Dear Waterspirit community,
Please accept my best wishes for your health and well-being. We have all been impacted by this crisis, but my heart goes out especially to those who have lost loved ones and those who are laboring or living in unsafe conditions. I extend a special prayer for our sister ministry, Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, NJ.
I wish to take this moment to discuss how the pandemic has impacted Waterspirit. Our team has been working from home since March 13. With shocking rapidity, we watched the pandemic unfold in New Jersey and proceeded to shift course. Unfortunately, this quick change and lockdown meant that we have not yet had the opportunity to adequately celebrate the retirement of our dear administrative assistant, Barbara Hrubecky. If you would like to send her a note, please do so at water (at) waterspirit (dot) org, and we will make sure she receives it.
Our programming--which had happened almost entirely in-person—is, for the time being, happening exclusively online. Since direct contact with the earth and with each other was so central to Waterspirit’s way of being in the world, the shift to the digital was abrupt and, at first, a little alienating. Yet, the energetic flow between our hearts has perhaps never been more important than it is now. We continue to offer ways to come together using digital tools, including Zoom, social media, and YouTube. Our 10-step eco-anxiety support group that ended in early April has evolved into open “Connection in the Time of Coronavirus” community care calls. Participants engage in reflection, share resources, and actively listen in order to cultivate and sustain a network of support. The next 10-step eco-anxiety support group will launch on May 27 and run through August 10. New “Meditation for Earth” videos are posted on our YouTube channel every Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. Our book club met over Zoom during Earth Week and is preparing to meet virtually again on June 29. We are currently in the process of planning for the summer solstice— by hosting an interactive digital ceremony on June 20, as well as by sending out suggestions for commemorative practices at home. We will remain entirely digital through the end of June, and are still waiting to see what the summer will bring.
As you can see, the shift online has not slowed down the pace at Waterspirit. We are, however, allowing our team ample time to engage in self-care. The long-term impacts of this crisis are too nebulous to understand fully now, so we need to keep ourselves centered and clear for the long haul if need be.
One thing is certain: whatever way this pandemic plays out, we will emerge from it into a world that is still in the midst of a climate crisis. The question before us now is what lessons we will take away from this experience and what kind of world we want to build from it. Business-as-usual—the old, destructive paradigm—is never going to be usual again. (Or, if it is, it will not be for long.) This is why we have not missed a beat with our advocacy efforts to block fossil fuel expansion in the state of New Jersey and to connect with other like-minded justice advocates at the United Nations. Thankfully, the world is home to a vast network of caring, engaged people who are also collectively imagining into being a new, more just world. In order to focus on hopeful solutions, Waterspirit will begin hosting a series of informal “Waterside Chats”, beginning with a discussion of Laudato Si’ with Waterspirit board member, Father Edward J. Ciuba. More “Waterside Chats” will follow as we continue to learn and imagine what we would like to world to look like together.
I invite you to reach out to us at any time. We are still checking the mail and the phones as well as our e-mail and social media, and we would love to hear from you. What do you need to see at this time? What kind of programming would be interesting and useful? How can we be there to help?
With love, light, and gratitude,
Blair Nelsen, Executive Director