On February 12, I attended a lecture by well-known author and activist Starhawk at the Women of Wisdom (WOW) Conference, an annual week-long event held at the Seattle Unity Church.
On that Friday evening, as I walked into the church sanctuary for the lecture, I was met, perhaps engulfed, by waves of energy -- many people, lively drumming. For a while the drumming continued, with the energy and excitement seeming to build in an easy, expectant manner. The drumming ended, and conference committee members made opening speeches, giving recognition and thank yous where due; then presenters gave us a song and led us in welcoming the elements. Energy continued to build. Then there was a brief introduction; as necks stretched and people strained to get a visual, anticipation climaxed, and Starhawk was center stage.
Energies leveled out. It seemed calm; she was direct, subtle, easy-going, humorous and quickly engaged us in a discourse on the rational and spiritual merit of taking care of our planet, ourselves, our children and each other.
I would like to tell you exactly what she said, but we'll have to settle for what I think I heard, which may or may not be the same. To start with, I heard a lot about environmental advocacy, about connecting to the earth, about listening to the trees talk, about the interconnectedness of all living things.
She shared a personal anecdote about hiking up and into the Headwaters area in California (which is an Earth First concern -- one of their projects to preserve some of our very precious old growth forests). With a small reference to the amount of effort it takes to carry an aging body up a long and steep mountain trail, she proceeded to tell us how very magical, and special, and amazingly unique it is to stand and be among the old trees -- to feel and hear the depth and wisdom they carry, to connect, to understand, to know the interconnectedness of the redwood root mass beneath your feet.
Starhawk impressed upon me the importance of taking the time every day to observe nature, even in your own backyard, and ultimately of making that essential connection to the root mass -- observing the outside world and learning that we are one with the Earth being as important as the tending of our inner selves.
She talked about a metaphor that seemed important, a lesson as it were. She talked about the edge. Ever been there? She described the edge of the forest as a place of tremendous fertility, as a place flourishing with growth.
The edge of the forest is where sunshine meets shade, where the ground is warmed by the sun and sheltered by the trees. It is a place of lush, verdant and nourishing vegetation. As an analogy, I think the message is to remember that when you find yourself on the edge, it's a good place to be. It's the place where the light meets the dark and one of the best places for growth.
Starhawk is presently supporting a boycott of The Gap (and its affiliate Old Navy). It seems the owners of The Gap are practicing bad environmental policies on their forest holdings in California -- clearcutting and using an herbicide that is just a molecule away from Agent Orange. Publicly, these same people maintain an image of being supporters of the environment. Starhawk is also supporting Reclaiming's work with Marta Benavides in El Salvador, working on programs of sustainability and cultural development. For more information, look at their Web page at http://www.reclaiming.org/events/1996/elsalvador
Some bits of advice I heard Starhawk suggest:
The next day I went to Starhawk's workshop, "Stirring the Cauldron of Creativity." It was truly a personal journey of healing and self-discovery.
WOW! Yes, they certainly got that right.
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