Eco/Spirit Farm!?

SUN., MAY 9, 1982, 6:05 AM
FARM, STUDY

Though you knew that a teaching this morning was probable you were lying in bed “waffling”… should I or should I not? Then I suggested this title (and yes, it should have the punctuation, for I am not recommending it as the name yet), and you were up. So, as the first rays of the sun reach through the leaves and branches outside let Us consider the merits and short-coming of this as a designation for this Farm of Ours, o son.

You definitely felt the spirit last evening as you walked around to several of the special places… and, in a way, recreated your spiritual story where you first wrote it, there at the picnic table. (That was a night, you recall, when you were trying to protect Matthew from the harm that can surely come from the mixture of alcohol and automobile.) You also “visited” your meditation garden (a comfortable designation, now) and Peter’s Park, and, briefly, the swing. The other “spiritual’ spot is the upper corner of the pasture, and you must visit that at least once with each full moon.

Other places shall develop temporarily or seasonably, such as the garden, and you still may create some others. The point is that you are coming to acknowledge “spirit” in this geographical place and in certain spots within it most of which are a combination of natural, created, and artifact. Peter’s Park, for example, started with a beautiful hillside. Then, years ago, you and the boys planted pine seedlings there. Peter’s earthly death brought the decision to bury his body there, which also stimulated the growth of the trees. The cross is an appropriate artifact… and now you must work at keeping nature from cutting off the “connection” with the Bald Knob cross. You know that a bench is now essential… you have the design in your head and the place is designated, so now you must put forth the effort. All in all, you see, the place of spirit is a place of natural beauty, enhanced in certain ways by you, either directly or by curbing nature (as when you cut the grass and trim the trees and keep the path solid).

“Eco”, in a modern, practical sense, refers to the interaction of all elements in an environment, natural and created. The juxtaposition with the term “spirit” asserts that spirit is the unifying factor in that ecosystem (however it is designated or limited)… and it also proclaims that spirit inheres and can be experienced in this ecosystem.

There also is spirit because of events and people that have been here… weddings, births, deaths, burials, celebrations, classes and other groups. Spirit is present with each gathering, which enhances the spiritual quality of the new gathering. Spirit begets spirit, in other words. And also know that spirit multiplies geometrically, rather than just being an additive process. The spirit in a place is more than the spirit in individual parts, just as the spirit in a group is more than the sum of individual spirits. This is part of My economy, which tends always to be overflowing.

So, consider this name or designation as the essence of what the final name should be. Keep yourself open to alternatives for awhile, but also try this one out in various ways. It is almost time for a designation.