that sense, we are all God..

I will shut up now... I will go and study.. .. look forward to chatting some time..

SJ xx

[ionesmum]

Hi, sleepyjess and Papillon, I don't have time to chat now but will soon!

[ionesmum]

Sorry about that, I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open!

The (very basic) study that I have madde of Gaia really makes sense to me; however, the book I read (by a friend of James Lovelock - can't think of his name right now) makes it clear that Gaia is just a scientific theory. As a theory it really holds water for me.

It informs my faith because it answers a few questions that I have. For example, Darwin's theory of evolution has the 'survival of the fittest' idea running through it, which is imcompatible with the Christian understanding of concern for the lowest. The Gaia model shows that in fact the successful survivors are those who co-operate, and find ways to live together.

The other way it helps my faith is simply that it makes me even more in awe of our beautiful world and how interconnected everything is, and how important it is that we look after every little bit of it, not shutting our eyes to the damage we do, but recognising that the smallest thing that we do has an impact on our planet. (Not that I manage to live up to this!)

Sleepyjess, as a Christian I would say that God does have a 'requirement' of us, but it's not a difficult one. He requires us to love. To love him, and love others. When we try to do this, we find harmony and peace. God is continually reminding us of this - he/she wants to be in a relationship wit hus because he/she loves us, and so we get continual reminders every day of this... a beautiful sunset, our child's smile. He/She also promts us to love others - you know, the sudden idea that we might get to ring a friend we haven't seen for ages, or to give some time to charity.

[SleepyJess]

Ionesmum, I agree with you on those things then.. but I wouldn't call them a 'requirement'.. more a life plan that most of us don't remember! (hence the need for the 'reminders' you mentioned.)

I am living up to my name tonight and being v.sleepy.. and little DS is asleep too so I am going to follow him (being as he is the one who keeps us awake!)

Will keep checking these threads..

SJ xx

[ionesmum]

hi, sleepyjess, hope you had some sleep!

Perhaps desire would be a better word than requirement. Certainly I believe God is actively trying to get us to be in a relationship with him/her.

Have you seen Mimi Doe's 'Spiritual Parenting' website?

[morningpaper]

Rosemary Radford Ruether
Gaia and God: Ecofeminist Theology and Earth Healing (HarperSanFrancisco, 1992)

Is a book I'd really recommend for anyone interested in Gaia theology and Christian life.

[SleepyJess]

Thanks MP.. will look up that book.. and thanks Ionesmum.. will check out that site..

SJ x

Ps yes he slept.. so I slept! He only woke once.. YAY!

[ionesmum]

Hi, mp, thanks for the tip.

Glad you got some sleep, sj.

[SleepyJess]

Ionesmum.. I checked out Mimi Doe's site..wow! I have ordered one of her books from Amazon.. "Busy But Balanced".. sounds like just what I need. I also had a look on their message board on the Mimi site. I registered but I didn't post.. at least not yet.

Morningpaper, whilst on Amazon I checked out stuff by Rosemary Radford Ruether but couldn't see the particular book you mentioned. I will keep an eye out.

SJ x

[Amanda3266]

I've always thought that the Earth was a living entity. My pagan beliefs just strengthen the belief - Mother Earth

[ionesmum]

Hi, sleepyjess. Glad you liked the website. I haven't read 'Busy but Balanced', but do have her 'Ten Principles of Spiritual Parenting' which is really good.

How old is your ds?

[SleepyJess]

Hi IM

My non-sleeping DS is 4 - he has cerebral palsy and various other things. I first came to Mumsnet late lasy year and got some lovely support from the great ladies on the Special Needs forum. I also have a 6 yr old DD (who is healthy, thank God, touchwood etc!) and a 12 year old DS who has cystic fibrosis.

Who do you have?

SJ x

[ionesmum]

Hi, Sleepyjess.

I'm sorry to hear of your ds' health problems. It's so nice that you've found such great support here, it's a great place to come.

No wonder you are sleepy!

I have two little dds, one who is three next month and one who will be one in March.

[ionesmum]

Sorry SJ, don't know if that should have been a that you haven't had any sleep...

[ionesmum]

Hi, sleepy jess. Did you have a good weekend?

[SleepyJess]

Hi IM. Brilliant thank you! It was great to go out with the girls again.. jsut like the old days except when we all trekked off to the loos to powder our noses (as you do!).. we were all horrified to see that looked so much older than we used to! LOL!(We ARE! We used to do this regularly in our twenties and now we are all in our 30s! ) We turned our backs on the mirrors in the end!

Have you had a nice weekend? And everyone else?

SJ x

PS Am a VERY SLEEP JESS tonight as we stayed at friend's house and DS was AWFUL! He ramaged around living room - where we slept - ALL NIGHT.. until DH hot up with the hump at 6am, picked him up and drove home with him and put him in his bed, where he rampaged for another 2 hours (safely) while DH got a bit of sleep! I was no help in the night.. .. I sot of heard DS 'rampaging' but I was sleeping off the unaccustomed alcohol!

[ionesmum]

Hello! I'm glad you had a good time. I hardly ever wear make-up these days, the last time I did I was about to speak in public and needed a bit of a confidence boost - which I got from dd1, who said, 'Hello, mummy, are you being a clown?' Thanks a bunch.

Sorry to hear you're so sleepy though. I had the fright of my life this morning, I co-sleep with dd2 and usually the slightest movement wakes me up - which is just as well as she started crawling last week. However, I am getting over 'flu, and I woke up to find her at the foot of the bed pulling herself up on the bars (it's wrought-iron)!!!! So it's back in the cot for her!