== [[Eric]]'s new draft version of the [[SolSeed Creed]] ==
We are SolSeed
: We are the Body of all Earthly Life
Our Four Holy Tools are
: Knowledge of the Past,
: Mindfulness of the Present,
: Hope-filled Visions of the Future and
: Practices that Increase our Skill with the other three
With these tools
: We create our lives
:: Lives of understanding, love and hope
The past informs us.
: Without knowledge of the past,
:: Mindfulness, vision and practice are misguided
I pledge to study the history of
: Life exuberant,
: Ever Bursting through boundaries to flower and spread,
: Ever Creating the conditions for more Life
:: in an upward spiral of exponentiating possibilities
The present grounds us
: Without mindfulness of the present,
:: Knowledge frightens us,
:: our vision is one of despair,
:: and our practices serve only to distract us.
I pledge to always be mindful of the fact
: That Life is precious
: That Life has always been and will always be
:: in a state of being precious
The future inspires us
: Without visions of the future
:: Knowledge, mindfulness and practice stagnate
I pledge
: To express the excellent nature of Gaia
: To strive toward the Great Birthing
:: In which SolSeed takes root and flowers among the stars and
:: Gaia gives birth to a family of living worlds
Practice teaches us
: Without practice
:: Knowledge and vision dim, and mindfulness escapes us
I pledge to answer Gaia's call
: To Dedicate myself to Life
: To join my kindred
: In a community of practice
: To align our words, thoughts, actions, habits, characters and very beings
: With our Highest Aspirations
I pledge to use art and the natural world
: To awaken in myself and others
:: That Cosmic Religious Feeling
:: That ignites wonder
:: Fosters compassion
:: And Inspires Invention
Our Three Sacred Duties are to
: Embrace Passion
: Cultivate Empathy and
: Pursue Wisdom
So that
: Our Teaching Spreads Truth
: Our Loving Engenders Kindness and
: Our Striving Hastens the Great Birthing
''Passion call and response unchanged, Empathy call unchanged''
I pledge to carry in my heart
: the fact that as I am alive, you are alive,
: And in kinship will all other living beings
I pledge to love others as I love myself
: To treat their needs as if they were my own
: To Grow ours, Not just get mine.
''Wisdom call unchanged''
I pledge
: To stand ready to throw out my beliefs
:: In the face of new evidence
: To experiment with new practices
:: Which engender mindfulness
: To explore new more hopefilled visions of the future
With
: Knowledge, Mindfulness, Vision and Practice and
Through
: Passion, Empathy and Wisdom
We have come to know that...
''Final response unchanged''
== [[Ben]]'s new draft version ==
''First call and response unchanged
:As you are alive, and I am alive,
:and in kinship with all other beings
:nourished by Sol,
::we are Gaia ---
::the Body of All Life.
Our technology has led us to feel separate from Gaia's web of life,
:Each of us trapped inside our conscious minds, yet masters of all we survey.
Living this story, we have done great harm to life,
:Yet we have also created a wondrous explosion of new possibilities.
As dedicants of Gaia's People (?), we are called to repay our debt to our shared body,
:By using our technological prowess to help her give birth to a family of living worlds.
:We who answer the call
:dedicate ourselves to Gaia.
::We join together
::in a network of practice
::to align our words and our actions
::with our highest aspirations.
:Through experiences of cosmic, biological, and cultural creativity,
:we awaken within ourselves and others
::the Cosmic Religious Feeling
::that ignites wonder,
::fosters compassion,
::and inspires invention.
:Our sacred duty is to
:embrace Passion,
:cultivate Empathy, and
:pursue Wisdom,
::So that our being honors Gaia
::and our striving hastens the Great Birthing.
:Passion drives us.
:Without Passion,
::Empathy and Wisdom are lethargic.
:I pledge to stoke the fires of my passion,
:To have empathy for the parts of myself whose desires sometimes lead to unwise choices,
:To use wisdom to channel my passion toward my highest aspirations.
:Empathy is transcendent.
:Without Empathy,
::Passion and Wisdom are evil.
:I pledge to cultivate empathy for all living beings,
:To grow my passion for helping others and working together,
:To wisely choose paths that create more possibilities for all.
:Wisdom is effective.
:Without Wisdom,
::Passion and Empathy are reckless.
:I pledge to constantly improve my wisdom,
:To passionately strive toward greater knowledge of the world and more skillful living,
:To let empathy drive me to share my wisdom with others.
:Through Passion, Empathy, and Wisdom
:we have come to know that:
::We are Gaia's People
::children of the Earth and Sun
::awakened by starlight
::growing
::nurturing
::discovering
::We Bring Life!