Saving the planet

A guide to Sacred Activism

Andrew Harvey is an internationally acclaimed poet, novelist and author. He’s also described as a mystical scholar and spiritual teacher. He is the founder and director of the Institute for Sacred Activism in Illinois, in the U.S. where he lives. His new book ‘The Hope – A Guide To Sacred Activism’ was published in Australia last week. Omigoddess! spoke to Andrew about his book, which claims to be a guide to discovering your divine purpose and also a blueprint for a better world, and practical advice for those who want positive change.

OMG: Your new book is called The Hope, and yet in it you use a great deal of apocalyptic language and talk about what you describe as, ‘the holocaust’ that we are facing especially in terms of the environment. You don’t pull any punches about how you view our future unless there is radical change. Do you really think things are this serious and bleak?

Andrew: “I think it’s quite clear that the world is going into a huge crisis and that all the conventional solutions are being revealed as bankrupt. We are already destroying thousands of species and creating a great deal of destruction in nature. We are a virus at the moment – a catastrophe.

OMG: So what was your intention for this book – how can it help?

Andrew: For many years now I have been deeply alarmed the state of the world and have been praying to be able to offer a way through for people, like myself, who truly want to act from a sacred consciousness and in a sacred way, to be of as much use as possible. My vision of sacred activitism arises out of ten years of deep inner experience and I waited to release the book when it would have most impact. Millions of people everywhere are now waking up to the danger our world is in and are trying to find a reason and a passion to go forward. To give them that the reason and that passion is why I wrote I the book.

OMG: Recently we ran a story on the fact that there are certain voices in the media and amongst spiritual teachers – notably Abraham and Esther and Jerry Hicks, who are openly saying that they do not believe global warming is a man-made phenomenon. How would you respond to this?

Andrew: I’d say they are insane. It’s essential that people face the crisis without denial. I think it’s extremely dangerous to take this stance. I talk with the major scientists of the world, I work with the UN, they know what is really happening. They (The Hicks) are insane. Do you really, seriously, believe this sort of madness?

OMG: It’s not about having an opinion. We are just asking questions and offering both sides to our readers – that perhaps global warming is part of a natural cycle, which we still have to deal with environmentally and perhaps it is not. 

Andrew: There is no virtue in reporting both sides. It’s an outrageous position. Crazy, that so called spiritual people are talking such bullshit. They are the lunatic fringe. When they are not talking bullshit they are telling people how to manifest MacMansions! It’s so obscene when the world is in horror. The oil companies have spent millions in propaganda. Mali is in serious drought, they have no water, the glaciers are withdrawing, we’ve just had Copenhagen that had done nothing, the U.S. suicide war in Afghanistan, major poverty in Africa – everywhere there is disaster. It is man-made and we need to change our ways. In 2010 we need to wake up to the danger of global warming and millions of us need to start pressurizing the governments of the world to do something real and urgent before it is too late.

OMG: So what do you think that each of us can do? How do you believe, we can make a difference?

Andrew: Well I think the first is to face the danger that we are in, without denial or illusion. Secondly, plunge into deep sacred practice so you can connect with the divine connection within. Prayer, meditation, yoga are all good. So as to feel the presence and passion and help of the divine.The third is to get up at 3am and look around at our world in chaos and ask yourself the question, ‘what of all the causes I feel about, breaks my heart?’. 

When you discover your heartbreak you will discover your mission. It might be saving animals, or greening your community or raising money for war torn areas: And then, you can form networks of grace, cells of between 6 and 16 people , working in a local community, to pray together and doing something, supporting each other in action. 

OMG: Have we left it too late to make positive change?

Andrew: There are enormously positive things happening right now. There are people all over the world waking up and making extraordinary efforts to change their circumstances and I know personally at least a thousand people who have truly dedicated themselves to become sacred activists. I also think that many people are now becoming aware that politicians and corporations, and the media form an unholy trinity that controls the world in very dangerous ways. And that the one hope for humanity is to start a grass roots revolution of love and wisdom in radical action.

OMG: You talk in your book a great deal of what ways we can help the world. One of these is, the ‘5 forms of service’. Service to the divine, to yourself, to all beings – human and animal, to the local and our global community. You also talk at the start of the book about 10 things you can do right now. What are you doing right now?

Andrew: I was able to announce Sacred Activism as a global movement at the Copenhagen conference and was amazed and grateful at the extraordinary response, so I am extremely hopeful that are millions of people that are waiting to receive the message of the hope and are anxious to set about realizing it. 

We are in the middle of a great evolutionary event and this great crisis could birth the divine human. We have divine consciousness but there is a different level of truth that comes in when you embody it  – I call it evolutionary mysticism. It is the deep hope and meaning of being on the earth. We have to meet this crisis with our hope and action. The divine is not enough you have to act from it and embody it.

Andrew’s book The Hope – A Guide to Sacred Activism is published by Hay House. If you would like win a copy – we have three up for grabs, so please email us with the words Sacred Activism and your address.

By Julie Hamilton on Monday, January 11, 2010 and filed under 'Soul' | (0)


Authors Website: http://www.omigoddess.com.au

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