The Green Devotional: Active Prayers for a Healthy Planet

By Karen Speerstra

Secular and sacred, ancient and new, words for contemplation—and inspiration to act in defense of the earth.

Our planet, our home, is in crisis, plain and simple—and this collection of quotes, poems, essays, and prayers will inspire all to actively reverse the man-made causes of global warming, stem the tide of environmental destruction, and reconnect to the good earth.

Short essays of topical interest introduce each of the eight sections of this book, and the 250 voices inside, most of them contemporary, began to harmonize together as they seem to call out for their own canonical structure — one bounded by the ancient elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water. This collection of voices is like a “green book of devotional hours,” reminiscent of the Books of Hours medieval people used to hold in their palms. And like that medieval book, The Green Devotional reminds us that we are connected to something broader and wiser than ourselves.

Including selections from Rachel Carson, Cornel West, Bill McKibben, Alice Walker, Sue Monk Kidd, Dean Koontz, Barbara Kingsolver, Daniel Pinchbeck, Arundhati Roy, and many others, The Green Devotional ends with a section of “Closing Prayers” that prepare us not just to go to sleep, but to rest up for another day of passionate action.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jan 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781609250966

Book preview

Introduction

For some reason, perhaps known only to the archangels, we humans were given the gift of Choice. Free Will. It's hard-wired into us at birth. When we overlook or undervalue our choices, it's easy to imagine we're victims. Our mouths are quick to form questions like Why me? Why this? Why now?

In times of crisis—and planet earth IS in crisis—we look around for something to hang on to. And when we grab for it, we notice other people reaching out to us. We hear voices asking, How can I help? What do you need?

No time was this more evident than when New York's World Trade Center towers crumpled on September 11, 2001, spewing ash and fear of terrorism around the world. But across the street from the towers, a tiny Episcopal church called St. Paul's Chapel and its 200-year-old cemetery remained unscathed. Some say that this building, which resembles London's St. Martin-in-the-Fields, was spared because a large sycamore tree bore the brunt of the winds. Others claim that homeless people who slept there the night before had left some windows open, inadvertently keeping the little church from exploding. Whatever the reason, that morning's deadly breezes blew through one of Manhattan's oldest buildings, over George Washington's chair, past the handmade door hinges, grazing a painting of the Great Seal of the United States and—whoosh!—out the other side.

Overnight, St. Paul's Chapel became a haven for rescue workers—a place where they could sit, eat a snack, cry, sip some water, and maybe stretch out on a pew. It truly transformed into what a church is meant to be: a sanctuary. For eight months, volunteers came from all over to work twelve-hour shifts, to counsel and care for the fire-fighters, police, construction workers, and countless others needing to escape the aura of death, if only for a few quiet moments. Volunteer podiatrists set up shop in George Washington's boxed pew to heal bruised and battered feet. Who better to recognize the need to attend to injured feet than the General? Massage therapists, chiropractors, musicians, food servers—they all came to help. These volunteers embodied active prayer. Soon after the attack, the folks running St. Paul's decided to remove its historic pews, except for George Washington's and the pew where New York's first governor sat. As you might imagine, this decision was not without its conflicting viewpoints. But finally the church council agreed to take them out in order to accommodate all the makeshift cots, allowing weary workers to rest more easily. After the crisis was over, they decided to leave the pews out—all but one. Gouged by firefighter's equipment and scuffed by rubber boots, that one lonely pew stands near St. Paul's front doors to remind visitors of the heroes who momentarily rested there. St. Paul's has more flexible seating now, and its doors remain open as gentler winds continue to blow through.

Veriditas

As we learned during our Crayola days, yellow and blue combine to form green. Chemistry class taught us that copper turns green when a thin surface patina of complicated chemistry combines water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. If you warm iodine crystals, you get a yellow-green fluorescence; green comes from algae in water, hydrogen in ice. Silicates and oxides bonding. Chlorophyll in leaves. Nitrogen in diamonds. Chemists tell us that the formula for emerald green is Cu(CH3COO)2As2O4.

But most of us don't speak in letters and subscripts, and a small percentage of us (more men than women) have eyes that lack green-sensitive cones. Even if we're not colorblind, we may overlook the color green. As a result, we sometimes miss the iridescence on a hummingbird's wing, the green flash of a dragonfly, the jeweled turquoise in a peacock feather, or the rare flash of green in the setting sun. And we may not be fully aware of how much earth needs us to green up. Right now.

This collection of grace notes, of green plainsongs, seeks to value all shades of green. Just as green ripples from yellowy-chartreuse to deep jade, each of us views our planet on a spectrum. For some, earth is still a paradise. For others, it's a garden. A home. A gift. A way station to something better. A test pad or proving ground. And for far too many of us, it's a rich supply of goodies to use or to hoard.

As we green up together, we sense many shades of our communal spirituality blowing through. We ponder who the I is in Hildegard of Bingen's words that begin this book. I am the breeze that nurtures all things green. It doesn't matter how we define that I or how we describe and hold our individual beliefs. The important thing is that the same breeze wafts over us all. We hear voices in concert, but our spirituality takes many forms; the active prayers within these pages may not always fit your own definition of prayer. In her book God in All Worlds, Lucinda Vardey puts it this way: Spiritual truth requires deep commitment to the divine in ourselves and others and can lead to transcended states of awareness, of consciousness that unites the mind, the heart and the soul. Spirituality is about being open to different realities of existence, about being guided by our intuition, which is nothing less than the truth within us.

In an attempt to find some of those truths within, we include here 350 bits of devotional wisdom. Three hundred fifty is a planet-saving number. Scientists such as NASA's Jim Hanson have warned us for a few years that when our atmosphere holds up to 350 parts-per-million of carbon dioxide, our earth has a fever. We know what fevers can lead to. In our planet's case, polar ice melts faster and faster. Ocean temperatures rise. Coral reefs turn gray. We hovered around the 280 mark for a while, which was high, but not terribly dangerous. But the figure has continued to rise. Now we're approaching stroke time. By burning more and more fossil fuels (coal's a big contributor—and there may be no such thing as clean coal as far as CO2 is concerned), at the time of this writing we've reached 385. This is very bad news, because we've already passed earth's safety threshold, and no one is sure if we can bring her fever down. Soon we will likely reach the point of no return, unless we act with great concerted effort. To do that, governments will have to cooperate.

Bill McKibben, prolific author, professor, activist, and the fellow Vermonter's voice you'll often find in this book, once quipped: You're going to fix global warming by changing lightbulbs? Try changing your politicians instead. Screw in a new Congressperson.

As President Obama often points out, government cannot reverse global warming by itself. But it was our government that did not regulate, that let corporations get us into this mess. Paradoxically, it is business, encouraged by our government, that will have to figure out how to reduce carbon footprints through offsets, paybacks, barters, and other innovative measures. Scientists gave us nuclear energy, and it is scientists who now must figure out how to keep us safe. Each of us is also to blame, so each of us now needs to seriously think about how we live here and how much carbon dioxide we're individually pumping out. Snow machines, for instance, pump out more carbon dioxide than emission-controlled cars. Even though most of us don't think much about chemistry, carbon dioxide is one chemical term we all need to understand. And 350 is a number that Bill McKibben and many others think should be ingrained onto our collective psyche. Church bells should ring out 350 times to remind people how important three-five-oh is to our very survival.

For those of us who use books like this one as a daily devotional resource, we've added sixteen more prayers in the final chapter—one extra for a leap year—for a total of 366 prayers. There are no dates attached. Your green devotional year might begin on Earth Day. Or your birthday. Or on January first. How you use this book is totally up to you.

Arne Næss, the mountain-climbing Norwegian philosopher who gave us the term deep ecology, also coined the term ecosophy. It melds ecology, the study of relationships, with sophia, the Greek word for wisdom. This, then, could be called a little book of ecosophy, because it contains a selection of today's wisdom about earth—secular and sacred, ancient and current. It speaks to numerous topics related to climate change and the care of our planet and everything that lives here. These voices, in concert, were selected and organized to inspire, to enrich, to support, and sometimes to challenge us as we face the future together.

Kermit the Frog told us, "It's not

Reviews for The Green Devotional

[biunicorn_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Green DevotionalActive Prayers for a Healthy Planetby Karen SpeerstraThis 253 page stunner really opened my eyes to our planet, our plight, and what we as inhabitants on Mother Earth can do to help her grow and heal. This boisterous hero tells us in many enlightened voices how to wake up, seize the day and become responsible global citizens. I thought the layout of this book was fantastic, the way the author divided the categories by elements, and had so many striking quotes for each section. The 16 closing prayers in the back touched me so deeply and were very helpful.I think the thing that so woke me up and made me pay attention was the energy of passion, concern and hope that came through so clearly in this awesome champion. I also loved the personal stories and the heartfelt suggestions and information throughout this helpful find. I would recommend this much needed guide to anyone concerned about our planet and what we can do to help. Thanks Karen, for taking on this immense labor of love.Love & Light,Riki Frahmann

[librarianistbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Green Devotional is a collection of short readings, sayings or quotes on environmental themes, organized into categories such as "Earth," "Air," "Time," and "Space." The selections are not organized by date, so you can dip into this book for inspiration whenever you'd like. There are also four pages of recommended further readings.The author has written introductions to each category that do a good job of setting the stage for the readings to follow. Overall, I found the selections to be interesting and varied. Most of them provide a source to go along with the original author, but some are presented with only a name, which would make tracking down the rest of the selection difficult.

[branadain · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sort of a thematic collection of quotes--one theme being, obviously, environmentalism; but also other progressive causes relating to human rights. The mixture of old and contemporary sources was a nice approach. We get not just the usual mixture of Classical and Native American sayings, but also Desmond Tutu and Rachel Carson. Well worth dipping into from time to time.

[paolasp_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I immediately enjoyed that this book was separated by elements. It gave it a very Pagan feel to me that resonated with my tree loving self. I was surprised to see this because the use of the words devotional & prayer threw me off at first. The author does warn you that this is not a book to read in a linear manner but one to jump around to different poems, quotes and essays that may inspire you. So I have done that sporadically and found the material in the book to be refreshing & definitely inspiring. I would definitely recommend it to folks who love Nature!

[ostara45 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Green Devotional is great little book. Karen Speerstra did an excellent job of dividing the book, not into days of the year or even seasons, but into the elemental forces of the planet: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Since the book talks about Active Prayers for a Healthy Planet, this was exactly how she needed to do it. She adds to these, other elements which she considers almost as important: Time, Space and Essence. In the beginning she tells you to read what you like, it’s not a book that needs to be read straight through. I would add to that it’s not a devotional to read at night before you retire. This is a “thinking” book. You have to stop for a few minutes and think about what you’ve just read. I would recommend it for the office. In times of stress, when a break from your regular work is needed, this would be great to pick up, read what Speerstra calls “prayer”. This will certainly take your mind off of a stressful day and give you something else to think about. Because they are sentences, short poems or paragraphs, they can be quickly read and absorbed with as much thought and time as you have.I think it is a wonderful book that I would recommend to any of my ecologically minded friends or those I was trying to win over!!

[lilinah_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is my preliminary review. I am about halfway through the book.I'm sad to say that this was a disappointing book. The author's intent was admirable, to create a book that would inspire action, action to helping heal and preserve the natural world on which we all depend for the sustainance of life. Instead i found it dull and soporific. It is clear that the author cares about her topic, but the quotes she selected were frequently one or two sentences taken out of a much larger context, often obscuring the real meaning of the original writer.I liked the arrangement into chapters titled Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Time, Space, and Essence. But quite a few of the quotes seemed out of place. This made me wonder if perhaps the author was working to a deadline and let it get the better of her.Parts of the book are truly inspirational, but ultimately I think the book fails.

[dunyazade_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was hoping for something as wide and deep and as well organized as the Oxford Book of Prayer, but with a focus on environmental topics. Instead, this is a book of quotations – not prayers for the most part, but more on that in a moment -- with only the loosest organization around chapter headings of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Time, Space, and Essence. The Introduction makes much of offering “350 bits of devotional wisdom” – 350 being a reference to the warning that 350 parts-per-million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere constitutes a danger point -- so I expected 7 chapters with 50 readings in each one, plus 16 closing prayers, adding up to a year’s worth of devotions. However, the chapters vary in their number of readings; for example, the Water chapter has only 32, and eight of those don’t mention water at all. Each chapter begins with a short essay that largely lacks references for the experts it quotes. There is no numbering scheme and no index of authors or topics. That brings me to the selection of readings. In her Introduction, the author sets out her goal – “to value all shades of green.” However, the book seems top-heavy with contemporary prose quotations from Euro-American authors. Environmental concerns are not new to the religions of the world, yet their voices seem to have been pushed to the background with only a few selections from sacred scriptures that have been sounding the green bell for centuries. For example, when I hear Psalm 98 say, “Let the rivers clap their hands, and let the hills ring out with joy,” I feel the anguish of those streams and mountains that are choked or crushed and far from joyous, but that verse is missing from the chapter on Water, where it would fit nicely. The abundance of indigenous wisdom is commendable, although concentrated among North American sources. I would have preferred more poetry, too. And why is there nothing (at least nothing that I could find) from Van Jones, as a representative of inspiring African-American activists in this field?Even with its weak organization and somewhat narrow selections, this devotional volume offers an interesting challenge in its subtitle “Active Prayers for a Healthy Planet.” As the author explains in the Introduction, “the active prayers within these pages may not always fit your own definition of prayer.” They remind me of Pray the News, the one-time effort of Carmelite nuns in Indianapolis, who “placed ourselves and our prayerful energy into situations of distress in the world.” The readings vary from the inspirational to the confrontational, but are always capable of stimulating a response. Even if the response is, “I can’t stand to read another depressing fact about what bad shape the Earth is in,” that’s a response worth our meditation. In conclusion, this is an interesting effort, but not the ideal, mature environmental devotional that truly honors “all shades of green” from all continents and a balanced variety of sources from the streams of indigenous wisdom, the world’s religions, and contemporary science and environmental advocacy. It will probably be a welcome addition, though, to the shelves of public speakers who need a handy set of quotations on environmental topics.

[mindfulone_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting collection of quotes, and I like the way the book is organized into elements (Earth, Air, Water, etc.) While the quotes are interesting, they didn't strike me as inspirational in the way the word "devotional" suggests. I don't like the editor's writing style, either. In general I'd be inclined to seek out the primary sources (the texts from which these quotes were taken) for a richer connection with the concepts and writers; this book is helpful in pointing those out. I would not, however, pay $15 for this book. I own another book, Earth Prayers From around the World: 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth, which I have found more fulfilling as a devotional.

[kaelirenee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was originally going to rate this book lower than 4 stars because of the author's writing (more later), but I noticed that after putting the book down, I kept thinking about ways to improve my impact on the Earth and remained mindful of the effect of my actions. This is the goal of this book. The Green Devotional is written and its quotes collected from a clearly New Age mindset--there is something spiritual about all things and all faith traditions have something to contribute. It also falls into the 'Noble Savage' idea a few too many times.I think there must be something in here for everyone (at least, something for everyone likely to be attracted to a book like this). Some of the more stirring quotes.meditations for me include:"Blessed Goddess, hear the prayers of your children,and make the increase of the fruits and grains your constant care,with the fertile seasons your handmaidens,draw near, and bless your supplicants." -This was one of the few actual prayers included."To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves." -Many quotes were more like this; thoughts that could serve as motivation or ideas upon which to meditate.There was also one I liked for my kids:"It really isn't garbage till you mix it all together.It really isn't garbage till you throw it away.Just separate the plastic, paper, compost, glass and metalAnd then you get to use it all another day."But far more seemed silly inclusions, pointless, or completely random inclusions (especially in the sections she created), such as:"An open bank account allows money to flow in. An open heart allows money to flow out. In the end, it's flowing love that counts." -Far too many quotes were random book extracts or illogical statements like this.I really like the idea of this book and have noted some of my favorite quotes in it, so that when I want something to turn back to, I can skip some of the less poignant quotes. I also wanted to skip the introductory texts at the start of each chapter. Some were well-written or thought through. Most were a bit banal and took away from the idea of a Green Book of Hours. It was also rather distracting to have the book separated into eight sections based on elements, then to have her not follow any kind of theme within them. Oh well. It's still a good addition to any environmentalist's library and could be very useful for Unitarian ministers looking for help writing sermons.As a random aside, for anyone who has read Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood: A Novel, this book struck me as something that the God's Gardeners would have used as their prayer book.