Falling in love is the experience of being present, paying attention and giving ourselves over to something or someone; an experience of abandonment, dramatic permeability where we allow ourselves to be transformed by something outside of ourselves.

As human beings in a capitalist, techno, digital, industrial, individualistic culture, we have a woefully inadequate knowledge of our dependent embeddedness within the Earth.

As a result we take up time, space and make contributions within the Earth in ways that are dramatically and destructively out of sync with the myriad interconnecting systems within which we are sustained.

Setting our intention to love some expression of the Earth outside of ourselves, 62 times in twelve months, will enable us to take the world into our arms. (Why 62 times?)

The work of Green Exodus is supporting the shift in our perception of reality that is being curated by the ecological crisis. In the words of Thomas Berry, we need “to move from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner. By creating the conditions and noticing the impediments for falling into love with the Earth we will be changed into humans more fit for the Earth.

Facilitator

Sarah Arthurs M.ED, is the Lead Animator with Green Exodus, an initiative which has been identifying practices, seeding connections and developing programs to support our realignment in and with the Earth since 2020. This work is supported by the United Church of Canada Foundation and is affiliated with Ralph Connor Memorial United Church. Sarah is the ED of the Calgary Interfaith Council, a retired psychologist, mother of two adult children and a member of Hillhurst United Church. She has lived with her neighbours at Prairie Sky Cohousing Cooperative since 2008. She is currently infatuated with all things feathered and flying and is grateful to Rosie, a Havaneese poodle, who takes her outside regularly. Sarah was born in the land of the Maori people and grew up as an unknowing neighbour to the Tsuut’ina.