Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Stewardship


Growing up christian, I had always heard this word. Funny how I always associated it with a plate being passed down each pew at church and the thought that I had to put money in to be a "good" christian. But after reading A Witches 10 Commandments - Magickal Guidelines for Everyday Life by Marian Singer, stewardship took on a whole new meaning - a meaning that is now more me, and Pagan. Stewardship is:

1. A cooperative venture in which we consciously recognize and reaffirm ourselves as part of the earth (as opposed to simply being "on" it, or having its resources at our disposal).

2. An effort to understand all living things in their own terms rather than anthropomorphically, and then acting accordingly. (and yes, I had to look that word up - it means: Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena; the assignment of human shape and attributes to gods, animals, etc.)

3. Decreasing personal wastefulness and giving back from that which we use/take.

4. Integrating mindful living in what we buy, consume, or use.

5. A personal vow to begin rebuilding the earth in body, mind, and spirit for future generations.

It is human nature to see Earth as something over which we have dominion. But, stand in the epicenter of an earthquake or a Category 5 hurricane and see how dominant you feel at that moment. This sobering reality, combined with our growing awareness of how deadly human incursions into nature have been, has created a new movement toward stewardship.

I know we've all heard the saying "think globally, act locally." If local means to you "in my own house" that's great! Start small. Don't ever think that the small things you do in your home won't help. It does! There is nothing more destructive to the Earth than to stop trusting that one person can make a difference. All spaces and places are sacred.

What have I been doing? Here's a list of my "small things" toward my own stewardship efforts:

*I purchased reusable blue bags from WalMart for grocery shopping.
*I have become more conservative with water in my house - i.e. washing dishes by hand, larger wash loads, taking baths instead of long showers, and turning off the faucet while brushing my teeth (hard one for me!).
*Buying recycled paper products, even birthday and gift cards come recycled!
*Returning things to Mother Earth, like coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. I don't have a compost bin, but my flower bed sure does enjoy it!
*Feeding the birds/animals/fey folk with any leftovers or dried bread crumbs, instead of putting them down the disposal.
*I donated to the World Wildlife Fund and they are sending me 2 reusable water bottles - no more plastic!

See? Just small things, but with big impact over time.

Blessings!
P.S. The beautiful Mother Earth mandala is by Elfen Harmonics.

4 comments:

  1. Oh your mandala is so beautiful!

    You are so right about the small things...we should never underestimate the little things.

    I have finally figured out how to snaffle your button!!!

    It looks adorable on my blog!
    I love the colours.

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  2. It's so easy to let the small things go, especially when we're busy. Thanks for the reminder that there is always time to do the right thing =)

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  3. always like reading your thoughts.......little things pave the way to larger efforts. I limit the amount of plastic, recycle anything and everything, avoid new, prefer used, repair, rebuild,heat with wood, garden, hunt or buy local farm stuffs, and many other things to reduce the old carbon footprint. Suzanne is the first woman I ever knew next to my mother that preferred used to new and loves the swap shed at the dump.

    Great piece Lady...great piece.

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  4. We've been trying to become more 'green' and environmentally friendly as well. It truly is the small things...

    Thank you for those definitions...I actually didn't know any of that! I just love learning new information. :)



    )O(
    boo

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