On a Saturday in April 2023, after my monthly Men2Men circle, I felt an invitation to take a walk into the woods...
TRAIL GUIDE TO THIS POST
Genesis Farm - in the beginning...
Cosmic Timeline as a calendar
Preparation Guide for a first walk
Cosmic Walk thru Brentwood's sacred land
Sisters of St. Joseph Land Ethic Statement
Other paths to explore on these sacred grounds...
Labyrinth
Solar Array
Thera Farm
Walker/Reader: I find it significant that I've reconnected with the Sisters that educated me in elementary school in the parish of Saint Benedict Joseph Labre in Richmond Hill, Queens. NOW, they and others are telling us a NEW VERSION of this creation STORY...An evolving STORY...newer than the original one I was given in my younger years...
This recalls Dylan's introspective words from "My Back Pages" that describe our constant evolution:
"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"
And these from "I'm Alright, Ma, I'm Only Bleeding":
"That he not busy being born is busy dying"
This first of 3 posts on this subject (links to others at end) records how the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Brentwood adapted Genesis Farm's Dominican Sister Miriam MacGillis' 1980's Cosmic Walk vision on their Brentwood, LI sacred land. With the exceptions of my opening remarks and these 2 opening sections that help us appreciate what we're about to see, this post features only expressions from the Brentwood land.
GENESIS FARM...In the beginning...
"Exploring the sacred unity of life, humanity and Earth within a single, unfolding Universe."
May their vision and work inspire us all to keep learning...better ways to care for our planet and one another.
Sister Miriam's initial vision that's since been implemented around our planet.
"The Cosmic Walk may be the most venerable ritualistic expression of the Epic of Evolution. It was created in the mid-1980's by Sr. Miriam Therese MacGillis of Genesis Farm in New Jersey, who was inspired by the 'New Story,' as then told by Thomas Berry." [SOURCE - PDF download]
Genesis Farm Website - each page is a 1-2 minute read.
[from the above link] On another note, this past August, Genesis Farm piloted a new program exploring the "fundamental elements of a new cosmology”. It was created because it was requested and organized by young adults living within this bioregion. It was designed as "an introduction or a refresher" on the basics of Earth Literacy, which has guided our educational mission since our founding in 1980.
The basics of Earth Literacy, as offered here, were rooted in the works of cultural historian, Thomas Berry, mathematical cosmologist, Brian Swimme, Albert Einstein and the scientific evolutionary story of the Universe.
Walker/Reader: We'll visit these and other evolutionary pioneers in the other posts in this series.
AND, text me (516-850-2493) if you'd like a companion as you walk these sacred grounds...
COSMIC TIMELINE AS A CALENDAR
New Version of the Cosmic Timeline Story: Watch this 2 1/2 min. video as Neil DeGrasse Tyson helps us appreciate the scale of the events recorded on the stones we'll soon meet as we travel together along the 13.8 billion years marked out on the Sisters' Cosmic Walk.

Other 'cosmic walk" posts will feature my observations, inspirations and music...as I walk...and continue to walk... life's sacred paths...from byways to highways...
PREPARATION GUIDE FOR YOUR FIRST WALK
The following guide has been created to help us prepare to step back into time.






COSMIC WALK...thru Brentwood's sacred land




The surrounding woods...



Making possible this modern addition to the land ethic/sacred trust of the Sisters...









Pines NOT barren...












Reminders on our paths...possibly added by a previous cosmic walker...

















While the original stones end here...our path continues...

As the Preparation guide at the beginning suggested, this is a suitable place to pause and reflect...

HIStory gets updated...by an earlier walker...

HERstory...

SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH LAND ETHIC STATEMENT
Please take time to reflect on the heartfelt intentions and principles in the video message:

From Facebook, this self-advancing slide show with audio track presents what motivates the Sisters to teach us to care for our common home...




A booklet to accompany us as we walk the sacred paths of time and space...

Other paths to explore on these sacred grounds...

Go to "Cosmic Walk-3" link at the end to continue the journey...
Walking soundtracks...
Please meander over to the Cosmic Walk-2 post for some tunes to accompany us on our journey...
Other Cosmic Walk posts
--Let's go to the Brent Woods where we'll experience a BIGGER story than just HIStory & HERstory...
--Let's continue our journeys thru the sacred lands of the Sisters in Brentwood with a visit to a labyrinth, solar array & organic farm...
#music #Men2Men #SistersOfSaintJoseph #Brentwood #CosmicWalk #SrMiriamMacGillis #GenesisFarm #CosmicCalendar #CarlSagan #ThomasBerry #BrianSwimme #AlbertEinstein #EarthLiteracy #labyrinth #SolarArray #woods #path #LandEthicStatement #Jesus #Darwin #RachelCarson #SisterKarenBurke #TheraFarm #TeddyBolkas #organic
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