Taking A Vow For Humanity And The Earth with Matthew Fox, Ph.D., Skylar Wilson, Jennifer Berit Listug

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It is no wonder that we are terrified by the current unchartered territory of global population growth, ecosystem stress, polarized political struggles, the decline of traditional religious practice, and more. How do we avoid curling up into a ball and giving up? Our guests share the vision of a co-creative, emergent, self-organizing movement they call the “Order of the Sacred Earth (OSE)” as an antidote to the many negative forces that surround us. There are OSE pods sprouting up all over the country. These groups of people are reading the book Order of the Sacred Earth, taking the vow “I promise to be the best lover and defender of Earth I can be,” and then expressing that vow in any way that feels right for their community. There are no “shoulds” as to how each individual pod will accomplish their ends. Each community creates their own meaningful rituals. Listug, Wilson, and Fox are creating a hub website to assist with connecting people to one another and for a cross-fertilization of ideas to support growing a movement toward a more sustainable and equitable world. It is the intention that this vision will attract those of like mind and that many others will take the vow. It also creates a platform for younger people and elders to share their wisdom through mutual dialogue and shared rituals. Listug talks about the power of taking the vow: “The moment one definitely commits one’s self then Providence, Universal Energy, God, Essence moves too . . .[P]rovidence will help our efforts in ways that we’re not aware of.” (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)

Bio 

Fr. Mathew Fox is a wisdom elder, a theologian, an Episcopal priest, and author of 35 books on spiritualty and culture, including: Original Blessing and Meister Eckhart: A Mystic-Warrior for Our Times. 

Skylar Wilson is a Rites of Passage guide who has worked as a mentor for both teenagers and adults. As a relatively younger person in his 30s, he’s been training leaders in gatherings of intergenerational mentoring and is the founder of Wild Awakenings, which leads wilderness immersion programs. 

Jennifer Berit Listug is in her late 20s and is a Rites of Passage guide who recently became a mother. She is the co-director of Wild Awakenings and also works in book publishing and as a writing coach for authors. 

These three guests are co-directors of the Order of the Sacred Earth and co-authors of the book:

• Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action (Monkfish 2018) 

To learn more about the work of Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, & Jennifer Berit Listug, and the Order of the Sacred Earth go to www.orderofthesacredearth.org. 

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• What is the Cosmic Mass Ritual and how does it relate to building community
• Why Rites of Passage must involve elders
• Skylar Wilson’s life changing experience in the wilderness when he was 13 years old
• Jennifer Listug’s life changing experience of giving birth
• What is the Order of the Sacred Earth and how did the vision come to Fox and Wilson
• The importance and power of taking a vow
• What is a spiritual warrior
• The vow is: to be the best lover and defender of Earth I can be 

Host: Justine Willis Toms          Interview Date: 8/27/2018          Program Number: 3656

Music Playlist

From Album: Eirlandia
Artist: Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning
2018 B07BGGY2X9 Arkmusic/Ark Records, Inc. 

Opening Essay: Track 03 Oran Môr
Music Break 1: Track 04 A Wonder Voyage
Music Break 2: Track 04 A Wonder Voyage (reprise)
Music Break 3: Track 07 Tara Hill