In the late 1960s, when NASA first published photographs of Earth taken from space, scientists and philosophers alike exulted that the image provided us with a new inner, as well as outer, perspective of our place in the cosmos. That lovely globe, with white clouds swirling over blue oceans and white glaciers, set like an exquisite gem against the black vastness of the universe, showed us both how small we are and how extraordinarily fortunate. We were not the center of the universe, but part of it,part of this gloriously beautiful planet.

As the popular astronomer Carl Sagan wrote of another NASA image of Earth:

That's here. That's home. That's us.... The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

However, according to climate change expert Bill McKibben in his new book, Eaarth, that picture is no longer accurate. Forty years after the shots of Earth-rise filled us with awe, satellite photographs of Earth show a lot more blue. The glaciers are melting. The world is heating up. And we humans are beginning to realize that not only are we part of the universe, we are absolutely implicated in the health and illness of our home planet.

We need a new image to define our current relationship with the Earth.Something that depicts both our dependence on the planet and our long effort to dominate it. Our love and our mastery, which is both a wonderful and a tragic part of our species.

What might this new image be? Are we like the Greek god Atlas holding the Earth on our collective shoulders? Are we a medium-sized fish, both eating the Earth and being eaten by it? Is the Earth a fragile and innocent thing that is being destroyed by greedy consumer humans... or is it an indifferent beast that will eat us alive?

What do you think?

NOAA interactive map of BP oil spill

I have resisted writing the following story, because the focus of this newsletter is saying yes to life's invitations, and right now, for many people affected by the BP oil spill, life is closing in, not opening out. In the process of planning and organizing the Radical Joy for Hard Times Gulf Coast Rising event (see story below), I have had the opportunity to talk to many people living along the coast and in the bayous. Here is what they are saying:

"The coast is dying. A friend of mine found a baby pelican on his porch. It was covered in oil. He called me up and he was crying."

"People are drinking. Domestic violence is up. These are good ole boys who love the land, and they're crying. I know people who are drinking every day."

"If the oil doesn't kill the wildlife, they're going to starve to death. There are no insects."

"So now I've got a job working for BP, trying to clean up the oil. I'm working for the enemy that ruined my life. We've had one suicide, and there will be more."

"They don't know the effects of those dispersants. We won't know for decades how they're affecting people. I'm telling pregnant woman to stay away from the coast."

"I have cancer. Since April 21, 2010 [the day after the Gulf Water Horizon explosion], I have been a full-time activist. Nothing can kill me. I'm going to fight."

Steven Picou, a University of Alabama professor who has spent decades studying the effects of the Exxon Valdez spill on the Alaskan community of Cordova, says that stress levels after a major environmental catastrophe match those that people suffer after a rape or the loss of a child.

In the bayous and along the Gulf, the well has been capped, but the problems are just beginning. People are doing the best they can, but life is hard.

If you know someone who lives along the Gulf of Mexico, this would be a great time to make contact with them. Ask how they're doing. Listen to what they have to tell you about what they're going through. You don't have to fix anything. You don't have to be wise. Just listen.

On Saturday, October 30, from Galveston, TX to Panama City, FL, people will create Gulf Coast Rising, a day of solidarity, healing, beauty, and even joy for the Gulf Coast and its people.

People will have an opportunity to come together in small groups to share how the oil spill has affected their lives and what's given them strength and resilience.

Using ordinary materials they will create a large, but simple image of a bird, a shrimp, a human, or anything else that represents the vitality of life on the Gulf. As they plan and create their image they will sing, pray, dance, drum, read poetry,or anything else that feels appropriate.

If enough groups (about 200) participate, a helicopter will fly by at a designated time and we'll photograph the groups and their designs. Each group will receive a photo of their event.

Join us! If you live along the Gulf, go to the Radical Joy for Hard Times website and sign up your event. (You can sign up now and edit any details later.) If you live elsewhere, we  invite you to sponsor a group at a cost of just $60 each. In a few days, that option will be available on the website; for now, simply contact me.

Thanks to Daniel Dancer for this hilarious four-minute "mockumentary," narrated by Jeremy Irons, about a determined little plastic bag making its way from a supermarket parking lot to its final home, the great floating garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean.

We all live with two inner forces that influence many of our decisions each day. One calls us forth into the mystery that beckons us to expand more fully and authentically into the world. The other holds us back and urges (often excessive) caution. This popular workshop, based on my book, focuses on the first voice, that of the archetypal Beloved, a figure that shows up in the myths of many cultures, the poems of mystics, and in our dreams as the symbol of wholeness. Brought to conscious awareness, the Path of the Lover can bring us joy, passion, and fulfillment.
 

• Connect with the archetypal Beloved in you, that knows how to say YES to what you love
• Discover how your past loves (including those that didn't work out) were essential in opening you up to a bigger capacity to love
• Learn to recognize the inner voice of the "loyal soldier" that wants to hold you back from following your heart
• See how fascination and allurement have led you onto important paths all your life
  

November 12-14: Schloss Glarisegg, Lake Constance, Switzerland (contact Silvia Figel)

November 19-21: Eschwege Institute, Eschwege, Germany