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Oregon Climate Action Hub (ORCAH) is on a mission "to empower ALL Oregonians to take effective climate action." Their goal is "to build individual and community capacity. By amplifying what is already happening and inviting more people into action, we move toward a world where climate justice IS business as usual." From the Network For Good website: "Starting early in 2021, a small group of committed volunteers envisioned and piloted a website to connect friends, family, and neighbors with the amazing organizations facilitating powerful climate action across the state. We built ORClimateHub.org as a "one-stop shop" for climate action opportunities in Oregon, welcoming all those who are curious about what's happening, and especially those who are ready to take action." "With your support, ORCAH showcases the entire scope of work that is already happening in Oregon and the opportunities that exist to engage at any level. Together, we are creating a platform that supports effective collective action by helping users understand which action opportunities take the best advantage of the time, energy, and resources they have to offer." Their website map is organized to help one find solutions, events, and locations within Oregon. There you can find a listing of organizations to help you look for work, take action, meet up, change policy, learn more, collaborate, and find good news. Anyone can access ORCAH at any time as a Guest. Guests can see all posts and share or like posts via Facebook or share them via Twitter. If you sign up for an account, you become a User. Click here to find out how to use the site.

January 9, 2024, at 1 p.m. on Zoom - Deep Transformation Network is having its next DTN Monthly Live Event, offering the opportunity to engage with three luminaries associated with the Earth Charter: "Mary Evelyn Tucker, who was intimately involved with the genesis of the Earth Charter, is the founder and coordinator of Yale's Forum on Religion and Ecology. Along with John Grim, she was responsible for a 10-volume series published by Harvard on World Religions and Ecology. She has written and co-edited numerous other works on the intersection of faith traditions and ecological consciousness and is a co-creator of the Journey of the Universe project. Mirian Vilela, executive director of Earth Charter International, has been working on the initiative since 1996, coordinating primarily with UNESCO and other UN agencies. Over the years she has led and facilitated numerous international workshops, courses and seminars on Earth Charter-related values and principles. Sam Crowell, an Earth Charter Council member and leader in the dissemination of its principles for over 15 years, is professor emeritus of education at California State University San Bernardino and former director at the Center for Research in Integrative Learning and Teaching." The Earth Charter is "a document with sixteen principles that drive a global movement towards a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. To support the movement, EarthCharter.org Education Center offers courses, resource materials, and network opportunities to turn conscience into action." "The Earth Charter is an ethical framework launched in The Hague in 2000 and endorsed by over six thousand organizations worldwide, including many governments. It was the product of a decade-long, worldwide cross-cultural conversation about common goals and shared values, emerging from the most open and participatory consultation process ever conducted in connection with an international document." "It seeks to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations. It is a vision of hope and a call to action." This event will be hosted by Jeremy Lent of Worldview Shift. RSVP to these monthly meetings now to get it on your calendar. You will be asked to join the Deep Transformation Network. Note: this gathering is normally on the first Tuesday of the month, but was changed in January because of the holiday. A fifth annual Earth Charter Conference will take place from April 12-14, 2024 at Rollins College, Florida, "This 3-day conference builds on four previous Earth Charter Conferences focused on education for sustainability and global citizenship, and for planetary well-being. It will bring together a global diversity of educators, activists, and Earth Charter educators, affiliates, and partners, to share good practices and research."

On December 19, 2023, Rogue Valley Times published a Guest Column by Alan Journet urging the City of Medford Oregon to approve a Climate Action Plan. This opinion piece is also published here with the approval of the author. "Across the nation, we are becoming increasingly aware of the threat climate change poses. We understand that ongoing climate change will cause more than merely increasingly intense hurricanes and more frequent and severe wildfires. Indeed, the climate trajectory we are following will, within decades, undermine natural ecosystems across the planet and the biodiversity they support. In addition, our agriculture, forestry and fisheries will be compromised. Ongoing climate change comprises a threat to life as we know it. Those who understand climate science are quite reasonably alarmed. Naturally, therefore, communities across the nation are developing plans to deal with this threat. Regionally, Ashland, Talent and Grants Pass have developed plans to address the climate crisis locally. Meanwhile, thanks to the foresight of the Medford City Council, the Medford Planning Department is developing a Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CCARP). The Vulnerabilities report was reviewed by the council at a recent Study Session and will be presented to the council in January seeking approval. The fact that Medford is suffering increasing temperatures and reducing snowpack, along with adjusted rainfall patterns, is evident in data from the Weather Service. These trends, if continued, combine to pose problems for our ongoing water security and will stimulate ever more frequent and severe fires. The CCARP reports notes that particularly vulnerable to these climate trends will be the following sectors of our society absent substantial attention to the problem: Natural Systems. Projections for temperature and precipitation shifts may seem small to the non-biologist, but they are sufficient to undermine the health of natural ecosystems across the planet, and especially in SW Oregon. The demise of our Douglas firs, already evident to most residents, is a harbinger of the future of our forests. Many of our trees and other species will assuredly follow the same path. As noted above, our agriculture, forestry and fisheries will be equally compromised. Regional Economy. An economy heavily dependent on agriculture, forestry and tourism will be seriously negatively affected as the biological consequences identified above impose themselves on our region. Built Environment. The heat and cold extremes and increasing flood frequency will likely undermine much of our infrastructure. Public Health. Heta extremes and heatwaves already constitute a severe threat to area residents, especially those working outside. As airborne, waterborne, and vector borne diseases move northwards and flourish in our region, the health of all area residents will be challenged, especially the younger and older among us. Community. Rising temperatures, heatwaves and droughts challenge many residents both physically and psychologically. A resilient community will prepare itself to address these challenges. We applaud the Medford city council for acknowledging that the climate crisis will become ever more severe over time. Though some members of our community are clearly more vulnerable than others, Medford residents, as a whole, are vulnerable to the trends that climate change is imposing on us. We therefore encourage the city council to approve the Medford Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan and support efforts that will allow residents to adapt to this ongoing climate trend. While promoting adaptations that allow residents to thrive as these climate changes is essential, we also recognize that, along with residents across the county, the city of Medford through its administrative activities, and its residents should undertake what steps we can to reduce our contribution to the problem. While reduced emissions of greenhouse gases in the city of Medford will not alleviate the global climate crisis, we should acknowledge that solving the crisis requires that individuals and communities across the globe collaborate to address it. We therefore encourage the city not only to do what it can to promote adaptation and resilience, but also take what steps are possible to reduce city and community contributions to the problem. If we wish Medford to thrive as climate change engulfs the region, we should promote adaptation and resilience, while simultaneously mitigating the underlying causes." Alan Journet of Jacksonville is the facilitator of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now’s Medford Climate Action Team.

On December 20, 2023 the Oregon Court of Appeals found that Oregon’s cornerstone Climate Protection Program was "invalid on procedural grounds" after the oil and gas industry and their allies challenged the rule. A coalition of environmental justice, climate, and business organizations intervened defensively in the case: Beyond Toxics Oregon Business for Climate Oregon Environmental Council Climate Solutions Environmental Defense Fund Crag Law Center Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) On December 20th the above issued the following statement in response to the ruling: “The oil and gas industry just delivered a lump of coal — literally — into Oregon’s Christmas stocking. Today’s Court ruling focused on a procedural technicality. The Court did not undermine the Environmental Quality Commission’s authority to set climate pollution reductions on the oil and gas industry. We look forward to supporting any agency actions to address procedural requirements without delay. Oregon must move forward to protect our communities, especially Black, Indigenous, people of color, low-income, rural, and other communities who have historically borne the brunt of climate pollution and economic disinvestment. We have faced wildfires that have wiped out entire communities, toxic smoke choking our lungs, deadly heat waves, and record-breaking droughts; we will not stop holding the oil and gas industry accountable for the impact it is having on our lives, our families, and our communities. Upholding the cornerstone Climate Protection Program is essential to prevent incalculable harm to Oregon families, workers, and local economies, now and in the future.” More information on the impact of the ruling is available from reporter Alex Baumhardt at the Oregon Capital Chronicle. OEC offers the following background: The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission adopted the Climate Protection Program in December 2021 following an extensive 18-month rulemaking and robust stakeholder engagement process. The Department of Environmental Quality received more than 7,600 public comments on the CPP rules, the overwhelming majority of which were in favor of the program. The CPP requires oil and gas companies in Oregon to reduce their emissions 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050; establishes first-ever requirements for major industrial facilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and enables millions of dollars annually to be invested in clean energy projects that benefit environmental justice and other communities across Oregon. NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas, Western States Petroleum Association, Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Business & Industry Association, Associated Oregon Loggers, and a dozen industry petitioners filed a challenge to the program in March 2022.

John B. Cobb Jr., is convinced that "humanity’s most urgent task is to live in harmony with and, thereby, preserve the ecosphere on which it depends for its continued existence." So, in February 2022 – the month he turned 97 – he helped to launch the Living Earth Movement. He was "troubled by the way in which the American goal to control the planet was (in a sense rightly) regognizing China as its greatest obstacle." According to their website: "The mission of the Living Earth Movement is twofold. The short-term priority is to get the U.S. and China to cooperate for the sake of all life on this planet. The second and equally important priority is to promote the foundations for a new kind of civilization in which humans would learn to value and cooperate with the rest of the ecosphere." "We need a world in which humans understand themselves as part of a living earth community. We call this an ecological civilization." ~ John Cobb For more information on ecological civilization and the formation of the Living Earth Movement read John Cobb and Jeff Well's booklet Is International Cooperation Possible? A Bold Appeal for a Living Earth. Download it here. Check out their Facebook page for information on upcoming presentations and activities. David C. Korten, a member of the Club of Rome, has also written an important 2021 white paper on ecological civilization. "Continued human viability depends on Emergency action to stop the damage, facilitate Earth’s healing, and advance the Emergence of an Ecological Civilization." ~ David Korten Center for Process Studies has a list of partner organizations promoting process thought around the world. Here are some more links: Claremont School of Theology - a progressive inter-religious theology school California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) - offering 33 graduate and undergraduate programs and certificates in psychology, philosophy, psychedelic therapies, human sexuality, consciousness CIIS’ Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness (PCC) - dedicated to shaping the leadership necessary for profound, progressive transformation of social institutions and individual consciousness Process and Faith - a multi-faith network for the common good Center for Christogenesis - seeks to deepen Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s integration of science and spirituality by providing insights and practices to enkindle awareness of love at the heart of reality. Center for Ecozoic Studies - an education, imagination, dialogue, and action center for an ecological age. Center for Open and Relational Theology - a nonprofit organization that promotes and serves as a hub for people and organizations promoting open and relational theologies Church for Our Common Home - "a non-profit that provides artistic, religious, and psychological services to awaken to the moral and ecologic crisis as an invitation for spiritual growth and creating loving community with all of creation, caring for our common home, Mother Earth." They are located in Dallas Oregon near Salem. Earth Charter - turning conscience into action Emerge - a social systems change initiative led by Perspectiva Flagstaff College - a small, innovative, upper-division college located in Flagstaff, Arizona, Gonzaga University - a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. Homebrewed Christianity - a podcast series established by process theologian Tripp Fuller Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought (IARPT) - a community of productive scholars with diverse theological and philosophical perspectives. Institute for Ecological Civilization - Organized by Philip Claton IEC works internationally to support systemic approaches to long-term sustainability by developing collaborations among government, business, and religious leaders and among scholars, activists, and policymakers." Institute for Postmodern Development of China (IPDC) - aims to create and promote new modes of development in China and the West. International Process Network (IPN) - a network of organizations and individuals dedicated to supporting, generating, and disseminating an international discourse on the meaning and implications of process thought.

Every Tuesday from January 9 2024 until Feb 20 2024 from 4-5:45 p.m. PST Creation Spirituality Communities will present Cosmogenesis: Our Common Story - "a  7-week exploration of our inspired origins, a survey of contemporary cosmic consciousness, and envisioning a flourishing future." Join Penny Andrews, with special guest Matthew Fox for one session and Brian Swimme for another session. Grounded in the expansive deep time perspective, each week will cover a different aspect of the Universe Story. Sessions are recorded and are available to watch for paying students. This is a required course for students in the certificate program with tuition of $240 or $120 for auditing. Register here. You will need to sign in to the CSC TrainerCentral site.

This past weekend I was a theology nerd with over 100 people watching online as Ilia Delio, John D. Caputo, Diarmuid O’Murchu, Catherine Keller, Bruce Epperly, Rami Shapiro, Brandon Ambrosino, and Emily DeMoor spoke at the God 2.0: Pantheism and Quantum Reality conference organized by the Center for Christogenesis. It was only two weeks ago that I was dazzled by Ilia Delio and others at the D2 Conference on the Noosphere (the term coined by Teilhard de Chardin 100 years ago referring to and emerging global consciousness.) I consider the God 2.0 conference a glimpse into a positive future for religion and spirituality, while others might call it "radical theology." Ilia Delio challenged: "What if God is not an unchangeable, all-knowing, all-powerful, Being, as claimed by classical monotheistic religions? "Medieval scholars attributed to God the qualities of immutability, omniscience, and omnipotence, but science tells us that "being" is chaotic, uncertain, unfolding, and entangled!" Sister Delio sees a "Not-Yet-God" (also the title of her 2023 book by that name.) in the process of continually becoming, rather than static. Her presentation Can God be Upgraded? Lessons from Science about God was about changing assumptions and key concepts - reinterpretation, reevaluation, reconstruction, and redefinition. "The universe is a temporal drama of awakening whose meaning can be revealed only gradually by looking, in a spirit of anticipation and hope, toward the horizon of a cosmic future." "The nature of the universe is undivided wholeness and religion should be about relational wholeness." Panelists discussed the urgent need to upgrade theology, particularly in light of quantum physics, cosmology, evolution, and rapid technological advances such as artificial intelligence. We need a new "religion of the earth' to bind us together, to effectively address global, existential threats, and to evolve to higher levels of consciousness and a hopeful future. As Ilia implores in her 2020 book, "AI shows the critical need to reconstruct religion for a world of evolution and complexity... religion is the linchpin to the future of AI-mediated cosmic intelligent life... an AI world, oriented by new religious sensibilities, can bring about an ecological re-enchantment of the earth." Jack Caputo spoke about Something Spooky is Going On: Taking a Quantum Approach to God. He took his point of departure from Tillich’s “Two Types of the Philosophy of Religion, and argued that the two types, the cosmological (theist) and ontological (panentheist), also describe the difference between the respective logics of Newtonian and quantum physics. "The world of quantum reality abides by the logic of the ontological, of ground and grounded, not of the cosmological, of cause and effect." Catherine Keller addressed Earth Matters: Generation, Motivation, Eco-civilization. The old modern materialistic view of the world since Newton is that matter at base inert, lifeless, flat, “stuff.” But Keller argued that matter should "not merely be understood as substance or stuff, but as process, an active process of materialization. This shift in perspective has implications for human's relationship with our ecosystem and all creatures." Diarmuid O’Murchu spoke on Grounding Evolutionary Consciousness in our Time, stressing the need for humans to reconnect with nature and how creativity in evolution has made humans exceptional. He said "Ever since the visionary work of Teilhard de Chardin, evolution has become an ever more central feature of our understanding of life at every level. In our time Sr. Ilia Delio has brought that awareness to a new level of coherence and conviction. How to ground that vision still remains a formidable challenge, particularly for the emerging spirituality of the 21st century." Bruce Epperly presented The God, Theology, and Spirituality of Tradition and Tomorrow: 2.0 and Beyond saying that “Pierre Teilhard de Chardin challenges us to seek the God of Tomorrow. A prolific author, Epp[erly is slowly entering retirement after "a career of over four decades of creative synthesis of academic theology and pastoral ministry." Rabbi Rami Shapiro, himself a panentheist, expounded that "God is Everything" as he explored the I AM/Ehyeh that is Everything/YHVH revealed in Exodus 3:14-15. Brandon Ambrosino offered a theopoetic exploration of the process of God becoming: Gods who Rise, Fall, and Become: Psalm 82 and Entangled Love. God’s character is not the result of being; God is only because of the process of loving. In the order of being, compassion is primary. All this was very heady, abstract, and complex - unfortunately, not something that is easily communicated. In some respects, the conversation is familiar, as I had read books by Caputo, Keller, O'Murchu, and Epperly a decade ago. The writings of Ilia Delio are newer to me as are those of Teilhard de Chardin and modern scientists who acknowledge a global movement toward realizing this new Omega. I believe the Noosphere is both real and very important. Emily DeMoor brought the conference to a close with a 35-minute liturgical grounding experience of devotion to the Divine within - not a supernatural, interventionist God, but a relational whole without a center and with no circumference. I don't expect that congregations (churches, temples, and mosques), their leaders, and their institutional organizations will be quick to give up the "guy in the sky" and embrace this new understanding of God. However, I am still "hoping against hope!" "The true function of religion is 'to sustain and spur on the progress of life - to nurture the 'human zest for life.' Religion is another name for the energy of cosmic personalization and unification."

In Charles Darwin's 1859 book On The Origin of Species, he poetically says "There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one..." Evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson pays homage to Darwin in his 2019 book This View of Life, and dares to elaborate on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's 100-year-old notion of Noosphere that envisions the emergence of a global consciousness and self-regulating superorganism called the Omega. Wilson asserts that the Darwinian revolution won’t be truly complete until an "evolutionary worldview" is applied more broadly—to everything associated with the words “human,” “culture,” and “policy.” Wilson uses the phrase "evolutionary worldview" more than "evolutionary theory" because a worldview can tell us how to act - "the Omega Point is not only a scientific possibility, but also one worth working toward." (p. 222) An evolutionary worldview provides a "general explanatory framework that identifies why best practices work and how they can be spread across all domains of knowledge and policy applications." (p.230) "An evolutionary worldview encompasses the length and breadth of human experience in addition to the biological sciences." p. 112) The first step in conscious evolution toward viewing the whole planet as a single organism is to challenge the current orthodoxy and adopt the right theory." The book is aspirational "If we can become wise managers of evolutionary processes, we can solve the problems of our age at all scales—from the efficacy of our groups to our well-being as individuals to our stewardship of the planet Earth." I strongly recommend you consider adopting this view of life.

Bill Watterson, creator of the revered comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, released in October 2023 a new graphic novel The Mysteries — his first published work in the 28 years since Calvin and Hobbes ended. In the YouTube video above Watterson narrates his collaboration process with artist John Kascht. As Polygon notes, "Kascht’s realistic style and methodical, researched process clashed almost irreconcilably with Watterson’s intense need to keep things sketched and improvised... After a year’s work, the pair dumped everything they had created and started over, realizing that juxtaposing their clashing styles within one image created interesting results with a “weird energy.” “Things clicked when we gave up,” Kascht says." “Working through differences toward a common purpose is practically an act of defiance these days, and I’m as proud of that as of any other aspect of the collaboration,” Watterson says." My recent experiences with Human Energy's Science of the Noosphere Master Class and the N2 Conference are examples of the creative mashup between scientific and spiritual worldviews, working through differences toward a common purpose. The N2 Conference defined itself as "Beyond the Individual" - "an international, interdisciplinary conference fostering creative collaboration for intentionally and ethically steering the future evolution of global consciousness." There was more congeniality at the D2 Conference than in the Master Class, partly because a few disrupters in the Master Class were noticeably absent (because of self-selection) from the D2 Conference, and partly because of actual face-to-face conversations rather than online meetings. However, However, I believe the synergy was primarily due to the intentionality of diverse people, engaged in a common search to find out how to accelerate the rapid expansion of the Noosphere. At D2 we felt part of something bigger than ourselves as individuals and there was an openness to learn from others' points of view. Appreciation and mutual respect were shared among those in the Conference. Diversity evolved into unity because of intentionality. Speaking about both the diversity and unity of the presenters, Robert Wright expressed the sense of collaboration at the D2 Conference: "A number of them I had been keeping in different parts of my brain: David Sloan Wilson I had filed under evolutionary science; Kevin Kelly is a techno-visionary; and Brian Swimme expressed a kind of cosmic spirituality... and now, here they all are in the same room. And that's the kind of synergy that this Conference is all about!" At the N2 Conference there was lots of discussion about how to best communicate a "Third Story." Dr. Clement Vidal identified the psychological resistances and affordances to the idea of the Noosphere by the public at large. Francis Heylighen has been developing a mathematical model to link the philosophical idea of the Third Story as an alternative to traditional religious and scientific stories. Storytellers such as Jennifer Morgan have written age-appropriate children's books to communicate understanding of the universe and evolution. Emily DeMoor presented alternative literary narratives that may be used in secondary-level English language arts courses. Ellen Rigsby talked about college students' understanding of the concepts of the noosphere and the need for developing the human capacity to steer evolution to deal with problems that affect all of humanity. John Cressler presented the challenges and successes of nurturing the Noosphere on college campuses. Film-makers were concerned about using concepts, words, and images that are clearly understood. Teilhard scholar and theologian Ilia Delio uses the word "myth" to identify the importance of science-appropriate worldviews, suggesting religion needs to be updated from ancient Greek and medieval assumptions to be consistent with current scientific understandings. “A myth is always a true story because it narrates a sacred history, not necessarily a factual history, but one that has meaning and value for human life. Myths are true in that they have the symbolic and imaginative power to make us aware of the unity of reality in its greatest depth and breadth” ~ Ilia Delio Collaboration in "steering the future evolution of global consciousness" is the goal of Human Energy. Other organizations such as Pachamama Alliance are seeing the need to share a "New Story"- Love, Wonder, and Climate Action: Crafting a New Narrative, On November 15, 2023, they had a webinar with Alixa Garcia, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Bill McKibben about the importance of expressing the awe, wonder, and the sheer miracle of being alive in this vast universe.

November 30 - December 12, 2023 - in person only in Dubai- The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 28 Pre-sessionals took place from 24 to 29 November. The overview schedule of the conference is now available. The detailed calendar of events will be published daily throughout the conference. December 7, 2023, at 1 p.m. PT on Zoom - Spirituality Communities is having their monthly webinar Global Kinship, Exploring the Emerging Noosphere addressing the phenomenon of the complexification of human creativity, technology, and consciousness that has evolved within our species. Register here. December 9, 2023, from 3-6 p.m. PT - SOCAN will have a Solstice Gathering to celebrate the season and to enjoy good food, drink, and company. Bring an appetizer or dessert to share and your choice of beverage. Nonalcoholic spiced cider will be provided. Register here. December 10, 2023, from 1 to 3 p.m. - Ashland Climate Collaborative is having a Photo Day at the Plaza entrance to Lithia Park. Photo at 2 p.m. sharp. Everyone who cares about meeting our climate goals is invited. Please RSVP here so they can bring enough goodies. December 20, 2023, at 4 p.m. PT on Zoom - UU Ministry for Earth will celebrate the Winter Solstice early with music, reflection, meditation, and spiritual grounding. They will be featuring the work of the Energy Democracy Project. The service is part of the larger arc of Clean Energy as a Human Right being led by Side with Love. Register Here For. the Zoom Link. December 26, 2023 - SOCAN will NOT be having its Monthly Meeting this month. January 13, 2024, to June 16, 2024, from 9-12:30 p.m. PT - Pachamama Alliance is offering a 6-month course: Cultivating the Visionary Self, a journey where individuals will work with their bodies through what Alixa García calls "Creativity Infused Somatic Practices," which helps move trauma through the body by consciously activating one's relationship with nature and the creative force. Click here for more information and to Register.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro formed the One River Foundation with Frank Levy as "a global community of spiritually independent seekers, creatives, activists, and holy rascals teaching "Perennial Wisdom" as an antidote to the tribalism, ignorance, illiberalism, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, and apocalyptic fantasies tearing our communities apart, and inhibiting the thriving of person and planet." They do this "through their One River Wisdom School in Nashville TN and their books Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent: Sacred Teachings—Annotated & Explained (2013) and The World Wisdom Bible (2017) Richard Rohr wrote the Foreword to Rami Shapiro's 2013 book. referring to Perennial Wisdom as "collective unconscious, globalization or the One Spirit of God. One way to summarize the essence of "perennial wisdom" is: There is a Divine Reality underneath and inherent in the world of things; There is in the human soul a natural capacity, similarity, and longing for this Divine Reality; The final goal of existence is union with this Divine Reality. Matthew Fox wrote One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing From Global Faiths in 2000. Thomas Berry notes that out of the world's spiritual literature, and "with reference to the discovery of an emergent universe by contemporary science, he has, it seems, created a new mythic context for leading us out of our contemporary religious and spiritual confusion into a new clarity of mind and peace of soul, by affirming rather than abandoning any of our traditional beliefs.”

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. from the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Accessed from https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ The 2023 interactive edition of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) is now available online here. "The new PHZM is generally about one quarter-zone warmer than reported in the 2012 PHZM throughout much of the United States." But since the USDA PHZM represents 30-year averages of what are essentially extreme weather events and climate changes are usually based on trends in overall annual average temperatures recorded over 50-100 years, the USDA is careful to disclaim that "changes in zones are not reliable evidence of whether there has been global warming." You be the judge. GIS data can now be downloaded directly from the PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University (OSU). "All Plant Hardiness Zone Maps (PHZM) should serve as general guides for growing perennial plants. They are based on the average lowest temperatures, not the lowest ever. In 2021 PRISM released 30-Year Normal Precipitation maps based on datasets from 1991-2020 describing average monthly and annual conditions over the most recent three full decades. PRISIM;s Drought Indicator shows much of western Oregon in yellow at 70-90% precipitation this past 12 months compared with long-term (30-Year) averages. This new 2023 version of the Plant Hardiness Zone Map has several interactive features. In addition to the capabilities listed above, there are several "widgets" that can be found below the Zip Code Search in the map. Most of Rogue Valley is now in zone 8a (15-20 degrees F), with surrounding hill/mountain areas and Ashland in zone 8b (10-15). An earlier 1990 PHZM map showed Medford in zone 7b (5-10 degrees F)! Brookings OR is now zone 10a. Jackson County Master Gardeners (Oregon State University Extension Service) is having a 2024 Master Gardener Class Interest Meeting on December 13, 2023 from 10- 11 a.m. PT in Central Point, OR. The Jackson County Master Gardener Association chapter of the OSU Master Gardener™ Program also has a separate website. to help us "Learn, Practice, and Teach the Art and Science of Gardening in the Rogue Valley". They have a virtual tour of native plant gardens across the Rogue Valley to help us adapt to climate change.

The Earth Charter (EC) is "a document crafted by visionaries over twenty years ago with sixteen principles powering a global movement. The EC enunciates the values and principles by which sustainable development can be achieved. When you apply it to your business, school, or community, you begin turning conscience into action to make all life on Earth thrive.' The purpose of the Earth Charter is "to inspire in all people a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the whole human family, the greater community of life, and future generations. It is a vision of hope and a call to action." Earth Charter International now has info on speakers and abstracts for their 2024 Earth Charter Conference to take place on April, 12-14, 2024 at Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida. Among the Conference speakers will be Mary Evelyn Tucker who will "shed light on the imperative of ‘ecological civilization’ as a transformative educational approach for addressing our current challenges." Stay informed by regularly checking EC's continuously updated Speakers and Abstracts Brochure here. Register for the Conference here. "The activities of the Earth Charter International Education Center highlight the importance of incorporating sustainability values and principles into the processes of learning and decision-making. The Center forges new paths in education for sustainable development, global citizenship education, and makes efforts to connect these with concepts such as planetary well-being and ecological literacy." "The Center’s work is implemented under the framework of the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter, which works to generate educational programs and research activities specifically at the intersection of sustainability, ethics, and education." In September 2022 the UN organized a “Transforming Education Summit,” convened “in response to a global crisis in education – one of equity and inclusion, quality and relevance”. It emphasized that “many education systems are not providing students with the skills, knowledge, and values needed to face the current challenges." "The world needs to reimagine the education system.” ~ United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4.7) aims for learners to acquire by 2030, the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including education for sustainable lifestyles, global citizenship, climate justice, gender equality, and so on. UNESCO’s Futures of Education Initiative produced a report titled Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education. It highlights the importance of considering education as a holistic process, involving the “heart, hands, and mind.” It promotes efforts to rethink content and pedagogy and to support teachers as agents of change.

Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN) has announced that "our fundraising campaign “Reaching a New Level of Climate Action” was very successful, and as a result, we are hiring our first Executive Director!" SOCAN, founded in 2012, has operated as a volunteer-led organization for over a decade, promoting awareness and understanding of the science of climate change and, through the framework of promoting climate justice, encouraging individual and local, state, and federal collective action to address the crisis. SOCAN has now decided to seek its first salaried staff member, an Executive Director. Information regarding this position is available at https://socan.eco/2023campaign/. The job description is available at https://socan.eco/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/First-ED-Job-Description.pdf. From a press release.

I just returned from the N2 Conference held November 17-19, 2023 at the International House in the University of California Berkeley campus. It was called The Future of Human Collective Consciousness. N2 was 'an international, interdisciplinary conference fostering creative collaboration for intentionally and ethically steering the future evolution of global consciousness." It was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the identification of the noosphere, “N2” signals the exponential pace of the evolution of the noosphere and the reality that the next century will far exceed the last in rapid and radical change to the global mind." The N2 Conference was organized by Human Energy, a non-profit research, media, and educational organization dedicated to introducing the noosphere as a Third Story of the universe that can provide a source of meaning and hope for future generations. The event featured thought leaders, scholars across fields, and eminent scientists, including Philip Beesley, Johan Bollen, Anne Clin, John Cressler, Terrence Deacon, Ilia Delio, Ben Goertzel, Francis Heylighten, Kevin Kelly, Robert Lawrence Kuhn, Jaron Lanier, Wolfgang Leidhold, Raphael Liogier, Louis Savary, Gregory Stock, Brian Thomas Swimme, David Sloan Wilson, and others. The program includes plenary and concurrent sessions featuring invited and selected presentations and a selected poster exhibit. Interactive formats that prioritize discussion and application are welcomed. Live streams of the Plenary speakers were recorded and available on YouTube and below. My blog post is not the official N2 Conference website and the (start times) were for my convenience of reviewing the presentations. Day 1 streamed live on Nov 17, 2023. Ben Kacyra - Welcoming remarks Human Energy founder and President Sheila Hassell Hughes - Conference Co-Chair (live video Day 1 start) Terrence Deacon - On Being a Noospheric Species (.35) Jacob Foster - Panel from Boundaries of Humanity (1.33) Manasvi Lingam - On Some Informational Aspects of the Noosphere and Beyond (2.11) Robert Lawrence Kuhn - A Landscape of Consciousness in the Noosphere: Toward a Taxonomy of Explanations and Implications (3.32) Ilia Delio - Can Science Alone Advance the Noosphere? Understanding Teilhard’s Omega Principle (4:20 video 1 and continued on video 2) Ilia Delio (continued on Day 1 live video 2) Keith Lemna - Polarity in the Noosphere: Reading Teilhard through Pope Francis (.51 on Day 1 live video 2) John Haught - The Meaning of "Noosphere" in Teilhard's Cosmic Vision (1:27 live video 2) Jaron Lanier (2:20 live video 2) Day 2 streamed live on Nov 18, 2023: Ben Goertzel - AGI and Collective Intelligence: Critical Synergies (.7) Raphael Liogier - Transcendence and Modernity: Beyond the Misconception (1:23) Johan Bollen - CollectiveEemotions: Distortions and Belief Traps (2:29) Clément Vidal - A Human Energy White Paper (3:27) Kevin Kelly - The Evidence for an Expanded Noosphere (4:07) Jennifer Morgan - Shaping Noospheric Adults from Early Childhood through the Secondary Level (5:22) Marta Lenartowicz - The Noospheric Frame of Mind (5:55) Gregory Stock - LLMs: Noospheric Portals that may redefine the distinction between Individual and Collective Mind (6:57) Elizabeth Lee - Connectivity and Cultural Heritage: Enabling access to humanity's rich legacy (9:42) Day 3 streamed live on Nov 19, 2023: Francis Heylighen - The Third Story: Self-organizing Evolution as a Source of Meaning (.start at .45) Michael Jacob, Ilia Delio, Terrence Deacon & Francis Heylighen - Transdisciplinary Language for Noospheric Consciousness: Neuroscience, Music, Mysticism (2.02) David Sloan Wilson - The Science of the Noosphere Master Class: An Experiment in Worldview Evolution (4.02) Robert Wright - How Right Was Teilhard? (4.43) Brian Thomas Swimme - Noospheric Experience (7.32) Wolfgang Leidhold (8.01)

November 1-5, 2023, online - The Work That Reconnects Network is having its first-ever Gaian Gathering. "The event is online and features a curated mix of world-renowned keynote speakers, skill-building workshops, and live practices of the Work That Reconnects. We’ll also have spaces to express our creativity through art and music, and find community through networking designed for meaningful connections." November 2, 2023, at 1 p.m. PT on Zoom - The Global Kinship Group of Creation Spirituality Communities meets every first Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. PT. This month they will have a webinar presentation by Dr. Ursula Goodenough, PhD: Taking Nature to Mind and Heart: Exploring a Religious Naturalist Orientation. Register here. Members of the Global Kinship community also generally meet on the Monday evening following each webinar; this month it will be on November 13, 2023 at 6 p.m. PT for 20 minutes to "turn our attention to the emerging Noosphere to allow the focus and vision of the presenter to enter our own consciousness, thereby expanding the Noosphere through our meditation." Register here. November 3, 2023, at 3 p.m. PT on Zoom - ProSocial World is presenting a free seminar by Sarah Woods: Fateful Lines – How Changing the Story can Change the World, Sarah, an award-winning playwright, and creative systems thinker, will explore "how working with story and pattern can help reveal fateful lines, and support the current challenges we have as a species, living with other species, on a finite planet." This seminar will be especially of interest to those in the arts attuned to an evolutionary perspective. Register here. November 8, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. PT on Zoom - UCC Environmental Ministries is presenting a webinar: From Greenwashing to Environmental Justice. Panelists will provide a critical assessment of the greenwashing and corporate capture of the upcoming Climate Change Conference (COP28), and will also cast an alternative vision and pathway forward. Register here. Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director, GreenFaith Matthew Illian, Director of Responsible Investing, United Church Funds Rev. Chebon Kernell, Executive Director, Native American Comprehensive Plan Cansın Leylim, Associate Director Global Campaigns, 350.org November 9, 2023, in person only - the Garrison Institute will be hosting Metamorphosis: Create the Transformation We Need Now - "a daylong public forum gathering leaders and practitioners in contemplative-based social change. Many notable individuals will lead dialogues and immersion groups, including Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim." This is an in-person-only event in New York City. Follow Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology on their Facebook page. November 9, 2023, at 2 p.m. PT on Zoom - IRAS will present a webinar with Frank Schaeffer, artist & theologian: The Loneliness Tsunami: A Second Look at the Sexual Revolution. Register here. November 11, 2023, at 6 p.m. PT - Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN) is having a fundraiser Grateful Amicana Benefit Bash at the Bellevue Grange, 1050 Tolman Creek Rd, Ashland, OR. November 14, 2023 - Bioneers Learning is presenting a 4-week course Honoring Your Emotional Ecosystem on Tuesdays starting November 14th through December 5, 2023, from 11 a.m. - to 12:30 p,m., PT led by author, researcher, and emotions-and-empathy expert Karla McLaren, M.Ed., Register here. November 14, 2023, at 5 p.m. PT on Facebook live - Global Ministries is having their EarthKeepers Commissioning celebrating this year’s projects supporting sustainability in resilience, energy, food production, waste management, and more. Fifty-seven leaders will be recognized who are "working to ensure the just restoration and flourishing of God’s creation." Register here. November 17-19 2023 - Human Energy presents the N2 Conference – The Noosphere at 100: The Future of Human Collective Consciousness at the International House, University of California, 2299 Piedmont Ave., Berkeley, CA 94720. The 3-day conference, features thought leaders, scholars across fields, and eminent scientists, including Philip Beesley, Johan Bollen, Anne Clin, John Cressler, Terrence Deacon, Ilia Delio, Ben Goertzel, Francis Heylighten, Kevin Kelly, Robert Lawrence Kuhn, Jaron Lanier, Wolfgang Leidhold, Raphael Liogier, Louis Savary, Gregory Stock, Brian Thomas Swimme, David Sloan Wilson, and others. The program includes plenary and concurrent sessions featuring invited and selected presentations and a selected poster exhibit. The program will be available for free online. November 28, 2023, at 6-7:30 p.m. PT - SOCAN will have their monthly meeting at Medford Public Library, 205 S Central, with Garett Long, Director of Agriculture, Troon Vineyard speaking about Dirty Hands & Clean Hearts: Addressing Soil Health with Biodynamic and Regenerative Farming November 30- December 12, 2023 - in person only in Dubai- The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 28 Pre-sessionals will take place from 24 to 29 November. The overview schedule of the conference is now available. The detailed calendar of events will be published daily throughout the conference. December 9, 2023, from 3-6 p.m. PT - SOCAN will be having a Solstice Gathering to celebrate the season to enjoy good food, drink, and company. Bring an appetizer or dessert to share and your choice of drink. Nonalcoholic spiced cider will be provided.

Thoughts from NPR as you reflect on what makes you most thankful today, think about how to take that energy with you in your daily life: ❤️ Before the first Thanksgiving, local Wampanoags and Indigenous people throughout North America gathered to give thanks 13 times throughout the lunar calendar year. ❤️ Practicing gratitude has benefits to your mental and physical health. NPR's Life Kit spoke to psychologists to create a guide to get better at cultivating gratitude. ❤️ It doesn't take much to find something joyful to be thankful for. Start small with what researchers call "micro-acts" that boost wellbeing.

December 1-3, 2023 online only on Zoom - The Center for Christogenesis is having its Annual Conference: GOD 2.0: Pantheism and Quantum Reality which will explore "how science, culture, and scripture can help us appreciate a wider, more expansive understanding of God in ways that empower us to creatively contribute to the wholeness we seek." Featured speakers include Ilia Delio, Brandon Ambrosino, Jack Caputo, Bruce Epperly, Rami Shapiro, and Catherine Keller. For more information and registration click here. The cost is $180. All registrants will receive recordings of the events. "God is an incomprehensible mystery and our approach to the mystery is shaped by ways of knowing the real, a type of knowledge that cannot be fixed or located in any one age."

November 16, 2023 at noon PT - Electrify Now! is hosting a webinar: All About Gas Leaks. "From catastrophic well leaks to the daily seepage from our stoves, gas leaks are a major reason why “natural” gas (methane) poses such a threat to our health and climate." "Through the lens of one city that is working to understand its gas leak situation, a panel of experts will explain why gas leaks are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and the risk to the health of communities, as well as who is accountable for fixing these leaks." Find out more at Ashland Climate Collaborative. Register for this free event by clicking this link or visit Electrifynow.net.