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NASA astronaut and Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft's main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels toward the Moon. Image Credit: NASA If you have been following RogueValleyVoice.com you will have noticed that on April 10, 2026, the name changed to IntegralWorldview.com. This happened to coincide with NASA's Artemis II successful flight around the moon. Their view from space is similar to the "Blue Marble" photo of December 1972 that changed our perspective on Spaceship Earth, our home. But a lot has changed in our world in the last 54 years, and we now have a better cosmic perspective due to the James Webb Space Telescope. The complexity of our interdependence was evident in the COVID-19 world crisis and now in the war in Iran and the choke point of the Strait of Hormuz. Study of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin led me to a deep time, evolutionary worldview where there has been a movement toward both greater complexity and unity over the past 13.8 billion years; that consciousness is intrinsic to matter; that there is a direction toward Omega; and that because of technology, we have entered a new phase of a global mind - the noosphere. Science has advanced due to specialization and analysis of the parts, but quantum physics has revealed the interrelationship of everything, and an interdisciplinary approach will help bring our understanding together. I believe a new, integral, holistic worldview is necessary if we are to survive and thrive as a human species. The integral framework and spiral dynamics help us understand how we have advanced from tribal, warrior, traditional, modern, post-modern consciousness and beyond. We are transforming from boundary-defined forms to second-tier formlessness. We are transitioning from first axial to second axial spirituality. Indeed, artificial intelligence is pushing the boundary of what it means to be human. I had WordPress blogs previously, as ReddingVoice and SaratogaVoice, when we lived in California. In February 2022, I started writing the blog RogueValleyVoice.com with the purpose to "focus on education about the climate emergency, positive actions that are being taken now toward sustainability, and building supportive relationships." As I write this blog largely for myself, with many underlined hyperlinks as my research expands, I am now exploring an integral worldview, which I believe is necessary to achieve those original goals.

Research-driven scenarios demonstrate how foresight tools can help communities imagine and design a more equitable and sustainable future—one that works for both people and the environment.~ Rachel Hatch, Chief Operating Officer, IFTF On December 11, 2024, the Institute for the Future (IFTF) published a study: Oregon 2035: Four Alternative Scenarios on climate change. This alternative futures project was a collaborative effort involving policy advocates, community members, and partners from 1000 Friends of Oregon with futurists and creatives at IFTF. Each of these four alternative scenarios touches on the economy, technology, transportation, environment, society, and politics. IFTF summarized their scenarios in four brief but spectacular YouTube videos. They are neither forecasts nor predictions of the future, but provocations for engaged discussion. Click on the underlined hyperlinks below to view these thought-provoking videos: A Growth Future: INSATIABLE (A future driven by the desire for continued economic growth, even at the expense of equality and sustainability.) A Collapse Future: SCRATCH (A future ravaged by climate, economic disparities, and breakdown of core systems.) A Constraint Future: PRUNING (A future driven by difficult choices and the acceptance of fewer individual freedoms for the benefit of all.) A Transformation Future: LIMINAL (A future accelerated by technological breakthroughs and a re-definition of reality.) Download the IFTF document, Oregon 2035: Four Alternative Scenarios Prepared by Institute for the Future for 1000 Friends of Oregon here. Also, be sure to download HORIZON SCAN FOR 1000 FRIENDS OF OREGON. What future do you think is most likely? How can we best prepare? What future would you like to see happen in Oregon? What can we do about it? 1000 Friends of Oregon is now over 50 years old. It was founded by Henry Richmond and Governor Tom McCall in 1974. The previous year, Governor McCall had signed Senate Bill 100 into law, creating Oregon’s iconic land use planning system. He and a young attorney named Henry Richmond realized that the fledgling legislation would need a champion – or rather, 1000 champions.1000 Friends of Oregon works with Oregonians to enhance our shared quality of life by building livable urban and rural communities, protecting family farms and forests, and conserving natural areas. Since 1974, 1000 Friends has worked to protect and improve Oregon’s unique, statewide land use planning program through education, policy advocacy, coalition building, and strategic litigation. 1000 Friends of Oregon is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The non-profit organization's current Executive Director is Sam Diaz. Our mission is to promote healthy working lands, great communities, shared prosperity, and a strong democracy with and for all Oregonians. I am not a scientist, so I asked Google Gemini: "What are the specific impacts of climate change in Oregon, and what is the forecast for the next 10 years?" Gemini replied: "Oregon is already experiencing significant climate impacts, which are projected to intensify in the next decade, primarily characterized by increased heat, severe wildfires, and altered water resources. Specific Impacts of Climate Change in Oregon Extreme Heat: The frequency, duration, and intensity of heat waves are increasing significantly. The 2021 heat dome event, which caused numerous deaths, is projected to increase in frequency to as often as once every six years by the end of the century. Wildfires: Warmer temperatures, reduced snowpack, and drier summers are leading to more frequent, larger, and more damaging wildfires. The area burned by wildfire each year has increased over the past 35 years, threatening communities, infrastructure, and air quality with smoke pollution. Water Resources: Reduced Snowpack: Warmer winters mean more precipitation falls as rain instead of snow, leading to significantly reduced snowpack in the Cascades. This is expected to decline by as much as 40% by 2040 in early spring. Drought and Flooding: The state is facing longer, more severe summer droughts interspersed with more intense winter precipitation events (atmospheric rivers), increasing the risk of both water scarcity and major flooding/landslides. Coastal and Ocean Impacts: Sea levels are rising, increasing the risk of coastal erosion, storm surges, and saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies. The ocean is also becoming warmer and more acidic, impacting commercial fisheries like Dungeness crab and salmon. Ecosystem and Health Impacts: Climate changes disrupt natural systems, leading to shifts in plant and animal distributions, increased pests and diseases in forests, and public health issues such as heat-related illnesses and respiratory problems from wildfire smoke. Forecast for the Next 10 Years (through~2035) In the immediate future, these trends are expected to accelerate. Temperature: Average annual temperatures are expected to continue rising, with summers warming more than other seasons. The number of days above 90°F will increase in many inland areas. Precipitation: Winters are likely to be slightly wetter, while summers will continue to be drier. Extreme precipitation events in autumn and winter are projected to increase in intensity. Wildfire Activity: From 2035 onward, projections for the western Cascades suggest wildfire activity could be at least twice as intense as in recent decades. Water Management Challenges: Reduced snowpack will continue to challenge water supply management for irrigation, municipal use, and maintaining streamflows for aquatic species. State agencies and researchers are increasingly confident in these projections, emphasizing the need for robust adaptation strategies across various sectors, from energy systems to public health infrastructure. "

Conceptual image is AI-generated. I recently quickly read the 2024 book by Rev Karla Kamstra: Deconstructing: Leaving Church, Finding Faith. I say quickly because the writing style is nurturing and conversational, but seems directed more toward a young, female audience who are "spiritual, but no longer religious" and have found the courage to leave their conservative, patriarchal Christian church. The book provides a helpful antidote to the scourge of white Christian (sic) nationalism that has infected some churches and our government. Although I, too, have deconstructed, in a different way, and am drawn to spirituality beyond religion, I am not quite her audience.* I am also used to reading scholarly writers with footnotes and was looking for insights into what's next. I was initially curious because, as a futurist, I am always looking for current signals of change, and the book touts "TikTok's Beloved Rev Karla." Indeed, RevKarla has 790.7K followers and has an impressive social media presence on SubStack, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Karla ministers to a large "digital congregation" without walls or dogma. "Rev Karla Kamstra is an ordained interfaith and interspiritual minister, author, and spiritual teacher helping those healing from religious trauma toward a more authentic, liberated spirituality." She was ordained in 2017 following 5 years of study with the One Spirit Interfaith Seminary** based in New York City. "Once rooted in evangelical Christianity, "Karla now walks a non-religious, deeply sacred path—one of curiosity, compassion, and personal truth. Through her work, she helps others unlearn patriarchal conditioning, reclaim their spiritual autonomy, and rediscover the sacred in everyday life." Find Rev Karla on: Her website Substack TickTok Instagram Facebook YouTube Q&A Live Streams with Rev Karla 2017 article on Karla in Bloom Magazine Deconstructing is often a painful, but necessary step in the path of creativity towards something new and better. As Ilia Delio says in her Easter Week 2026 essay: Truly Human in a Partially Human World: "Creativity thrives on entropy; only when things break down does life find a way to break through. Evolution is a via dolorosa, suffering through the tragedies of existence into something higher and more wondrous. And we, by taking up this path, become part of that cosmic unfolding — the third incarnation of a love that will not stop until it fills all things." * Harm caused by churches is not restricted to patriarchy toward females, minorities, and LGBTQ+. I am an elderly, white, straight man who several years ago abandoned a progressive denomination because of a controlling female pastor. I have been reconstructing an optimistic, evolutionary worldview that is spiritual, but not religious in an institutional way, led by many guides with a new, emerging story, compatible with science. One week before I received Karla's book in the mail, I selected the word "Beloved" after listening to a video by Cynthia Bourgeault on centering prayer; when I received the book, the inscription was to "Beloved." Was this just a coincidence or the Mystery of the Universe calling me toward being more loving? ** Rev. Diane Berke is the founder & teacher of the One Spirit Learning Alliance. Their Interspiritual Foundations first-year seminary program is supported by many skilled teachers and workshop facilitators. Returning luminaries include interspiritual giants such as Dr. Kurt Johnson, Rev. David Wallace, Rev. Mark Fowler, Rev. DeShannon Barnes-Bowens, Rev. Eileen Fisher, Mirabai Starr, Rev. Dr. Ed O’Malley, Deborah Egerton, Dr. Robert Holden, Rev. Barbara Becker, and more. Their second year Seminary is now the Interspiritual Seminary Ordination Pathway IMPORTANT NOTE: Even though many, including me, are "done" with institutional Christianity, it does not mean that we have any less love for Jesus of Nazareth and his teaching (as we now understand them). It's just that in the 21st century, we now have a broader perspective of both religion and science - the old dogmas, doctrines, rituals, and hymns no longer speak as clearly to our understanding of reality. Many of our best friends remain members of Christian churches, and I have no intention to question or change their faith.

Steve McIntosh is a developmental philosopher, cofounder and president of the Institute for Developmental Philosophy, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that "seeks to advance humanity’s understanding of noosphere evolution—the evolution of human history". In his presentation on YouTube, Steve examines "evolution's structure of emergence—the sequence of integrated levels that connects each of us to the beginning of the universe." Steve starts by examining humanity's various attempts to chart this evolutionary structure, including Ken Wilber's ambitious 4-Quadrant model. After critiquing Wilber's model, Steve then considers how improving our understanding of evolution’s overall structure-process can help us meet the challenges of our time in history. Steve McIntosh is a philosopher of noosphere evolution. "Influenced by the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, his work focuses on understanding intrinsic value and furthering the development of human culture." Writing in the emerging field of developmental philosophy, McIntosh has authored several books: Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself (2020) Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity Through Business (with John Mackey and Carter Phipps - 2020) The Presence of the Infinite: The Spiritual Experience of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness (2015) Evolution's Purpose: An Integral Interpretation of the Scientific Story of Our Origins (2012) Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution (2007). Truth Emerging: A Developmental Philosophy of Purpose and Progress will be published by Orbis Books on September 30, 2026. Subscribe to The Developmentalist online magazine of developmental philosophy. Transform your political practices with Steve's free 9-part video course, “Becoming Part of the Solution: A Course In Developmental Politics,” taught by Institute President Steve McIntosh. Find more videos on Developmental Philosophy's YouTube channel. Join Steve McIntosh’s Monthly Zoom Group every second Wednesday of each month.

Here's a list of some upcoming online and Rogue Valley in-person eco-spiritual activities that may interest you. Check back, as this post will be updated during April 2026 as we get additional information, and a new calendar listing will come out in late April. Don't be intimidated by the scope of this list; choose to participate in just what calls to you. April 1, 2026 - The Elder Leadership Incubator is having an Orientation on Zoom. "You’ll collaborate with fellow elders over five weekly sessions under the tutelage of Clint Wilkins, an elder changemaker and former associate with the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford. You’ll learn to “make a map and mind the gaps” of an issue you’d like to tackle, say climate change, food waste, or childhood poverty. Then you will lay the foundation for your project’s strategic plan, establishing the foundation for the journey ahead, supported by this community of fellow elder changemakers." Register here. "Elder Action Network (EAN) including its projects, Elders Climate Action (ECA) and Elders for Sound Democracy (ESD) are nonprofit and nonpartisan, elder-centered and volunteer driven working to engage older generations to advocate for policies and practices that protect our air and water, our democracy, our economy, our communities and our health—now and for generations to come. . April 1-30, 2026 - Earth Month EcoChallenge 2026 is "a 30-day program focused on environmental and social engagement. During this month, you're invited to select actions that resonate with your values, committing to them for 30 days to foster and reinforce positive habits. Each action you complete earns points and generates real-world impact. Your efforts, combined with those of your team, contribute to a significant collective difference... EcoChallenge is a non-profit digital platform based in Portland, OR, that gamifies behavior change. Fun challenges encourage new habits. Small steps lead to big change. Together, we build a more sustainable world." More information here. April 8, 15, and 22, 2026, at 4 p.m. PDT - Join Matthew Fox in a three-part live series Science and Spirituality, exploring the intersection of science and spirituality with Nancy Abrams, Brian Thomas Swimme, and Robert Nicastro. More information here. April 7, 2026, from 5-6 p.m. PDT - Process & Faith is offering: Meaning-Full Expression: An Interfaith Exploration through the Arts with Dr. Jay McDaniel and Sarah Hyndman, on six Tuesdays, Apr 7 - May 12, 2026, This six-week course emphasizes engaging the heart as well as the mind, inviting participants to encounter art as a way of discovering meaning and interfaith understanding. More information here. April 9, 2026, from 7-8 p.m. PDT - Elders Climate Action-Oregon’s monthly meeting takes place via Zoom with a discussion of chapter initiatives: Adventures in video production - Mike Activities with EOC3 (Eastern Oregon Climate Change Coalition) - Charles Recap from PIELC (Public Interest Environmental Law Conference) - Tom Update on the Coastal Resilience Toolkit publicity tour - Renée To attend the meeting, access Zoom via this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81214128702?pwd=N4QWs87QhUweGbVbKbiSmkQ1hbd3SS.1 April 9, 2026 - May 7, 2026, at 4 p.m. PDT - Creation Spiritual Communities is offering a five-week course taught by Theodore Richards on Thursday afternoons: Reimagine: Self and Worldview, "This course seeks to first understand our world through the lens of cosmology; then looks at how our world is unraveling (the polycrisis); and, finally, works collaboratively to reimagine our work, and our world, by applying a new world-vision... This is an invitation to explore our worldviews—the narratives and symbols that give us our sense of who we are and our place in the world. This course provides the foundational concepts from our spiritual, philosophical, and scientific traditions by exploring the concept of cosmology/ecology." Register here. $125 fee. April 13, 2026, from 4-5 p.m. PDT - Columbia Climate School is offering a livestream, The Global Impact of Sea Level Change. Changes to the world’s ice sheets and sea levels are reshaping the places we call home. From flooding and intensifying storm surge risks in New York City to dramatic shifts along the coasts of Greenland and the Nordic region, rising and falling seas deeply affect our infrastructure and cherished landscapes. Register here. April 15-17, 2026 - The Center for Process Studies will host the first online gathering of the Mind-at-Large Project: A New Dawn, which inaugurates their unfolding inquiry into consciousness and its role in the nature of reality "Designed to be globally accessible, the conference will convene leading thinkers and emerging scholars from around the world for two and a half days of shared inquiry into the deeper nature of mind—from the subatomic to the ecological, from the human to the cosmic." Learn more and register here. April 16, 2026, from 4-5:30 p.m. PDT - The Center for Christogenesis welcomes Andrew Del Rossi for a live webinar: Explicitly Embodied: Exploring the Sacred Synergy of Spirit and Psyche. He will present "an integrative perspective on spiritual growth as conscious evolution, grounded in a clear insight: spiritual awakening is a process of embodiment, and psyche and spirit mature together through lived, relational, incarnational experience. Register here. April 18, 2026 - Southern Oregon’s annual Earth Day event at ScienceWorks Museum in Ashland, OR, promises to be a day of fun and learning about the science behind our planet's systems. The Saturday, April 18th event will also include outreach from local businesses and nonprofits working to build a better environmental future. Tickets and additional details are on the ScienceWorks website. April 21, 2026, at 7 p.m. PDT - The Climate Reality Project, Portland Chapter is having their April meeting on Zoom Bridging Divides with guest speaker Bill Howe— founder of the SAGE Citizen Project who will give a 20 minute presentation about the cause and degree of the current state of political polarization and how it creates policy gridlock, undermines democratic institutions, and sabotages personal relationships, followed by outlining the social science research that suggests what individuals and organizations can do to work across differences so communities can move forward productively and solve problems. More on Bill Howe and the presentation on their meeting registration page. April 22, 2026, from 1-4 pm. PDT - Rogue Valley Manor is celebrating Earth Day with RVM residents and local organizations with nine display tables with information from food composting to solar energy to recycling updates. Learn from Dave Keaton, RVM Executive Director; Drew Gilliland, Facilities Services Director; and Paula Luz, Grounds Manager. Refreshments and door prizes. 1200 Mira Mar Ave., Medford, OR 97504 April 22, 2026, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. PST - One Spirit in Action (OSIA) is offering An Evening of Breath: Revolutionary Love for All. This free Activating Oneness event continues in a series. Join for a space to breathe together and move through the revolutionary love compass from the work of Valeria Kaur. Register here. April 22, 2026, at 5 p.m. PDT - UU Ministry for Earth's annual Earth Day Worship Service - Sentience Surrounds Us. Featured speakers include members of our UU Ministry for Earth community as well as special guests from UU Animal Ministry. The service will weave music, meditation, poetry, storytelling, and theological reflection on this year’s theme, “Sentience Surrounds Us.” More information and registration here. April 24, 2026, at 5 p.m. PDT - The Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology, and the Christian Faith is hosting an Ecumenical Roundtable Public Lecture: “Waking up to Wholeness: God, Matter and Evolution” with Ilia Delio, PhD. Ilia’s lecture will be available via Zoom. All attendees must be registered to have access to the Zoom connection information. Register here. April 27, 2026, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. PDT - The Forum at Columbia University is presenting as part of their Signature Speaker Series: Ginger Zee, ABC News Chief Meteorologist and Chief Climate Correspondent, speaking on Current Climate: Reporting on Climate Change on Network TV. Registration is required here. CANCELLED April 28, 2026, at 9 a.m. PDT - The Institute for the Future is offering a Zoom webinar for a discussion with Bianca Drotleff, Advocacy Programme Assistant at the Association for Liberty and Equality of Gender (ALEG), an NGO that addresses gender inequality in Romania. Bianca is a 2024 IFTF Foresight Essentials alumna who drew on her course knowledge to lead ALEG’s 20th Gender Equality Festival, focusing on the futures of gender equality. Attendees employed futures thinking methods to move past restrictive assumptions, including the sense that gender equality progress is under threat or that the current political climate limits possibilities, and build six scenarios of equitable futures. April 28, 2026 - Human Energy is having a Salon in Paris, France - AI and the Future of Learning; How on Earth do we Learn to Live Together? Featured Panelists include François Taddei, Stefan Leijnen, and Michaela Horvathova. The salon will be publicly accessible via livestream so viewers around the world can join the conversation. Livestream signup here. April 28, 2026, from 6 to 7:30 p,m, PDT - SOCAN's monthly meeting features Lydia Doleman, Earth Dragon Natural Building LLC, speaking on Building for a Resilient Future: How to Build Carbon Negative Housing. The meeting will be held in the Medford Library Big Room. April 29, 2026, at 10 a.m. PDT - Project Drawdown is having a very special Drawdown Ignite webinar, Finding Clarity, Courage, and Community in Climate Action: A Conversation with Dr. Katherine Wilkinson. Project Drawdown Director of Storytelling & Engagement Matt Scott will sit down with renowned climate leader and author Katharine Wilkinson, Ph.D., to explore the ideas behind her upcoming book, Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home. More information and registration here. IntegralWorldview.com aggregates and curates information from many third-party sources and does not necessarily endorse all aspects of others' work. Still, we find their viewpoint provocative and interesting enough to encourage the reader to engage with and come to their understanding and actions, as they deem appropriate.

Here's a list of some upcoming online and Rogue Valley in-person eco-spiritual activities that may interest you. Check back, as this post will be updated during May 2026 with additional information, and a new calendar listing will come out in late May. Don't be intimidated by the scope of this list; choose to participate in just what calls to you. Online and In-Person Events May 4, 2026: Film Screening and Q&A Time: 4-5:30 p.m. PDT Event: The Center for Christogenesis is hosting a free online event featuring the film Seer. This screening will be followed by a live Q&A with Thomas Jay Oord, a renowned photographer, filmmaker, and theologian. "In the film Seer, Oord uses videos and photographs of nature to address key issues of love, God, and spirituality. The film is both provocative and emotional, centering on the power of love." Register here. May 5, 2026: Exploring Ethical Action Time: 1 p.m. PDT Event: Join the Deep Transformation Network as they ask: What is the most skillful way to respond as the world unravels around us? Explore a framework for ethical action developed by DTN founding member Brian Sarwer-Foner called Eco-Response-Ability (ERA). Zoom link: Join Here. May 6, 2026: Political Forum Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m. PST Event: Rogue Climate and the Sierra Club of Oregon are hosting a forum on Zoom. Hear from candidates in the Democratic primary for Oregon State Senate in District 3, representing the Rogue Valley. Election day is May 19th. Find more voter information here. Register for the Zoom event here. May 6, 2026: Theology of Love Time: 5-6 p.m. PDT Event: Process and Faith presents a Pop-Up: A Systematic Theology of Love with Thomas Jay Oord. He discusses how love influences our understanding of God and creation. Register here.. May 7, 2026: Connecting to Source Time: 7 a.m. PDT Event: The Presencing Institute is offering Connecting to Source: Accessing Deeper Knowing with co-hosts Antoinette Klatzky and Otto Scharmer. This session invites participants to pause, connect to their hearts, and explore the challenges we face. It’s a chance to access deeper layers of knowing and awareness through shared presence. May 8, 2026: Dialogue with Gregg Braden Time: 11 a.m. to Noon PDT Event: The Scientific and Medical Network presents Gregg Braden in conversation with SMN Program Director David Lorimer. They will discuss themes from Gregg’s 2025 book, Pure Human: The Hidden Truth of Our Divinity, Power, and Destiny. This dialogue will reflect on what defines our humanity, emphasizing empathy and connection. More information and registration here.. May 13, 2026: Developmental Philosophy Discussion Time: 4-5:30 p.m. PDT Event: Join Steve McIntosh of the Institute for Developmental Philosophy on Zoom. They meet every second Wednesday of the month. Connect and discuss the developmental perspective in their Facebook group, Developmental Philosophy, and on their X page @Culturedevelops. Sign up for the Zoom link here. May 14, 2026: Toward Ecological Civilization - Reflections and Possibilities Time: 10-11 a.m. PDT Event: A live virtual forum from Garrison Institute with Mary Evelyn Tucker, PhD, and Stephen Posner, PhD. Together, they will revisit key themes from the series and explore what these dialogues might teach us about cultivating more ecologically aware cultures in the U.S., China, and beyond. More information and registration here. May 19, 2026: Future Belongs to Hope Time: 10-11:30 a.m. PDT Event: The Center for Christogenesis welcomes Robert Nicastro for a live webinar titled The Future Belongs to Hope: Scripture, Science, and the Direction of the Universe. He will explore how ancient scripture relates to contemporary science, suggesting that the universe is converging toward greater wholeness. Register here. May 21, 2026: Prototyping Workshop Time: 7 a.m. PDT Event: The Presencing Institute is offering Regenerative Futures Lab II: Prototyping Workshop: Moving Ideas into Action. This lab creates space for participants to share and workshop their initiatives or prototype ideas. It’s an opportunity to receive practical feedback and nurture emerging ideas. It takes a village! May 26, 2026: SOCAN General Meeting Time: 6:00 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. PDT Event: SOCAN is holding its General Meeting. This free public gathering focuses on building climate understanding, resilience, and action in Southern Oregon. Meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month at the Medford Public Library. This month’s SOCAN General Meeting will feature Executive Director Daniel Scotton presenting, “Geopolitics & Our Energy Supply: Another Case for Green Energy Sovereignty.” This talk will examine the growing instability surrounding global fossil fuel markets, how international transportation and supply chains influence energy prices, and why recent disruptions highlight the need for greater electrification and local energy resilience. May 28-31, 2026: Integral Conference of North America (ICON) 2026 Event: The Integral Conference of North America (ICON) 2026 will take place in Denver, Colorado. The theme is Closer to Coherence — Integral’s Role in Building a Post-Tragic Future. Presenters include notable figures such as Ken Wilber, Roger Walsh, and many more. Online registration is $250. Register here.. May 29-31, 2026: American Teilhard Association Annual Event Event: The American Teilhard Association is hosting its Annual Event and Retreat at Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, PA. This year's featured speaker is Dr. Don Viney, who will discuss "Teilhard’s Creative Transformation: From Science to Metaphysics." This topic will help us view our ecological crisis through the lenses of Teilhard's Process Thoughts. Registration is open. Check details here May 29, 2026: The Future of Religion Time: 10 a.m. PST Event: Four Live Sessions: Mondays, May 29th - June 19th. Connect with fellow travelers in the class Facebook group. Share questions, resources, and aha moments throughout the four weeks. Ask Ilia Delio and Tripp Fuller your questions in real time. Can't make it live? Replays are available on the Class Resource Page. More information and registration here. May 30, 2026: Spiritualities of Resilience - Aligning with Earth Time: 8:45 AM to 4:30 PM Eastern Event: This symposium is sponsored by the Center for Transformative Spirituality at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace and supported by the Forum for Life and Meaning. More information and registration here. June 7-12, 2026: Eco-Spirituality Retreat Event: Earth Literacies is presenting a 6-day online Zoom retreat called Protector of God's Creation: Eco-Spirituality Today with Diarmuid O'Murchu. This retreat will explore the shift in spirituality toward collaboration with the Holy Spirit in renewing the earth. The cost is $450. More information and registration here.. June 18, 2026: Festival of Prototypes Time: 7 a.m. PDT Event: The Presencing Institute is hosting Regenerative Futures Lab III: A Festival of Prototypes: Transforming Local and Global Systems. This session will showcase prototypes from around the world aimed at systems change. Whether you want to present your prototype or explore others, you’re invited to join in this celebration of emerging possibilities. Applications to present will open on May 21st. IntegralWorlview.com aggregates and curates information from many third-party sources and does not necessarily endorse all aspects of others' work. Still, we find their viewpoint provocative and interesting enough to encourage the reader to engage with and come to their understanding and actions, as they deem appropriate.

I have been impressed with the wisdom and theological depth of Philip Clayton every time I have heard him speak, but I have not yet read many of his books. Philip has been a prolific author for over 40 years; here's a list that is more complete than Amazon's . It is hard to know where to start to learn more. Luckily, Tripp Fuller's Substack post April 1, 2026: The Guy Who Convinced Me Doubt Isn’t a Bug offers a field guide to Philip Clayton’s work. The post also provides a complete transcript of the interview with Philip Clayton Here's a list of several more books currently in preparation: Now What? Rebuilding the Sacred from the Rubble of God , co-authored with Claudia Pearce Hope in an Age of Unbelief , with Steven Knapp The New Socialism: Sacred and Secular Roots of a Transformative Politics, co-authored with J ustin Heinzekehr

Where are all the young people looking for a spiritual home in a post-evangelical Christian world? They probably aren’t interested in organized religion, and they aren’t in churches that offer a tired liturgy from a bygone Christendom era or a faith that doesn’t embrace science! Some in the younger generation may listen to The Liturgists Podcast because it encourages lively, irreverent conversations exploring that awkward transition space between abandoning old understandings and traditions while looking for new, more meaningful expressions. The Liturgists Podcast is a Christian program that is dedicated to serving the “spiritually homeless and frustrated.”   “The Liturgists are creating a global conversation, blending science, art, and faith to explore the most vital issues of our time. In an age where the Church is mainly known for culture wars, we send a different message: there is room at the table for all who are hungry.” They offe r Advice For Anyone Who Has Ever Doubted Their Religion . The Liturgists are Mike McHargue (Science Mike) and Michael Gungor. Mike McHargue describes himself as a “Christian turned atheist turned Jesus follower, spiritual & skeptical.” His book Finding God in the Waves   tells the story of how his evangelical faith dissolved into atheism as he studied the Bible and science (the latest research in neuroscience, cosmology, and physics). A mystical experience led him back to faith with a new understanding of God. His Vimeo channel is best known for What Color is this Dress? Science Knows, which went viral on the internet a few years ago . Michael Gungor is a musician and co-founder. I like this hour-long YouTube video interview (above) of Richard Rohr by The Liturgists. “Art opens us up to mystical, non-dual knowledge and experiences.” Closing the door of one era is often not seen as the opening of another door of opportunity. There is a painfully awkward “hallway between the two doors” – a lack of understanding between two generational points of view. Those drawn into change experiment with new ideas and expressions of our common humanity, before something new emerges. It’s sort of like the gap in understanding and compassion, artfully portrayed in the Netflix movie Kodachrome , where broken relationships can be healed as new doors are opened. There is room at the table for everyone ~ Carrie Newcomer #postchristendom #Enneagram #Generations #Spirituality #meditation

Image from Light on Light publication of the e-book Awakening of Humanity and its use of VENN diagrams. In January 2024, Light on Light Press published a free, downloadable e-book, Awakening of Humanity: the Dawning of a New Earth and Unitive Age , written by Doug King, Kurt Johnson, PhD, and Jude Currivan, PhD, with a Spotlight by Robert Atkinson, PhD. An overview of the concepts presented in the book can be found in the Awakening Humanity   January 17, 2024 interview with Doug King and Jude Currivan   The book is a short 57-pages that proposes a " Universal Holomevement as the Unitative Narative." The Preface says: " This book offers a unitive reframing of the foundational elements, worldviews, and deeper ontological aspects of reality for understanding the universe as a true superorganism . Integrating theological, cosmological, philosophical, universal wisdom traditions, and interspiritual perspectives, the authors arrive at a universal identity of humanity consistent with our individual and collective roles within the wholeness-in-motion of the entire creation as an invitation that this will lead to further dialogue and exploration in our re-membering who we really are and who we can evolve to become ." The book starts with an Introduction by each of the authors and then uses 8 VENN diagrams to illustrate the key points: The Holomevement is an innately relation narrative. The Explicate order focuses on the diversity role and functions. The Implicate order includes identity, source, and is unified/integrated. The Holomovement as narrative is unfolding and informing. Our Universe began and continues with a universal informing process. Forms or things evolved into greater complexity, and the inherent fine-tuning of the holomovement organized into what we know as our Universe, our planetary home Gaia, and eventually our human ancestors and ourselves. The Holomovent as narrative is enfolding and transforming. The evolution of human consciousness relates to an enfolding process. The evolution of consciousness has been moving through history from earlier separation paradigms toward more and more integrated and interconnected paradigms. This enfolding movement is directionally oriented toward the Implicate order. The Holomovement as a narrative uses spiral dynamics to inform and transform. The spiral model traces the evolution of worldviews, which we can refer to as internal forms. These worldviews begin in the First Tier as separated and distinct identities among diverse cultures. The movement of consciousness into the Second Tier reveals these worldviews as part of one narrative, meaning they each become a necessary part of the whole. This wholistic approach to human identity models an enfolding process, as we now discuss in more detail. The concept of 'becoming" identifies the explicate order with form and the implicate order as formless. Steven J. Gould saw science and religion as two separate and non-related fields. The Science/Religion discussion, as outlined by Gould. evolved into a discussion of Science and Spirituality. This paradigm opens the door for discussion of universal values common to both fields of study, as well as a common desire for a Pro-Social approach to activism. The Holomovement blueprint addresses the role and function of narratives, whether scientific, like the Holomovement, or related to wisdom narratives, Indigenous narratives, etc. This trans-narrative approach detaches from identification with specific narratives or religious forms and points to our universal and interconnected identity as it relates to the Implicate order of our common source. The book concludes that: " the convergence of scientific breakthroughs with universal wisdom teachings and traditions as outlined herein is offering increasingly compelling evidence, supporting an emergent cosmological framework and a unitive narrative to inform and potentially underpin the ongoing conversations and explorations." I recommend that you add this short book to your reading list. I was initially somewhat confused when reading Doug King's website, Presence: A Global Conversation for a New Earth . as it lists books written by Max R. King (Doug's father) that don't seem compatible with Integral theology. It was helpful for me to listen to Tripp Fuller's podcast interview of Doug King . By way of background, Doug King's father, Max R. King   (1930-2923), was an author, scholar, and Bible teacher. Max was the founder of the school of thought known as "transmillennialism." He pioneered a field of theology  that he termed "covenant eschatology," which most call full preterism . In 1971, Max King published The Spirit of Prophec y , creating a stir in his conservative Church of Christ denomination and bringing the field of covenant eschatology to the forefront of biblical theology. He was also the author of The Cross and the Parousia of Christ: The Two Dimensions of One Age-Changing Eschaton   (1987) and Irrevocable: Paul's Radical Vision in Romans 9-11, and Why Christianity Can't Handle It   (2019). In 1989, Max expanded this work by founding a series of annual Presence conferences   and publishing the Presence Journal , leading to the formation of Presence as a 501 (c) nonprofit organization that "contributes to the developmental evolution of individual and collective spiritual consciousness." Since 2010, Doug King has been the President of Presence , leading this growing network to engage emergent, integral, and interspiritual organizations and idea leaders in shared goals for the common good. Links to some earlier Rogue Valley Voice blog posts: Holomovement https://www.integralworldview.com/post/the-holomovement Kurt Johnson https://www.integralworldview.com/post/interspirituality-the-future Kurt Johnson https://www.integralworldview.com/post/spiralling-up Jude Currivanhttps:// www.integralworldview.com/post/wholeworld-view

"The EcoCiv Institute (EcoCiv) first emerged as a vision of the scholar and activist John B. Cobb, Jr.  A professor at the Claremont Graduate University and Claremont School of Theology and a leader in ecological thinking. Prof. Cobb wrote the founding work in eco-theology in 1971, Over the decades that followed, Cobb published over 50 books, inspired two generations of scholars and activists, founded multiple organizations, and organized scores of conferences, most notably through the Claremont Center for Process Studies (CPS). - a nonprofit think-and-action tank, now based in Portland, Oregon, that conducts interdisciplinary research and education to cultivate holistic understanding for human and planetary flourishing." The non-profit Institute for Ecological Civilization was initially incubated within the Center for Process Studies. Founded by Philip Clayton and Wm. Andrew Schwart z, the Institute for Ecological Civilization, was created to be a catalyst for advancing the vision of ecological civilization worldwide. Its first event, “Ecology and Community,” was held in Fall 2015. Many of the signature features of the organization were seeded and developed during this first event: carrying out preparatory research, convening experts, facilitating visioning and back-casting, and producing a roadmap for action." Visionary thinker, President   Philip Clayton l ed EcoCiv   to expand and deepen its mission at the intersections of environment and humanity. With several decades of experience in university-based research, teaching, and lecturing, Philip conceptualized all EcoCiv’s projects and ensures their mission. In particular, he helped project leaders think about relevant intersectional societal changes for their projects. Clayton holds a PhD from Yale University; has held guest professorships at Harvard, University of Cambridge, and University of Munich; and is the author or editor of several dozen books and some 300 articles on science, ethics, and religion. In 2025 the non-profit changed its name to the Ecocivilization Coalition with a new website and visionary author Jeremy Lent as new Acting President. "Their new name marks a deeper commitment to global transformation:  Supporting grassroots movements  Amplifying system-wide change  Building a life-affirming future, together "Jeremy Lent is an author and speaker whose work investigates the underlying causes of our civilization’s existential crisis and explores pathways toward a life-affirming future. His 2922 award-winning book, The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search for Meaning , examines the way humans have made meaning from the cosmos from hunter-gatherer times to the present day. His 2021 award-winning The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe, offers a solid foundation for an integrative worldview that could lead humanity to a sustainable, flourishing future. He has written extensively about the vision and specifics of an ecological civilization, and is the founder of the Deep Transformation Network , a global community exploring pathways toward a life-affirming future on a regenerated Earth. Follow him on his author website." Jeremy Lent has a new book, Ecocivilization:​Making a World that Works for All , coming May 26, 2026 "Our economies must change with our changing climate to ensure a sustainable future for all. What could it look like to design an economy that simultaneously serves people and planet? This was the question addressed in April 2024 at the inaugural California Just Economy Summit that EcoCiv co-hosted with the California Wellbeing Economies Coalition in Sacramento, California. #Ecocivilization   #SystemsChange   #ClimateJustice   #GlobalCoalition   #JeremyLent   #EcoCiv

While the current U. S. Administration is calling climate change a hoax, Columbia Climate School in New York City offers   7 Climate Experts on What We Can Still Do to Fight Climate Change : "We need more grassroots initiatives. Meet people old school–style in cafes or at local businesses or nonprofit organizations, spend time getting to know them, and come up with collective plans for sustainable living,” ~ Radhika Iyengar "The most important thing you can do about climate change is to talk about it." Join a climate group to magnify their impact... urge local news outlets to report on climate. ~ Katharine Hayhoe “Support local food systems and farmers,” ~ Cynthia Rosenzweig Work for clean energy locally - "Actively support wind or solar energy projects that are being proposed in your communities." Encourage local officials to pass pro-climate laws or consider running for office themselves. ~ Michael Gerrard "Attend the meetings of little-known state agencies or commissions that hold power over the energy transition." ~ Bill McKibben "Petition your legislators, your representatives in state assemblies, and your members of Congress and Senators. Write letters and emails,” ~ Bill Nye “We all have voices, and we must use them now. Speak up and speak out.” ~ Michael Mann Launched in 2020, the Columbia Climate School is taking bold action on climate change and related sustainability challenges. The Climate School’s vision is a healthy planet that enables just and prosperous societies to thrive. Center for Climate Systems Research , Center for Sustainable Development , cs highlights , Cynthia Rosenzweig , Michael Gerrard , Radhika Iyengar , Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Wikipedia defines " ecological civilization " as "the hypothetical concept that describes the alleged final goal of social and environmental reform within a given society. It implies that the changes required in response to global climate disruption and social injustices are so extensive as to require another form of human civilization, one based on ecological principles." Deep Trans f ormation for Ecological Civilization was a forum held May 25-27, 2023. It was the 16th  I nternational Forum on Ecological Civilization ( an annual conference series in Claremont, CA, established in 2006) and the 5th International Youth Forum on Ecological Civilization.   "The largest international conference held on the theme 'ecological civilization” ( Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization ) took place at Pomona College in June 2015, bringing together roughly 2,000 participants from around the world and featuring such leaders in the environmental movement as Bill McKibben , Vandana Shiva , John B. Cobb , Jr. , Wes Jackson , and Sheri Liao . This was held in conjunction with the Ninth International Conference on Ecological Civilization . ( part of the Claremont ECO Forum ) Out of the Seizing an Alternative conference, Philip Clayton and Wm. Andrew Schwartz co-founded the Institute for Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv) and co-authored the 2019 book What is Ecological Civilization: Crisis, Hope, and the Future of the Planet , The Ecospiritual Hub   is an online resource for "Those Who Take Nature to Heart" organized by Jack M Greene  as part of the Deep Transformation Network . The tagline of the DTNetwork reads: "A global community to explore pathways to an ecological civilization." For an explanation of " What is an Ecological Civilization?" see Jeremy Lent 's article published in the February 2021 edition of YES! Magazine . Lent is also the author of the 2023 book, The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe . The Ecospiritual Hub   is an online resource for "Those Who Take Nature to Heart" organized by Jack M Greene   as part of the Deep Transformation Network . I associate the term "ecological civilization" with David Korten' s October 7, 2022, article We the People Are All in This Together in Yes! Magazine that references his 2021 Club of Rome paper, Ecological Civilization: From Emergency to Emergence . David Korten co-founder of YES! Media and president of the   Living Economies Forum , He is the author of influential books, including When Corporations Rule the World and “ Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth . For a different view on ecological civilization from a Chinese perspective see Alexander Ayertey Odonkor's August 20, 2022 article "Ecological civilization: All-embracing Vision For the Global Futur e" from China Global Television Network ( CGTN)

On March 26, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. PDT - Graduate Theological Union offered a virtual information opportunity "to enhance your professional skillset while charting a course toward personal healing and global sustainable practices." This online information session delved into GTU's  Certificate of Completion in Ecospirituality: Environmental Pathways to Healing , "offering insights into the intersection of spirituality and environmental consciousness." As a bonus, attendees enjoyed an exclusive discount on the program." Register here. In this GTUx program, Dr. Rita Sherma offered insights from her research and invites guest speakers to discuss how we might newly define the relationship between the Earth and spirituality."

Human Energy and the Institute for Advanced Studies are presenting the N2 2024 conference: The Noosphere & the Global South on December 16-18, 2024, l ivestreamed online and in-person in Morocco. "In light of this and our current global challenges, we pose three grand questions: What is our larger purpose on our shared planet? In the face of a widespread climate of negativity, where the dominant mood is to shout what we are against, what is it that we joyfully affirm? To what do we give our enthusiastic assent and our human energy?" "N 2 is an international, interdisciplinary conference fostering creative collaboration for intentionally and ethically steering the future evolution of global consciousness." “N 2 ” signals the exponential pace of the evolution of the noosphere and the reality that the next century will far exceed the last in rapid and radical change to the global mind." “N 2 ” also suggests how the noosphere amplifies our access to human understanding - beyond the individual “n of 1.” In an era of unprecedented global challenges and rapid technological advancement, understanding and guiding the evolution of the noosphere - our collective consciousness - has never been more crucial. The N 2 Conference aims to address critical questions about our shared future, fostering innovative solutions and collaborative thinking, particularly from the perspective of the Global South. Here are some Abstracts and the link to the YouTube for Day 2, December 17, 2024 : Terrence Deacon - The Noosphere: Symbolically Extended Cognition Ilia Delio - Teilhard’s Noosphere: Why Evolution and Religion Belong Together. Abstract: " The Noosphere is our present reality of complexified matter and global consciousness. Scientists mapping the Noosphere show grids of interconnections that reveal a formative pattern of a higher-ordered collective. Teilhard de Chardin envisioned this pattern almost a century ago, but he saw that emerging complexified wholeness cannot be adequately sustained without religion. He did not conceive religion as a confessional set of doctrines but the depth dimension of all reality, the search for ultimate meaning, and the state of being grasped by ultimate concerns. “Religion and evolution,” he said, “are destined to form one single continuous organism, in which their respective lives prolong, are dependent on, and complete one another.” Religion is the biological response to the emergence of spiritual energy. His sense of religion, therefore, is experiential and supports faith in the future. The true function of religion is to sustain and spur on the progress of life. In his view, no one religion can satisfy the religious spirit of the earth and its evolution towards Omega. If religion is a biological phenomenon, what is religion on the level of the emerging Noosphere? Science has significantly advanced the Noosphere, but without a rebirth of religion, the future is fragile." Gregory Stock and Sadie Stock : Swimming in the Noosphere Abstract: " The nature of human existence is shifting abruptly. Our recognition of digital natives, which was so widely touted in the early 2000’s, has turned out to be but a prelude to the growing realization that we are now wading into an unfathomable noospheric pool of AI-centered information flows. Not only are we entering a Post Truth World in which it will be increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to independently establish verifiable truth, but the supposed gulf between digital immigrants who were adults when digital technologies exploded, and digital natives who’ve never known anything else, is seeming ever less significant. It is nothing compared to the chasm between digital natives and Generation AI — those growing up in an AI-infused noosphere permeated by invisible technology, AI , and soon enough AGI (artificial general intelligence) and ASI (artificial superintelligence)." Abre Fournier and Brian Swimme In Dialogue : From the Noosphere to the Metamind — Charting a New Era of Global Consciousness Clément Vidal : The Noosphere Narrative: Bridging the Anthropocene, Gaia and the Technological Singularity for Planetary Progress Abstract: " Narratives for our global future are dominated by the Anthropocene, the Gaia hypothesis, or the technological singularity. However, these narratives paint a biased picture and fail to offer a consistent and hopeful vision for our future. We argue that the noosphere can offer a synthesis of these narratives and introduce new concepts to this end. A key idea of the Anthropocene is the great acceleration, creating destructive and out-of-control dynamics, that we propose to counter with a great regulation to stabilize Earth systems. A central insight of the Gaia hypothesis is the discovery of feedback loops between the geosphere and the biosphere. We argue that feedback from humans and the noosphere should be included into this picture, forming a broader “Anthropogaia”. The technological singularity advocates often have a blind faith in the salvatory potential of technology. We argue that this potential should serve more a planetary vision, and less transhumanist themes and hopes. The noosphere can also be framed as the first planetary major evolutionary transition, and usefully described with living systems theory to identify and tackle global challenges. In sum, we argue that the noosphere is a unique vision and narrative that invites systemic action to tackle global challenges, while providing a positive and consistent evolutionary outlook into the future." Boris Cyrulnik : Phenomenon and Thought (in French) Abstract: " When we compare brains in the living world, we see the development of a capacity to escape reality. A bird can migrate by processing only contextual information. A monkey can solve geometric problems and make tools. A human child also lives in an immediate context, but when language bursts forth around the age of three, the child can refer to things and events that are distant in time and space. It is only around the 6th-8th year, when the prefrontal neurons involved in anticipation connect with the limbic neurons involved in memory, that the child becomes capable of telling a story—the representation of an entity that is impossible to perceive, such as God, life after death, or the First Crusade. Thanks to its linguistic capacity for dual articulation, the child can tell other people what he thinks, and these others may think differently. Thus, a world of representations is created, detached from perceptible phenomena. This verbal world acts on the brain and creates a noetic world that we inhabit for our greatest happiness (art) or for our greatest misfortune (fanaticism)." Panelists: Raphaël Liogier, Saâd Tazi, Frédéric Baitinger, Shima Beigi: The Noospheric Journey of Robinson Crusoe: A Rite of Passage into the Peaceful Warrior Archetype within the Noosphere Join us live on our YouTube channel and don’t miss any of today’s insightful discussions. 👉 WATCH HERE   📖 Explore the Agenda Make the most of your experience by planning your day. 👉 ilia

Earth - " The Blue Marble " i s a famous photograph of the Earth taken on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft en route to the Moon at a distance of about 18,300 mi. "In the second Axial Age, if the shift in consciousness does occur, it will apparently not happen this time through the return of a Jesus or a Buddha or a Mohammed but rather through the commitment of their followers to bring about the return of their presence by reflecting the mind, consciousness, and actions of the founders of their religions. Those of us who grasp the reality of our situation are faced with a stark choice: transform or die!" ~ Harvey Honig Harvey H. Honig's 2022 book,   A People's Guide to An Interfaith Christian Theology in a Time of Transformation ,  uses the metaphor of Spaceship Earth careening toward destruction. Honig tells an evolutionary story, [very abridged] below: "Over billions of years, one cluster of matter formed, the third planet from the sun, and as it orbited the sun, an atmosphere was created that allowed the development of life, originally as particles that coalesced into atoms, then into primitive single-celled life forms... Over long periods of time, through evolutionary shifts involving the processes of complexification and emergence, this Spaceship Earth developed an amazing proliferation of plant and animal life forms... Eventually, these early life forms developed the ability to use a form of adaptive intelligence to begin to shape and influence the nature of their experience on this spaceship and thereby increase their chances of survival...." Adaptive intelligence "fostered the evolution of an interactive dynamic of cooperative synthesis in which systems of plant and animal life fed on each other and supported each other. One chain of animal species eventually evolved into a species that utilized a relatively large and complex brain to improve its capacity for survival through toolmaking and cooperation. This species eventually developed an offshoot that we know as the hominoid branch. Over millions of years, descendants of this branch developed a brain that was capable of consciousness, curiosity, self-reflection, emotional intelligence, and altruism..." "For most of its journey, the beings in this spaceship depended on nature as they found it. The more complex life forms developed the ability to move around to increase their access to food and other resources, and the hominoid species developed a symbiotic relationship of domestication with several animal species. The humans fed and took care of the animals, and the animals fed the humans. Most of these animals also fed on plant life. [Pre-Axial] life in the spaceship was not yet seen as something to be controlled and managed, but rather as an evolving, interactive synthesis of mutual survival...." [During the first Axial Age (800-200 BCE), human consciousness shifted to a new level due to a complexity of factors, including technology, socialization, urbanization, politicization, and economics. This reflected a new sense of self in relation to the cosmos. Settlements and city-states formed.] The cost of this development of individuality and culture/technology was the loss of the primal connection with nature and with the collective. It was a loss of connection with the Metákuye Oyás'in, as the Lakota describe that connection, in which all beings are interrelated within a cosmic order. Instead of living off the land, people began to stake out territory they called “their” land, and the concept of individual ownership developed. This development eventuated in increasing conflicts over land, property, and power. Eventually, city-states became nations, and the wars and conflicts over property continued. Initially, these conflicts were skirmishes, but as they intensified and became wars, the collateral impact and loss of life among noncombatants increased... Written language accentuated the development of the left brain (the rational/logical/individual control aspect of the brain) at the expense of the right brain (holistic control of the brain) view of the spaceship journey. It also accelerated the development of a view of the relationship of masculine/feminine into one of dominance and control rather than a partnership of equality and division of labor. These developments paralleled the shift in the view of nature from knowing it as our source, the milieu in which we all live, to a view of nature that required humans to be dominating and controlling it for our own use..." A Faustian bargain evolved whereby "written language facilitated the expansion and storage of information and technology, as well as food and other resources, that furthered our mastery and control of nature. These developments also led to the ability to exercise mastery and control over others through the accumulation of power, wealth, and resources. Unfortunately, this process of mastery and accumulation required ever greater growth and expansion. A cycle developed in which people acquired more and more, but were never satisfied. Individuals amassed great wealth, and empires were built out of this insatiable drive for possession and control. Indigenous people who lived in harmony with the land were often exterminated as a threat and obstacle to this development..." "By the time of these developments, the spaceship had been orbiting for billions of years, but the evolution of life and individual consciousness was a relatively recent development. It led to the result that some groups within the spaceship attained the ability to significantly alter conditions for others and to destroy each other on a larger scale. Also, for these groups, religion was increasingly in service of the nation/empire, and the religious caste supported control and domination over other people rather than connection with the divine and with others. "Eventually, after a relatively short period of the total voyage, these empires had developed the need for domination to the point where wars became constant, and the insatiable ambition of the rulers led them to eliminate any threat to their power, including from members of their own families. In this culture, fathers raised their sons to be tough warriors and discouraged compassion or nurturing qualities. Boys were taught to subdue any natural compassion for the feminine or for nature. This harsh training led to great suffering, but it was thought that this suffering made them into tougher and stronger men, more prepared to fight. In this culture, life often became a survival of the fittest, which came to mean the strongest and most ruthless, leading to such an imbalance that this dominance imperative threatened constant war and destruction for the “civilized” part of the spaceship..." "In a parallel development during this period, the political powers became adept at using both religion and science to further their attempts to control and dominate more and more of the spaceship. Consequently, the period of the journey experienced by the inhabitants as the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was marked by endless wars and empire building among the major powers. Neither religion nor science was very successful in containing these destructive wars and, in fact, often became tools in support of their own nation and its political ambitions. Once again, the unchecked ambition of the powerful elites was threatening to destroy the viability of the life forms aboard the spaceship." Neither religion nor science was very effective in slowing or preventing this imminent approaching destruction. Much of religion was involved in total denial that the threat was even happening. These elements became more and more allied with the zealous elements of religion. According to their belief, only the ritually and religiously pure, who acted and believed in the way their interpretation of this divine being required, would be saved. Within the dominant empire of that time, the United States, this “true believer” faction united with the dominant political and economic powers to further their own control and power, even while they were themselves being used by these ruling powers to further their own interests. This “true believer” religious faction supported the economic megaliths in helping to create distrust of the scientists and engineers on the spaceship who were demonstrating that the ship’s atmosphere was rapidly moving out of control. Unfortunately, science was no more effective because it was just as corrupted by the dominant powers." There is an emerging awareness of the need for a second Axial Age. "It began to be clear to the more conscious members of both the scientific and religious communities that unless we transitioned from our narrow survival of the fittest/domination strategy, advanced life within the spaceship was doomed. Even though the spaceship itself would survive with primitive life forms, another long period of evolution would be required to re-create advanced life systems." "We stand at an important divide in our history. On one level, this crisis is manifested in the physical, material world as the inevitable result of our wars and our plundering of nature. It is a proven reality that our world and our quality of life is rapidly deteriorating. To people who look at the larger picture, it makes no sense to fight over who is in control of the spaceship Titanic, or who is right or wrong. Our instruments clearly demonstrate that unless we immediately begin to shift our course, we will face a wholesale loss of life and quality of life. Ultimately, however, the crisis is one of consciousness, which is manifested in our relationship to outer reality. It is our consciousness that needs to change if we are to survive." ~ Harvey Honig There is a lot more to recommend this book than this story. Honig's book is another important voice calling out the urgency of cultural transformation toward higher consciousness, a new religious understanding consistent with what we know from science, and appropriate actions. I remain hopeful that we will transition from the new "Dark Ages" and once again into greater light. It may take generations and many decades, but there is a positive, forward trajectory of evolution toward greater complexity and unity. Honig writes that Ilia Delio's 2013 book " The Unbearable Wholeness of Being is an excellent synthesis of the work of Teilhard de Chardin. Delio applies Chardin’s insights to our current scientific understanding of the worldm, as well as integrating many other scholars and visionaries of the Church. Her whole book is a beautiful, well-articulated vision of where the Holy Spirit is moving us today. Her work in helping explicate and disseminate the insights of Chardin is, to me, the equivalent of the work of Thomas Huxley in popularizing and disseminating the work of Darwin." Book release note from the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago: Teil " Harvey H. Honig began his life’s work as a Lutheran minister but soon recognized his need for a more spacious and inclusive approach through which to heal and understand his inner self. This led him to spend many years exploring and experiencing other paths of religion and spirituality. In recent years, though, he found that the message, mission, and being of Jesus still played a powerful and transformative role in his life. Since common understandings of the life of Jesus are embedded within a biblical and historical framework, Honig wanted to explore the meaning of Christianity within the framework of our current world.   An Interfaith Christian Theology  is for fellow seekers who are drawn to the being and message of Jesus but can no longer relate to the dissonance between reality and belief that so many churches require. Honig’s approach differs from traditional Christian theology in two ways: first, it does not stem from the framework of a specific denomination, and second, it presents itself as a way of thinking about Christianity rather than the only way. After several years as a minister, Honig began Jungian analytic training and earned a PhD in psychology at Loyola University Chicago. Jung gave Honig the tools he needed to continue his personal search for a life-affirming view of Christianity and to assist others in their search for inner truth and healing." #HarveyHonig #CarlJung #IliaDelio #TeilharddeChardin

The BTS Center is offering an eight-week online course EcoSpiritual Leaders: Encounters with Wholeness, on Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:30 p.m. PT from April 20, 2023 - June 15, 2023 . This course will consist of five live sessions, asynchronous learning activities, and an optional half-day online retreat. The course is divided into four sections, each consisting of two weeks. Gratitude & Grief - exploring The Work That Reconnects by Joanna Macy Forest Bathing - introduction to Forest Bathing/Nature Therapy EcoSpiritual Practices - thresholds & thin places; creating contemplative and creative spiritual practices Creation Care - synthesizing our learning and serving Creation Every two weeks, participants will engage in reading to pique their curiosity; watch a video to expand their understanding, experience embodied practice to connect us with nature; craft a prayer to nourish our spirits, complete an invitation; and participate in a conversation to collaborate in our interdependent growth. The anticipated time commitment outside of the live sessions is 2-3 hours per week. The Course fee is $125. Click to Learn More or Enroll

On Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 11 a.m. PDT - Climate Cafe Multifaith is hosting a conversation about Food Justice and the Faith Community featuring Kelly Moltzen, co-founder and convener of the Interfaith Public Health Network . Register . Interfaith Public Health Network (IPHN) was part of the inaugural planning team for the Faith + Food Coalition Food Systems Dialogues alongside the Center for Earth Ethics . Upcoming in July from Climate Cafe Multifaith: July 5, 2022 - Green Teams in Faith Communities: Building youth & BIPOC leadership & partnerships . Led by William H. Morris, now a Faith Organizer with GreenFaith, working with the #PeopleVsFossilFuels Campaign. Tuesday, July 5th, 11 a.m. PDT Register . July 19, 2022 - Social Transformation & the Climate Crisis: A Bahá’í View . Led by Gary Reusche--living currently in Kyiv, Ukraine--we will dive into truth-telling about a world experiencing multiple crises. Reusche brings his experience at the center of agriculture, finance, climate change, and now the war in Ukraine, to talk about what social transformation could look like. July 19th at 11 a.m PDT. Register . The Climate Cafe movement started in 2015 in rural Scotland and is community-led. Now sister Cafés are emerging around the world. Here you can learn about Climate Cafés, connect with others, find out how they work, as well as find support and guidance to start your own. Climate Cafe Multifaith is organized by Rev. Richenda Fairhurst, former minister at First United Methodist Church in Ashland, OR, who blogs about climate activism at Faiths4Future . This Multifaith community "began as an effort of faith leaders, clergy, lay people, leaders of different faith traditions, who recognized the urgency that we face, the impact that urgency will have or our communities, and the necessity of taking action at all levels. Many of who are part of Faiths4Future were trained by the Climate Reality Project Leadership Corps , and the Minister’s Trainings led by the Center for Earth Ethics . " Climate Cafe MultiFaith is held on zoom every 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Tuesday of the month, at 11 a.m. PDT. "It is an opportunity for faith leaders and clergy to get together to share experiences, and engage a discussion, with a short presentation & Q&A, around the subject of climate change, climate effects and climate solutions—hope!" Resources Richenda Fairhurst's Faith4Future offers good resources, timely boosts of important information and you may sign up for Richenda's newsletter here . Richenda is Chair of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon 's Creation Justice Committee and is affiliated with Interfaith Power and Light . Richenda also founded Creation Faith Future , a non-profit operating in Oregon and Washington states. “People of faith have a vital role to play as truth-tellers and hope bringers in addressing the climate crisis.” ~ Rev. Richenda Fairhurst

Have you been looking for a way to reduce your food waste? Now you can drop them off at the Ashland Farmers Market on Tuesdays at the Armory 1420 E Main St., Ashland, OR 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The market opens this Tuesday (March 1, 2022) so start saving those carrot peelings. This is a project of the Ashland Rotary Club, funded by an Ashland Food Coop grant (thanks!) Rogue Produce will pick up the scraps and take them to a local farmer for composting. This is a great way to enrich our soils and foods, to increase water retention in fields, and reduce methane created when food scraps go into the landfill. A list of Do's and Don'ts can be found on Rogue Produce's website, but basically, no meat, bones, or seafood, no paper plates or cutlery even if it says compostable. no coconuts. Tea bags, egg shells, and coffee grinds are OK. #composting #farmersmarket #Ashland

I have noticed a recent resurgence of post-doom angst being discussed by various contemporary thinkers I follow, so I recently revisited John D. Caputo's poetic but difficult book, 2015 book Hoping Against Hope , Caputo asks: If traditional religion no longer convinces us, is hope still possible? He answers: "Yes—but only if we let go of certainty, control, and reward and embrace a fragile, groundless, but active hope rooted in love and justice." He points to mystic Meister Eckhart and addresses the preciousness of life before death. The book is partly autobiographical. The Amazon summary says: " Caputo's conversation partners in this volume include J ean-François Lyotard , Jacques Derrida , and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , but also earlier versions of himself: Jackie, a young altar boy, and Brother Paul, a novice in a religious order. Caputo traces his own journey from faith through skepticism to hope after the death of God. In the end, Caputo doesn't want to do away with religion; he wants to redeem religion and to reinvent religion for a postmodern time." Religionless Religion Caputo proposes: no fixed doctrines; no supernatural “interventionist” God, and no guaranteed salvation plan. Instead, religion becomes: a way of life; a sensitivity to justice, love, and the future; and a constant openness to what is still “to come.” He calls this a “religionless religion.” Caputo asserts, “God does not exist-God insists”. This is his most provocative idea: God is not a being “out there”- God is more like a call, a demand, or a possibility. Think of God as the pull toward justice; the call to love, and the insistence that things could be better So God isn’t something you prove—it’s something that claims you. The “Nihilism of Grace” Caputo accepts the post-modern insight that there may be no ultimate meaning, plan, or guarantee, but instead of despairing, he flips it: Acts of love, mercy, and hospitality should be done “without why," not for reward, salvation, or divine approval. Grace becomes a pure gift, with no strings attached. That’s what he calls the “nihilism of grace.” "Hoping against hope” really means (borrowed from the biblical idea of Abraham, but reinterpreted) not hope based on promises or certainty; not hope grounded in doctrine, but instead, hope with no guarantees - hope in the face of meaninglessness, suffering, and even extinction. It’s a kind of stubborn, defiant stance: Hope anyway—even when nothing justifies it. Caputo is not abstract for its own sake. His bottom line is care for the poor; practice hospitality; act with compassion, but crucially, do it without expecting reward or cosmic payoff - the action itself is the “kingdom of God.” I asked ChatGPT: "Where did the phrase ' hoping against hope' originate, and what does it mean? It responded: "The phrase 'hoping against hope' comes from the Bible, specifically Romans 4:18, where Paul writes about Abraham. In many English translations, it appears as: “In hope he believed against hope…” The idea is that Abraham kept trusting in God’s promise that he would become the father of many nations, even when, humanly speaking, there was no reasonable basis for hope, because he and Sarah were old. What it means: to keep hoping even when circumstances give you almost no grounds for optimism . It suggests hope that persists despite evidence, odds, or appearances . So the phrase carries two layers: ordinary hope : what seems realistically possible deeper hope : refusing despair even when ordinary hope has run out In common usage, it usually means clinging to hope in a seemingly hopeless situation . Theologians like Kierkegaard, Moltmann, or Caputo use the phrase in related but sharply different ways: Kierkegaard: “hope against hope” becomes the logic of faith at the edge of the absurd . In Fear and Trembling , Abraham is the model: from the standpoint of ordinary reason, he should give up the promise, yet he trusts anyway. For Kierkegaard, this is not optimism, progress, or positive thinking. It is the individual standing before God in a paradox that reason cannot secure. So in his hands, “hoping against hope” means faith when worldly expectation has collapsed . Moltmann: The phrase becomes more historical and political . For Jürgen Moltmann, especially in Theology of Hope , Christian hope is grounded in God’s promised future , above all, the resurrection. That means hope is not just inward endurance in impossible personal circumstances; it is a force that resists resignation and works toward transformation in history. So Moltmann shifts the emphasis from Kierkegaard’s existential paradox to public, future-oriented, world-changing hope . “Against hope” here means hoping against the evidence of suffering, injustice, and death , because God’s future is not exhausted by the present. Caputo: The phrase becomes more fragile, radical, and deconstructive .John D. Caputo uses “hoping against hope” less as confidence in a guaranteed divine outcome and more as fidelity to the call of the impossible . His hope is often stripped of metaphysical certainty. It is hope without strong assurances, without mastery, and sometimes without a settled picture of how God “intervenes.” In Caputo, hoping against hope means remaining open to the event, the promise, the insistence of justice or the kingdom , even when there is no triumphalist guarantee that things will turn out well. It is a more vulnerable hope than Moltmann’s, and less centered on Abrahamic faith as paradox than Kierkegaard’s. A clean way to distinguish them: Kierkegaard: hope as faith in paradox Moltmann: hope as confidence in God’s future for history Caputo: hope as weak, risky openness to the impossible So all three resist despair, but they do not resist it in the same register: Kierkegaard: existential Moltmann: eschatological-political Caputo: deconstructive-apophatic The big difference is this: Kierkegaard asks, How can one believe when reason breaks down? Moltmann asks, How can hope transform history? Caputo asks, How can one remain faithful to a promise without guarantees? I asked ChatGPT: "What does Pierre Teilhard de Chardin believe about hope in Omega as an evolutionary direction? It's repsonse was: "For Teilhard de Chardin , hope in Omega means that evolution is not just random change but a directed movement toward greater complexity, consciousness, and spiritual unification , culminating in Omega Point , which he identifies in a Christological way as the final fulfillment of creation. Sources describe Omega as the goal and direction of cosmic history , not merely a biological endpoint, and as the point toward which personal consciousness is drawn into unity through love. So his view of hope differs from ordinary optimism. It is not simply “things will get better.” It is the conviction that the universe has a deep evolutionary trajectory : matter gives rise to life, life to thought, thought to a kind of planetary consciousness, and this movement tends toward a final consummation in Christ/Omega. In that sense, hope is cosmic and evolutionary before it is merely personal. A key Teilhardian idea here is the noosphere : the sphere of reflective thought and human interconnection that emerges out of biological evolution. Human history, culture, and consciousness are therefore part of evolution’s advance, not side issues. Hope in Omega means trusting that this long process of convergence is moving toward communion rather than fragmentation , even through conflict and incompleteness. But there is a hard truth here: Teilhard’s view is deeply controversial . Many critics argue that he reads too much direction, purpose, and inevitability into evolution, and that this is difficult to reconcile with mainstream scientific accounts that stress contingency and with orthodox Christian theology in some respects. Even sympathetic reference sources note that his Omega vision is partly a mystical interpretation rather than something science itself demonstrates. Put simply, Teilhard believes hope is justified because the world is being drawn toward final personal unity in Christ , not drifting aimlessly. If Kierkegaard’s hope is existential and Moltmann’s is historical, Teilhard’s is evolutionary-cosmic . A compact formula for Teilhard would be: evolution → consciousness → convergence → Omega And the meaning of hope in that scheme is: the future of the universe is not meaningless dispersal, but fulfilled union ." Denis Noble is part of the Third Way movement in evolutionary biology that views natural selection as part of a holistic, organism-centered process. He co-authored Evolution on Purpose , published by MIT Press in 2023, which argues that organisms evolve with intention. Noble sees compelling evidence that purpose may be fundamental to life. He’s determined to debunk the current scientific paradigm and replace the elevated importance of genes with something much more controversial. In a Forbes article, Evolution May Be Purposeful, And It’s Freaking Scientists Out . If you are really into this, watch an interview with Denis Nobel, Science is Reconsidering Evolution.   Denis Nobel and David Sloan Wilson debate in their 2025 book   Is Neo-Darwinism Enough? Steve McIntosh's 2012 book Evolution's Purpose: An Integral Interpretation of the Scientific Story of Our Origins   reveals that evolution's purpose is "to grow toward ever-widening realizations of beauty, truth, and goodness."