8 of 12 | Monday is for Religion: "A Letter to My Sons," by Alice E. Van Pelt

Hi lovely Earthlings,

You know how prejudiced yours truly is against monogamy.  "Monogamy is all about exclusion," her mind goes!  So, let's exclude monogamy and we can be inclusive then.  Same applies to religion, no?  Monotheism is what drives the cultural wars.  So, let's be pagan instead.  We can include however many deities and there will be no wars!  Well, when she read the poems in this series she realized the cost of this prejudice.

This series, "What Is Mono?" includes poems from unpublished collections by Alice E. Van Pelt.  This woman was the mother of yours truly's beloved, a friend we'll call Eros.  He is devotional, magical, and absolutely inclusive in his love.  Alice was Eros's confidante and favorite parent.  She left a legacy of poems and yours truly offered to take it on as form of devotion to Eros and his loss.

The Van Pelts are Presbyterians.  In the North-East this denomination is not uncommon among African-Americans with deep roots in Unionist states.  With its abstract, non-representational sense of the sacred, its exigent work ethic, it was probably a belief system that sustained them better in the industrialized economy of the Eastern Seaboard.  Alice's poetry is very religious, and very inspiring in that way.  There is a fervor, a devotion, that marks it as genuine, heartfelt.  The words dance on the page and recollect themselves in a gentle prayer, as in the poem you'll find below, to Alice's two sons.

However, Alice's vision is just so far removed from that of the African American women's voices that have guided yours truly to first question the ideology behind the single white male deity Christians call "God."  As in, for example, Ntozake Shange's "i found god in myself and loved her, loved her fiercely."

What was yours truly going to do with this legacy on a blog that's devoted questioning that belief system and supporting others who do so?

Sometimes the contradictions, the inner conflicts of our lovers help us untangle some of our own.  Eros is of course not a monotheistic person at this point.  And yet there is a correspondence between his magic as an artist of love and Alice's as a wordsmith.

Yours truly often claims that monogamy is not the opposite of polyamory but just a special case of it.  The number "1" just happens to be the first in an infinite series that includes it.  By the same token, monotheism is just a special case of polytheism.  The infinite, not the one, is where the whole resides.

"Polytheism, polyamory, are just more inclusive, that's all," yours truly claims.  But then, does that alleged inclusiveness give one the right to exclude monotheism and monogamy--to declare them obsolete, prejudiced, or wrong?

If we who believe in poly truly believe that poly is inclusive we need to practice that by including mono, no?

So that's how yours truly came to accept Alice's poems.  And, guess what, once she did, the poems acquired a whole new meaning.

For example, the poem to Alice's sons below: is it only to her own two biological sons?  Can it not be read as a poem to all of the "sons" Alice's poetic voice embraces?  An invocation to action, to resilience, to self knowledge, to self possession, to extending the embrace well beyond the poet's family or denomination?  As yours truly reads the poems again without prejudice against monotheism, their ecumenical, inclusive values become transparent.  Their evangelical message is one of courage and awareness for the infinite that is the whole.


A LETTER TO MY SONS

To my sons this time I take

this wish from Mom's heart I make.

Alice E. Van Pelt

Remember how we came to be

part of the Negro's history.

Shun not the struggle, for you see

we must continue this legacy.

Be strong in all you attempt to do

for God is always watching you.

There is hope for you in prayer today.

His aid is never far away.

Call upon him whenever life grows dim

and you must never abandon him.

Our strength is in the young today

and we must guide them all the way.

Be kind and loving to your brother

for there will never be another.

Since we were brought to this place

we have become a dying race.

Our blood is running in the streets

from drugs, and guns and men in sheets.

Our children are victims of the man's oppression.

Prejudice is the oppressor's obsession

and yet we hope for a brand new day 

Three generations in Alice's family

with every step along the way.

Lift your voices loud and long

remember how hard we fought, be strong.

This torch I place within your hand

carry the struggle throughout the land.

Don't let us die in vain you see

We need to make this our legacy.

Alice E. Van Pelt

No date.

From the poetry collection of Alice E. Van Pelt, published here with permission from her descendants, gratefully acknowledged.

Dear Earthlings: 

Did you notice the wisdom of these words?  Alice reminds the children to stay connected and get along, to respect each other and respect themselves.  She wants them to guide the young and feel connected to their legacy.  History is important, and standing for justice is more important than winning.  Feeling part of that force that brings hope to our worlds, that "universal energy" that the Greeks called Eros and the Christians call "God."
And since it's everywhere, then it may as well be a "one" that's form to the many. 

More poems from Alice coming.  Stay tuned for next.  We will post every Monday at noon.

Did you enjoy the post?  Let us know!  Yours truly appreciates your attention.  The comments box is open.

Come back!  And stay tuned for more wonders.

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia and the New Politics of Love and many other books
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

   

Follow us in the social media

Poly Planet GAIA Blog: http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/ 

Website: www.serenagaia.com 

Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings 

Author's Page/Lists all books: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA 

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini
 

7 of 12 | Monday is for Religion: The Art of Connecting What's Not Really Separate

Hi lovely Earthlings!

Nuraghe Losa, Sardinia

Our series on religion is coming to a close.  But not before we briefly look at an echo of Native American wisdom across the world.  Often we think of Western culture as predatory.  In reality there are many simultaneous cultural traditions in the numerous regions called West and they don't always get along.  The sense of sacredness of the Earth, the notion that it belongs to itself, comes across very strong in this short poem yours truly learned from the ex-mother-in-law when she was married in Sardina.  This Mediterranean island, she learned, was host to an ancient civilization whose communitarian values organized life around a main stone building the group shared, the Nuraghe.  

Listen to what the poem says:

Nuraghe Prisciona, Sardinia

« Tancas serradas a muru  
Fattas a s'afferra afferra
Si su chelu fit in terra 
L'aiant serradu puru »

The first line refers to agricultural land that's enclosed by walls.

The second line explains that these walls were made "the grub-street way."  They were built in a hurry and without consideration for the common usage that had been customary of the land, what deep ecologists call "the commons." 

The third line refers to the sky or heavens, which in Italian and Sardinian are the same word: "cielo," or "chelu."  It compares the Earth to the sky, which cannot be fenced.  And refers to the predatory ways of those who appropriate the commons by saying that, if at all possible, they would fence out the "heavens" or sky as well.  

Central Building, Nuraghe Torralba

So the poem's force comes from the way it connects the earth with sacred space: the "cielo, chelu" where people in Catholic cultures believe the sacred is located.  

The affinity with Chief Seattle is that here too the Earth, the land, is sacralized again by the invective against those who keep privatizing it, appropriating it.  "Should the land not deserve the same reverence the sky gets?"  the poet seems to ask.  "Why is it that we've come to believe we can own it?"  "Does this sense of ownership not violate the Earth's sovereignty over itself?"

The Italian version echoes this wisdom: 

Su Nuraxi, Barumini

« Proprietà chiuse coi muri
Fatte all'arraffa arraffa
Se il cielo fosse stato in terra
Avrebbero chiuso pure quello »

The poem is attributed to one Melchiorre Murenu. 

For those well versed in Italian or interested in another translation of Chief Seattle's Lament, here goes the Italian Lamento.  It's in verse translation and yours truly brings it to you this way.

Nel 1854 il governo degli Stati Uniti offrì una grossa somma per l'acquisto del territorio di una tribù di pellirosse, che avrebbe poi dovuto sistemarsi in una riserva. Il capo della tribù replicò col documento che qui pubblichiamo. Avevo l'edizione integrale di questa splendida lettera che purtroppo è andata persa. Questa è una versione leggermente ridotta. Questo documento da un'idea della profondità e sensibilità dell'animo del popolo pellirosse, tutt'altro che selvaggio. Il sentimento di comunione con la natura ed il cosmo e la concezione immanente della loro spiritualità sono sorprendentemente affini alla concezione Zen della vita e dell'Universo. Ritrovare questo profondo sentimento di comunione con la natura è la base su cui costruire il proprio equilibrio interiore.


Questa terra è sacra

Come potete comperare o vendere il cielo,
il calore della terra?
L'idea per noi è strana.
Se non possediamo la freschezza dell'aria,
lo scintillio dell'acqua,
come possiamo comperarli?
Ogni parte di questa terra è sacra per il mio popolo.
Ogni ago di pino che brilla,ogni spiaggia sabbiosa, ogni vapore nelle scure foreste, ogni radura e ronzio d'insetto è sacro nella memoria e
nell'esperienza del mio popolo.
La linfa che scorre attraverso gli alberi porta i ricordi degli uomini...
Noi siamo parte della terra ed essa è parte di noi.
I fiori profumati sono le nostre sorelle;
il cervo, il cavallo, la grande aquila, questi sono i nostri fratelli.
Le cime rocciose, la linfa dei prati,
il corpo caldo del cavallo, e l'uomo:
tutto appartiene alla stessa famiglia...
I fiumi sono i nostri fratelli, e ci dissetano.
I fiumi portano le nostre canoe e nutrono i nostri bambini.
Se noi vi vendessimo la nostra terra,
voi dovreste ricordare ed insegnare ai vostri figli
che i fiumi sono nostri fratelli, e vostri;
e voi dovreste d'ora in poi dare ai fiumi la gentilezza
che dovreste dare ad ogni fratello...
non c'è nessun posto tranquillo nelle città dell'uomo bianco.
Non c'è nessun posto
per udire il dispiegarsi delle foglie in primavera,
o il frusciare delle ali di un insetto.
Ma forse c'è, perché io sono un selvaggio e non capisco.
Solo lo scalpitio sembra un insulto all'udito.
E che cosa è vivere
se un uomo non può udire il pianto di un caprimulgo
o le conversazioni delle rane intorno ad uno stagno di notte?
Io sono un pellerossa e non capisco.
L'indiano preferisce il soffice suono del vento che vibra sulla superfice dello stagno, e l'odore del vento,
pulito da una pioggia del mezzogiorno,
o profumato dall'odore del pino.
L'aria è preziosa per il pellerossa,
poiché tutte le cose hanno lo stesso respiro;
I'animale, I'albero, I'uomo,
condividono insieme lo stesso respiro.
L'uomo bianco non sembra accorgersi dell'aria che respira.
Come un uomo morente,
per molti giorni, è insensibile al fetore.
Ma se noi vi vendessimo la nostra terra,
vi dovreste ricordare che l'aria è preziosa per noi, che l'aria condivide il suo spirito con ogni vita che sostiene.
Il vento che fu dato a nostro nonno al suo primo respiro ha anche accolto il suo ultimo respiro.
E se noi vendessimo la nostra terra,
dovreste tenerlo a parte in un posto sacro, come un luogo dove anche l'uomo bianco può andare per sentire il vento addolcito dai fiori del prato.
A queste condizioni noi considereremo la vostra offerta di comperare la nostra terra.
Se noi decidessimo di accettare, io porrei una condizione:
che l'uomo bianco deve trattare gli animali di questa terra come suoi fratelli...
Cosa è l'uomo senza gli animali?
Se tutti gli animali se ne andassero,
I'uomo morirebbe per la grande solitudine dello spirito.
Poiché qualsiasi cosa accada agli animali,
presto accade all'uomo.
Tutte le cose sono collegate.
Potreste insegnare ai vostri bambini
che la terra sotto i loro piedi è la cenere dei nostri nonni.
Affinché loro rispettino la terra,
dite ai vostri bambini
che la terra è ricca delle vite dei nostri amici.
Insegnate ai vostri bambini
quello che noi abbiamo insegnato ai nostri,
che la terra è nostra madre.
Qualsiasi cosa accade alla terra, accade ai figli della terra.
Se gli uomini sputano sulla terra, sputano su se stessi.
Questo noi lo sappiamo: la terra non appartiene all'uomo;
I'uomo appartiene alla terra.
Questo noi sappiamo.
Tutte le cose sono collegate
come il sangue che unisce una famiglia.
Tutte le cose sono collegate.
Qualsiasi cosa accada alla terra, accade ai figli della terra.
L'uomo non ha intrecciato il tessuto della vita: egli è semplicemente un filo di essa.
Qualsiasi cosa faccia al tessuto, lo fa a se stesso...
Possiamo essere fratelli, dopo tutto. Vedremo.
C'è una cosa che noi sappiamo,
e che l'uomo bianco un giorno scoprirà:
il nostro Dio è lo stesso.
Potete pensare ora che il vostro "Lui" come voi desideri possedere la nostra terra; ma non è possibile.
Egli è il Dio dell'uomo e la Sua compassione è uguale
sia per il pellerossa che per l'uomo bianco.
Questa terra per lui è preziosa,
e danneggiare la terra è disprezzare il suo Creatore.
Anche il popolo bianco passerà.
Ma nella vostra discesa brillerete luminosamente, infuocati dalla forza di un Dio che vi ha portati in questa terra
e per qualche scopo speciale
vi ha dato dominio su questa terra e sopra l'uomo rosso.
Questo destino è un mistero per noi,
poiché non capiamo quando i bufali
vengono completamente massacrati,
i cavalli selvaggi tutti addomesticati,
gli angoli segreti della foresta appesantiti
con l'odore di molti uomini
e la vista delle colline in fiore
rovinata dai fili del telegrafo.
Dove è il boschetto? E' andato.
Dove è l'aquila? E' andata.
La fine della vita e l'inizio della sopravvivenza. — 

Rutger Zen with Silvana Cibba.

Republished with permission from Facebook Group Assenza: http://www.facebook.com/groups/193924080673423/

Dear Earthlings,

This post brings the series to an end.  We are so happy you followed it.  Thank you!  Stay tuned for what comes next. 

Did you enjoy the series?  Let us know!  Yours truly appreciates your attention.  The comments box is open.

Come back!  And stay tuned for more wonders.

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia and the New Politics of Love and many other books
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

   

Follow us in the social media

Poly Planet GAIA Blog: http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/ 

Website: www.serenagaia.com 

Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings 

Author's Page/Lists all books: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA 

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini
 

Link to the complete Lament

6 of 12 | Monday is for Religion: The Art of Connecting What's Not Really Separate

Hi lovely Earthlings!

We're on the final stretch.  Chief Seattle concludes his lament with an even more touching lesson.  What is life?  Joy, connectedness, a sense of being part of a larger whole, beauty, pleasure, the music of trees, of birds.  Being present to all this IS life.  Does "survival" qualify?  "No" the chief claims.  And so it goes for the hypermedicalized lives many of us live today.  When one's life is mere survival it doesn't even count as life.  It would be better to surrender it and become part again of life in general, return to the larger whole.  The hostess will know what to do next with what's left of the individual whose personal life has dissolved.  As Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens declare in the vows of their ecosexual weddings, when we marry the Earth we do so "until death brings us closer together."

So life is not really different from death, it's a cycle, a continuation of strands that come upon other strands, of waves and their ebbs and flows.  If we shift the focus away from death, and the fear of death we internalize from belief systems organized around it, we find out that there is no such thing as death, only life and its ongoing ebbs and flows.  

"Survival" the wise chief implies, is not worth the pain.  It's just a result of the fear of death and the effort of staving it off.  But then, when life in general becomes survival, there is no real life left at all.  Zombis, as they say.  Oh well . . . .

"The Land Is Sacred to Us"

Chief Seattle's Lament, Cont'd

Handsome chief, eh?

Even the white man, whose God walks and talks with him as friend to friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all; we shall see. One thing we know, which the white man may one day discover—our God is the same God. You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of man, and His compassion is equal for the red man and the white. This earth is precious to Him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. The whites too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes. Continue to contaminate your bed, and you will one night suffocate in your own waste.

But in your perishing you will shine brightly, fired by the strength of the God who brought you to this land and for some special purpose gave you dominion over this land and over the red man. Your destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand when the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of the ripe hills blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. And what is it to say good bye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.....

Source: From "The Land Is Sacred to Us: Chief Seattle's Lament."

Dear Earthlings: 

Did you notice the wisdom of these words?  The Washington Chief assumes Chief Seattle thinks he owns the land.  Chief Seattle knows better.  And he is honest.  Nobody really owns any land.  The earth own itself.  It is sovereign.  And it the seat of life where individuals graced with presence are mere moments in the energetic flow. 

Stay tuned for the next step.  We will post every Monday at noon.  

Did you enjoy the post?  Let us know!  Yours truly appreciates your attention.  The comments box is open.

Come back!  And stay tuned for more wonders.

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia and the New Politics of Love and many other books
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

   

Follow us in the social media

Poly Planet GAIA Blog: http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/ 

Website: www.serenagaia.com 

Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings 

Author's Page/Lists all books: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA 

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini
 

Link to the complete Lament

5 of 12 | Monday is for Religion: The Art of Connecting What's Not Really Separate

Hi lovely Earthlings!

This section is for us.  Yes, it is about our being Earthlings like everybody else: Earthlings, those who live on Earth, the only "home," the only "oikos," the only ecosystem that will have us over.  Aha!  And you thought this WAS your home.  But no, this is home to life.  Gaia, our hostess is kind enough to let us stay only as long as we're a welcome addition to her.  As Chief Seattle puts it, "the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth."  How ironic!  For Western science to "discover" something so simple and self evident, a whole controversial theory had to be invented: Gaia theory.  Seattle knew way before!  "Men" he claims, are simple "strands" in the web of life.  There is no foothold for us on Gaia because she is sovereign.  As Seattle puts it, we are "like waves in the sea."  And most scientists of course don't want to hear any of this, one way or the other, even today.  They are so prejudiced!  Then they claim that "science" is the only real way to know.  Oh well . . . . 

 

"The Land Is Sacred to Us"

Chief Seattle's Lament, Cont'd

One thing we know, Our God is the same God. This earth is precious to Him. Even the white man cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We shall see.

This we know: The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know: All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected.

Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

But we will consider your offer to go to the reservation you have for my people. We will live apart, and in peace. It matters little where we spend the rest of our days. Our children have seen their fathers humbled in defeat. Our warriors have felt shame, and after defeat they turn their days in idleness and contaminate their bodies with sweet foods and strong drink. It matters little where we pass the rest of our days. Tribes are made of men, nothing more. Men come and go like waves of the sea.

Dear Earthlings: 

Did you notice the wisdom of these words?  The Washington Chief assumes Chief Seattle thinks he owns the land.  Chief Seattle knows better.  And he is honest.  Nobody really owns any land.  The earth own itself.  It is sovereign.  This is where religion comes in.  We cannot prove that the earth is sovereign in a laboratory experiment.  However, we can find out after we destroy it with our own selves.  So, no matter how much we know or think we know, there will always be something important we don't quite know for sure.  We will need a "belief system" to fill up that space where mystery is present.  So why not choose a belief system that makes sense?  One that serves us well and may very well protect us from being our own henchman?  That's where Native American religion helps!  It sacralizes nature and reflects the very deep, widely time tested knowledge of long-time dwellers of the Western Hemisphere: those humans who crossed over through the sliver of land that was the Bering Straight during the latest glaciation some 18-20,000 years ago! 

Stay tuned for the next step.  We will post every Monday at noon.

Did you enjoy the post?  Let us know!  Yours truly appreciates your attention.  The comments box is open.

Come back!  And stay tuned for more wonders.

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia and the New Politics of Love and many other books
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

   

Follow us in the social media

Poly Planet GAIA Blog: http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/ 

Website: www.serenagaia.com 

Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings 

Author's Page/Lists all books: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA 

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini
 

Link to the complete Lament 

Biographical Note for Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio, PhD - Fall 2011

 

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

Believes that “a world where it is safe to love is a world where it is safe to 
live.”  She is a scholar, writer, activist, professor, and cultural theorist.  Her book of ecosexual theory, Gaia and the New Politics of Love is a 2010 Nautilus Winner in Cosmology and New Science.  She is editor of BiTopia (2011), Bisexuality and Queer Theory (2010), Plural Loves: Designs for Bi and Poly Living (2005), and Women and Bisexuality: A Global Perspective (2003).  Her memoir, Eros: A Journey of Multiple Loves, was a 2007 Lambda finalist.  These are Routledge books.  She is a professor of humanities at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.  In 2011 she keynoted at Ecosex Symposium II in San Francisco, with Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens, fellow avatars in the ecosexual movement.  She also taught the first multilingual course in Ecosexuality in Italy.  Her past keynotes include the World Polyamory Association Conference in California (2007 and 2010), Loving More in New York State (2007), and BiReCon in England (2010).  She speaks English, French, Italian, and Spanish.  She is the owner of 3WayKiss, a non-profit dedicated to education and research in the arts of love. 

Fan Page: facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Blog : polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Webpage: www.serenagaia.com

Email: serena.anderlini@gmail.com

Author's Page: http://www.amazon.com/Serena-Anderlini-DOnofrio/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

Ecosex Symposium II: www.sexecology.org

Letter on Behalf of Tracy Elise - Save the Temples and other Schools of Love

Hi dear Earthlings!

Tracy Elise

The spaces of sacred sexuality and of education in the arts of love are under threat.  The police has raided various temples and schools of love, with many practitioners still in jail.  Tracy Elise, founder of the Phoenix Goddess Temple, is one of them, with bail set at $ 1,000,000, as if she were a premeditated murderer.  How can we possibly accept this?  At a time of such rampant injustice and greed, when the people are outraged enough to occupy Wall Street, can we sit still while the judicial system takes it out on those who teach love?  In response to the situation, and on Tracy's invitation to send letters of support to her attorney, yours truly has drafted the following brief.  

You might feel so inspired too, and in that case, direct your brief to john@vigilaw.com. You can find out more details about Tracy's situation from herself, at http://templelife.tv/support/letter-from-tracy.html

Yours truly sends her warmest wishes to all those who love love enough to take the risk of teaching it.  

LETTER ON BEHALF OF TRACY ELISE

Dear John Vigileos:

I am a scholar in the Arts and Humanities who has focused on sexual fluidity and inclusive styles of love.  I owe my own education in the arts of love to the many temples and other spaces where sacred sexuality is practiced, and to the many schools of love where the arts of love are taught and the whole person is educated in the multiple ways to practice these arts.  Interpreting love as an art has roots in ancient cultural traditions, including Tantra in India, the ancient cult of the Goddess in the Mediterranean, and some Native American traditions.  I have taken many workshops and courses with practitioners of these arts and I believe that their educational value is of the highest quality.  Societies where people are educated in the arts of love are typically more loving, considerate, and peaceful than societies where no such teaching is available.  Whether this education is offered in a temple, in a school, in a cultural center, or any other such space devoted to this purpose, the content of the teaching is usually very valuable and formative of the whole being.  People who benefit from such trainings often become sources of love for others in their lives and communities as well.

I absolutely urge the courts to protect the temples as schools of love that meet significant educational needs in our society.  I look forward to a successful progress in this case toward the shared goal of setting a legal precedent in support of education in the arts of love.  Please let me know if I can answer any questions or be of further assistance to you.

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio, PhD

 

Author of Gaia and the New Politics of Love, North Atlantic Books, 2009 (a Nautilus Winner, also on Kindle)
and of Eros: A Journey of Multiple Loves, Routledge, 2006 (a Lambda finalist)
Co-Editor of BiTopia (2011), and Bisexuality and Queer Theory (2010)
Editor of Plural Loves (2010), and Women and Bisexuality (2003) Routledge, New York

Professor of Humanities
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR 00681-9264 (USA)

Poly Planet GAIA Blog: http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/
Website: www.serenagaia.com
Become a Fan www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings
Author's Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA
YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

4 of 12 | Monday is for Religion: The Art of Connecting What's Not Really Separate

Hi lovely Earthlings!

Yours truly is back with another piece of the Chief's Lament.  This time the wisdom is even deeper.  Animals are our siblings, Chief Seattle claims, and when we destroy their habitat, we destroy them, our turn is next.  Since these wise words were pronounced a century and a half ago, we've explored space, we've landed on the Moon.  In that search for other planets who might be hospitable to our species, we've only found out one thing for sure.  If we ever find another astral body willing to have us over, we humans will have to migrate along with all the other species.  Why?  Because no species can live alone: we're all connected!  "Animals are our bothers" as Chief Seattle puts it.  He already knew what took so much effort for us to discover.  Oh well . . .

"The Land Is Sacred to Us"

Chief Seattle's Lament, Cont'd

So we will consider your offer to buy our land. If we decide to accept, I will make one condition: The white man must treat the beasts of this land as his brothers.