04/26/2019
"We are now the New Rising Sun Center for Ecological & Cultural Regeneration. What do we mean by "ecological and cultural regeneration", and why have we chosen this phrase to underline the essence of our mission?
Ecological and cultural regeneration strikes at the root of the disharmony in our world. The phrase itself also insists upon a wholistic focus. In isolation, ecological OR cultural regeneration on their own will not solve our problems.
Regeneration must occur at the RELATIONSHIP level between culture and ecology! We must regenerate the elements of our culture that understand how to live in harmony with & within our ecological environment.
We are fortunate not to have to reinvent the wheel. The Indigenous inhabitants of an area are the go-to source for information of how to live in harmony with that area, and our highest aim is to preserve this precious wisdom. The New Rising Sun Center is located on land traditionally inhabited by the Anishinaabe people. Living where fresh water was perhaps more abundant than anywhere else on Earth, the Anishinaabe relied on water for their sustenance. The abundance of shallow lakes and rivers in this area were an ideal habitat for massive stands of perennial wild rice, which to the Anishinaabe was (and still is) the bread of life. While elsewhere soils washed away to grow annual grain crops, leaving behind desert, the Anishinaabe obtained their bread of life by living in harmony with the resources of their ecological environment. Cultures with this form of perennial understanding tend to last for millennia.
Can wild rice stands again return to these shallow lakes and rivers? More importantly, can we hope for the return of a culture that understands how to properly utilize and live in harmony with this environment?
Indigenous people often laugh at our understanding of "ecological preservation", understanding that humans are in fact key to the health of the ecosystem. The trees like to be walked under and appreciated, and they like the fruits that they produce to be utilized. A fruit is a wonderful concept, because taking a fruit takes nothing from the tree, and there are more examples of this concept than just our conventional concept of a "fruit". A fruit may come in the form of an excess branch, excess sap, or indeed excess oxygen. If a tree's gifts are not used and appreciated, they feel sad and confused, and you can find many trees like this today. These trees are just as in need of ecological and cultural regeneration as we are, and fortunately the solutions are really quite simple.
The New Rising Sun Center is being developed in a beautiful ecological location where people can come to work on themselves by working with the land, and thereby to work on their relationship WITH the land. In the process, we intend to host farmers, musicians, spiritual teachers, scientists, and particularly indigenous leaders to create a venue focused on healing our relationship with the Earth. Stay tuned for an awesome line up of events and workshops this year, and let us know if you’d like to get involved."
