Worshipping the Ground We Walk On: Global Education Associates
by Carrie Tomko
Free eBook:
|
| Free eBook: The Books of the New Testament |
Gaia: we are the universe reflecting on itself
Will the sex abuse scandal prompt the Bishops to take a critical look at dissenting groups in the Church who enjoy the privilege of calling themselves Catholic while promoting ideas which are not? One group which falls into that category is Global Education Associates (GEA). While not, strictly speaking, a Catholic organization, more than 150 Catholic congregations of women religious make up a large percentage of its membership through the GEA-Religious Orders Partnership.
GEA, founded in 1973 by Gerald and Patricia Mische, is a leading civil society organization working to educate for the emerging global context of human affairs. It has a presence in more than 90 countries and enjoys United Nations NGO status. The organization promotes United Religions Initiative, the Earth Charter, the World Court, and the work of Passionist priest Thomas Berry who is one of their International Advisers.
Two of GEA's affiliates are Genesis Farm, a biodynamic farm run by the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell, New Jersey, and Michaela Farm, also biodynamic, run by the Oldenburg Franciscan sisters. Both farms promote Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) whereby local residents buy shares in the farm and receive in return fruits and vegetables grown on the farm in proportion to their shares. Solstice and Equinox festivals are celebrated on the farm with the shareholders.
The May-August 1999 issue of the GEA newsletter, Breakthrough News, has this to say about Michaela Farm:
Study and discussion of Rudolf Steiner s agricultural lectures (1924), which form the basis for today s biodynamic farming practices, inspired us to even greater efforts to make the connection between food production and the entire universe and to share that learning with others. (p. 13)
Rudolf Steiner, a Rosicrucian Mason, founded the German branch of H. P. Blavatsky's Theosophical Society in 1902, then broke with the Society over his use of Christian terminology to explain Theosophy which conflicted with the Eastern drift of the organization. After the break, he founded the Anthroposophical Society which today is best known for its Waldorf Schools.
The former editor of Breakthrough News, Melissa Merkling, who has co-authored with GEA co-founder Patricia Mische, founded the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School and left GEA to take up the position of administrator of the school.1
Both Michaela Farm and Genesis Farm practice biodynamic farming, a term coined by Steiner to describe his own methods of relating organic farming to the spiritual dimension of the planet. The Anthroposophic Press which publishes Steiner s lectures, in its review of the book says, "His intention was not to teach farming, but to supplement [the farmers] existing sound farming practices with an understanding of the spiritual forces of nature."2
Steiner used a form of spiritualism or trance channeling to acquire his knowledge, accessing the Akashic Record through this process. While he uses Christian terminology to express himself, the ideas he promotes are not Christian, but rather of the New Age/Gnostic variety.
In the May-August 1999 of Breakthrough News a short write-up indicates that,
"Groups of high school and university students visit Genesis Farm to learn about spirituality that connects us intimately with the Earth community, and the Universe and Earth as a story of meaning and context that gives direction to human decisions—we also offer several two-week sessions on Exploring the Sacred Universe, one of which is aimed particularly at educators."
This earth-centered spirituality is much more akin to Gaia worship than to the worship of the Triune God. In the GEA website, the webpage of endorsements offers this quote from their International Advisor Robert Muller: "May God and the cosmic forces bless you for your wonderful work and devotion to our divine Earth and miraculous humanity."
There is further evidence that Global Education Associates has moved away from Christianity and toward a New Age/Theosophical philosophy. The GEA website (http://www.globaleduc.org/rop.htm) indicates that the just held GEA-Religious Orders Partnership 2002 Annual Meeting featured keynote speaker Jean Houston speaking on "The Consciousness of Partnership." Jean Houston's mystery school is based in Theosophy and is the source of Lauren Artress' Veriditas Worldwide Labyrinth Project at Grace Cathedral.
"The Wisdom of [New Age promoter] Charlene Spretnak" is included in the March-June 2002 issue of Breakthrough News (p. 20). In the same issue Dr. Katharine Unger from Columbia University is quoted as saying in reference to Sept. 11, "The towers were so tragically destroyed, it is a reminder of the towers in the tarot card, such an abrupt change and upheaval for so many souls." (p. 15)
Another GEA affiliate, GEA-Upper Midwest, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, directed by Sr. Dorothy Olinger of the School Sisters of Notre Dame of the Mankato Province, offers global education programs in the Upper Midwest region, including presentations, workshops, retreats, study groups and video studies on the topics of earth-rooted spirituality, global consciousness, care of the earth, ecological security, ecofeminism, earth ethics, seasonal rituals and celebrations. Among their offerings is The Council of All Beings, a ritual created by John Seed and Joanna Macy of the Australian Rainforest Information Center. A portion of this ritual, the Cosmic Walk, was created by Sr. Miriam Therese MacGillis, founder of Genesis Farm. This ritual was used at the EarthSpirit Rising Conference held in June 2001 in Louisville, Kentucky, and sponsored by a number of Catholic sisters. It purports to hold a council where humans are not permitted to speak. Each participant contacts an "ally" in the animal/vegetable/mineral kingdom and then speaks for their ally at the council, while wearing a mask which they have made to depict the ally. John Seed s website indicates that the procedure for contacting an ally involves channeling of nature spirits.3
Among GEA's International Advisers are Saul Mendlovitz (a Lindisfarne Fellow), Thomas Berry (a member of the Club of Budapest), Sr. Joan Chittister (new age promoter of women s ordination), Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Hazel Henderson (a Lindisfarne Fellow), Hans Kung, Erwin (sic) Laszlo (member of Club of Rome, founder of Club of Budapest), Bawa Jain (an active promoter of United Religions Initiative), James Parks Morton (Former Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Chairman of Lindiafarne for 25 years, former President of the Temple of Understanding), Robert Muller (Chancellor of UN University for Peace, member of Club of Budapest), Elisabet Sahtouris (Faculty Member, California Institute of Integral Studies), Leonard Swidler (founder of Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church), Robert Traer (well known Unitarian-Universalist peace activist), among a long list of others.
The Catholic Religious contributed over $190,000 to GEA between January 1999 and August 2000.4
Endnotes:
1. Breakthrough News September December 2000 and The Newtown Bee's Official Guide to Newtown. Internet document. URL: http://www.newtownbee.com/bweb/referenc/ed00.asp.
2. Anthroposophic Press. Internet Document. URL: http://www.anthropress.org/BooksPages/Agriculture.htm
3. Invitation on a Shamanic Journey part 2. Internet Document. URL: http://www.rainforestjukebox.org/deep-eco/shaman2.htm
4. Breakthrough News. May-August 2000 (p. 12), January-April 2000 (p. 12), September-December 2000 (p. 12)
© Still Running Off at the Keyboard
This item 7948 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
