Day 11: Gratefulness Journey--Mother Earth's Wisdom

Day 11: Gratefulness Journey--Mother Earth's Wisdom

According to an article on Common Dreams   an 'environmental warrior' and her husband were rejected in their hunt to use oil and gas drilling leases under federal land that they purchased.  'The Williamses are appealing (pdf) a decision by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which last month revoked oil and gas drilling leases that the couple had purchased at a public land auction in February. The government rejected their claim because the Tempest Exploration Company had "no intention of developing the two leases."  --Resistance is Courage

Going further: 

In a press statement, Williams, who authored the 2008 book Finding Beauty in a Broken World, shared some "words of reflection on our nation's new challenge following the presidential election and our duty to act to protect that which is most important to us." They follow:

It is morning. I am mourning.

And the river is before me.  

I am a writer without words who is struggling to find them.  

I am holding the balm of beauty, this river, this desert, so vulnerable, all of us.  

I am trying to shape my despair into some form of action, but for now, I am standing on the cold edge of grief.  

We are staring at a belligerent rejection of change by our fellow Americans who believe they have voted for change.  

The seismic shock of a new political landscape is settling.  

For now, I do not feel like unity is what is called for.  

Resistance is our courage.  

Love will become us.  

The land holds us still.  

Let us pause and listen and gather our strength with grace and move forward like water in all its manifestation: flat water, white water, rapids and eddies, and flood this country with an integrity of purpose and patience and persistence capable of cracking stone.  

I am a writer without words who continues to believe in the vitality of the struggle.  

Let us hold each other close

and be kind.  

Let us gather together and break bread.  

Let us trust that what is required of us next will become clear in time.  

What has been hidden is now exposed.  

This river, this mourning, this moment  —May we be brave enough to feel it deeply, and act.

First off--what the heck is an 'environmental warrior' and her hubby doing by purchasing these rights in the first place?  Having an intent to drill under federal land that went up on an auction block--because the current administration didn't protect the land--and getting upset about not being able to drill?  Yet talking about how close she is to the river?  How messed up can one get?  Mourning what?  the river?  the ability to drill?  the money that would be made?  People's intentions and heart are all over the place. Whether she can write about the serenity of the river or not--get your thinking right...for God's sake!

Studies done here in the United States have indicated mixed reviews--especially when funded by the oil and gas industry.  A major expose' on the Fracking Industry compiled by the Public Accountability Initiative indicates "Over the years, some of this science has proven less than reliable. In a trend that became known as “frackademia,” several universities issued industry-friendly fracking studies that the institutions later retracted and walked back due to erroneous central findings, false claims of peer review, and undisclosed industry ties. The studies bore the hallmarks of an industry effort to manipulate and corrupt the scientific debate around fracking, much like the tobacco industry manipulated the scientific debate around the dangers associated with smoking."

Meanwhile, up in Canada a recent report finds that fracking leads to earthquakes. Imagine that. Ian Johnson writes in a recent article --

Fracking can cause earthquakes that rumble on for months after the controversial gas extraction process ends, a new study has found. Researchers recorded more than 900 individual tremors linked to hydraulic fracturing, as it is properly known, between December 2014 and March 2015 in an area around Fox Creek in Alberta, Canada, according to a paper in the journal Science.  --Fracking can Cause Earthquakes

What in all of this is there to be grateful about?  All of these man made pushes towards industrialization, big money, profit and control/killing of Mother Earth?  That Mother Earth continues to show humanity their lack of understanding through natural disasters. That Mother Earth continues to show through earthquakes, lack of predictable weather patterns, dying off of critters, tsunami's and the like to those of you who continue to deny her.  Right on Mama...right on.  And?  Grateful to those of us who are praying for her life, standing up in places like Standing Rock, Peru, Argentina, the European Nations moving towards Sustainability.  Grateful for my clients who continue to work with Mother Nature even though there is fear, anger and hatred in the world today.  Grateful that there are those with eyes to see, hearts open to feel, and minds prepared to continue the fight for protecting Mother Earth.  Right on protectors, right on!  The natural disasters and change in weather patterns continue--even here in the Northwood's.

I stepped outside early on this morning when my puppies needed to explore outside.  3 am and warm.  Possible rain and possible snow maybe tomorrow.  Polar ice sheets melting at faster rates than ever...thousands of fish dying off in New York....thousands of acres on fire in the Southeast...New Zealand earthquake lifting the land... Mama is not finished teaching you a thing or two about life.  One of these days you're going to put aside that money and that pipeline and realize the truth.  All of your trying to control and make Her into what you want her to be is leading you nowhere.  Whether you take down all of humanity in your quest to control has yet to be seen.  Keep choosing people...let's all see where this one goes.  Shall we?