“We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility towards our environment.  We seek to live in harmony with nature in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.”

_____________

Principle #2 is a natural outgrowth of Principle #1.  In Principle #1, we defined our world as the life forces marked by the rhythmn of the Moon and Sun and stated that our goal was to attune ourselves to this world through sacred observances.  Principle #2 goes further to state that it is not enough for us to mark time and stay in step if we’re not picking up trash along the way. 

In other words, our actions cannot be totally self-centered.  Although it might not be something you care to hear, if you’re just doing ritual and watching the Wheel turn ’round but you’re not doing anything to protect and preserve that world you claim as sacred, then you’re just going through the motions.  You’re “attuned”, but if the song doesn’t overflow into positive action, then your spiritual path is pretty discordant without the follow-through.

This is something that I feel every modern Wiccan still needs to take into account when reviewing how well they are walking their path.  Do you recycle?  Do you consolidate your shopping trips to minimize fuel consumption?  Do you shop at thrift stores?  Do you eat organic?  Do you complete the recycle cycle and make sure that you also buy products with the highest recycled content possible?  Do you check to see if the products you use are biodegradable?  If they’re tested on animals?  Do you know what fish populations are in decline and do you avoid purchasing these, instead choosing species that are readily available due to sustainable methods? 

The preservation of the world around you is more than just preserving Nature.  It’s also preserving human effort, for we, too, are sacred.  Do you buy local?  Do you opt for items made within your country in order to support your local economy?  Do you keep track of the business practices of the manufacturers of the products you buy in order not to monetarily contribute to poor personnel practices or human rights violations?  Do you deliberately seek to buy quality over quantity, which usually naturally ensures more handmade goods? 

In short, we are endowed with intelligence, and that intelligence brings an obligation to preserve the world that we hold sacred.

The second sentence is tricky.  There’s a lot of big words and prepositions.  However, the second half of Principle #2 very neatly details how our intelligence is to manifest.  It says that (a) we seek to live in ecological balance with Nature, (b) which, in doing, brings our lives and our experience of life (our consciousness) a sense of fulfillment, and (c) that we recognize that things change and we embrace that concept.

Ecology is derived from the Greek root “oikos”, which means “home, a dwelling place”.  The world we live in is more than just our surroundings.  It is our home.   There is a sense of belonging in the word ‘home’.  We like our homes to be places of comfort, safety, and in good order and repair.  How many humans in the modern age look to Nature with this kind of respect and reverence?  The mounding landfills, the toxic waterways, and polluted air we contribute to are a clue.  What if your personal home was piled with old used trash — not just yours, but others’ trash, too — and the air was hazy with industrial smog?  What if I told you that it is — even if you can’t see it every day?  We have a responsibility to the Earth because we know the Earth is more than just land to buy, an asset to sell or bequeath, or our celestial address.  Without an Earth, we would not be alive, and that immense gift of Life deserves our intelligent respect.  We don’t live ON the Earth.  We live WITH the Earth.  If She lives, we live.

This careful stewardship brings us a sense of fulfillment.  It makes our experience of life that much more full.  We are here in the moment, enjoying the sunrise, the scent of honeysuckle on a May breeze, the warmth of a summer afternoon, the cool touch of an autumn night.  We find pleasure in the taste of spices and fruits and all the wondrous plants that feed us.  If we are inclined to participate in the sacrificial round of eating animal flesh, then we have even more responsibility to do so ethically.  Tell me, do you pray before meals?  Do you give thanks for what has died that you may live?  Do you realize that your fork holds the body of the cosmos?  There is no fulfillment without reverence.

Yet, even though the Moon and Sun continue in their sacred rounds with little variance, we are not so naive as to believe that nothing changes.  Moreover, we believe that the changes in our world are for betterment and adaptation.  As the world changes, we seek to change with it.  This isn’t a radical concept if you’re a plant or an animal.  Frankly, they’re better at it than we are.  When the world changes, plants and animals either adapt or they die.  Slow environmental changes allow for maximum potential for adaptation.  Radical changes tend to bring dessimation of species.  Sadly, the changes in the last 150 years have been extreme.  We are losing species left and right because human involvement has altered the state of the environment to a point that gradual adaptation isn’t possible.

Ironically, our intelligence seems to be inversely proportionate to our instincts.  We can’t seem to grasp that this is the only planet we have — it is only recently that children have been taught conservation in schools as part of the standard curriculum.  There is such a surplus in the Western world that we have too many choices, too much stuff, and we spend our money to increase things in our lives instead of furthering our causes and ideals. 

Our intelligence could be used to make up for our lost alignment with the planet — indeed, our Principles state that this is precisely what we aim to do — but more often than not, our intelligence is seen as a carte blanche to see just how far we can go.   I am reminded of one of my favorite lines from the movie, Jurassic Park, in which Jeff Goldblum’s character states, “We are so busy wondering whether or not we can, we never stop to think about whether or not we SHOULD.”  Indeed, it is our intelligence that is our tragic flaw.  For it is our salvation, and our undoing.

Wiccans own the power of the mind and the intelligence that is intrinsic to our species.  We dedicate this intelligence to the preservation of our home, for we know that this brings fulfillment to the experience of living.  We know that the world will change, but we are uniquely equipped to change with it, that we may stay attuned.  Ours is a good way.  Ours is a way of life.

Follow-up Questions for Readers:

1.  Do you agree with Principle #2?  Why or why not?

2.  How does stewardship of the Earth fit in with your path? 

3.  Is a life of ecological balance possible in the modern age?  Explain.

4.  How is a balanced life a fulfilled life?  Would you agree with this statement?

5.  To what extent is it a Wiccan’s responsibility to encourage others — who may not be Wiccan — to life in harmony with the Earth?  In what ways could a Wiccan do this?  Are these things you do regularly? 

6.  Principles In Action:  Choose three things that you will commit to doing this year to put this principle in action for yourself and your family.  You might finally get around to recycling everything.  You might begin making regular donations to your local conservation society.  You might choose to be a more ethical shopper.  There are many things you can do to integrate new habits and make Principle #2 a part of your life.

_____________

Photo by Eddi o7 (via Flickr).