EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Fourteen, Number One January/February 2005 An Ecozoic Celebration of the New Year? From the Long Island Bioregion by Guy D'Angelo When I noticed this item on the schedule of events at the Siena Spirituality Center, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of — so as a Christmas present to ourselves, my wife Nancy and I signed up for the event. Arriving at the Siena Center on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, the two resident Dominican Sisters (Sr. Margaret and Sr. Nora) led the celebrants in a question and answer session to introduce ourselves to one another. The next activity took us to a nearby beach on the Atlantic Ocean, where, with a blazing driftwood fire to warm us, we watched the last sunset of 2004. Tom, our resident poet, had brought dried tobacco, sage, and lavender. We all took turns throwing a pinch of the aromatic plants into the fire while saying a prayer or expressing a thought for our Earth and ALL its inhabitants. (I kept watching the ocean, hoping to spot a whale.) The next day started at 6 AM with chimes to awaken the celebrants. We gathered in the large room and walked the cosmic timeline, represented by a rope laid out on the floor with a candle marking every billion years. After some silent meditation, we celebrated with a smudging ceremony; where smouldering sage smoke was wafted with a feather while reciting a prayer of thanksgiving. Next, we headed outside to greet the first sunrise of 2005 with song. In the first light of 2005, we all walked the labyrinth in quiet meditation. Back to the center for breakfast, more conversations, and farewells. Throughout the celebration, in our thoughts and prayers, we were aware of the earthquake and tsunami in southeast Asia. The 23 celebrants came from all areas of our bioregion: urban, suburban, and rural. Our group had writers, poets, naturalists, professionals, clergy, and retirees, all at this celebration, all with a deep concern for our planet: Earth. What a way to start the New Year! Home     Table of Contents