Why This? And Why Now?

In 1987 the rock group R.E.M. published a song entitled "It's the End of the World as We Know It." It mentioned earthquakes, hurricanes, and several other disasters that we've been facing for ... well, as long as we've been around.

Trouble is, now we're facing a whole collection of new crises that might actually mean the end of the world as we know it. Not the end of the world - Gaia will survive, and a lot of the other animals will survive - it's just the end of the world as we know it. (The cockroaches, for example, are going to survive, no matter what else happens.) What kind of crises? Here are the big three:

• The end of the age of oil - we're running out of easily retrievable oil. Not out of oil, just out of oil that can be pulled from the ground for less money than the producers can sell it for. This means that oil, and all the products made from it, are going to get more and more expensive as the Law of Supply and Demand kicks in. We've known about this for 40 years, and have done nothing. Every President since Nixon has tried to reduce this country's dependence on oil; none have succeeded.
  
  
• The changes in the world's climate - many people call this "global warming." That's true to some extent: the average temperature of the world's atmosphere is increasing. However, it's more complicated than that. For example, as more ice melts in the far north, that will decrease the overall salinity of the ocean. That, in turn, will slow the great Atlantic ocean current that brings warm water up from the tropics to the coast of Europe; and that will drop Europe's temperatures significantly.
  
  
• The instability of the economic system - the crash of 2007 showed us just how fragile, even unstable, the global financial system is. Human greed, it seems, is no respecter of persons; anyone who can think up a new way to make money, no matter who or how many are hurt, does it - and usually makes out like a bandit. What about the rest of us? Will there be an inflation or a deflation? Depends on who you listen to; the only points of agreement are that something is coming, and it isn't going to be good.

I'll stop here. If you want a more complete list, visit the Gaia Spirituality web site.

Next, consider this parable by modern prophet Mike Ruppert:

Imagine for a moment that you are on the Titanic and it's already hit the iceberg. There are three types of passengers aboard the Titanic. First there are the people who believe the Titanic is unsinkable, because that's what they've been told; they'd rather go back to the bar and enjoy the dancing. Next you have people who are in a state of shock; they're either immobilized by fear or panicking. Finally, you have the people who see that there's a problem and want to learn (and teach) how to build lifeboats.

The question is: Which group are you going to spend your time with?

The trouble with Mr. Ruppert is that he completely ignores the spiritual dimension. There is a storm coming - and that doesn't just mean the next big hurricane washing oil and toxic dispersant onto the Gulf coast. American civilization, and maybe even human civilization, is facing an unprecedented crisis. Yes, we're going to have to do mundane, physical things to prepare ourselves for the coming times; but just as importantly, we're going to have to prepare ourselves spiritually.

Spiritual preparation - spiritual life - involves two dimensions: individual spirituality and a supportive spiritual community. Gaia Wicca is a community of people whose spirituality is centered around a Wiccan view of themselves, the world, and the Divine. We support each other to live lives aware of the spiritual dimension of life, and we support each other to thrive during both the present times and the times that are coming.

For a positive, though non-spiritual, view of what it means to thrive during and after the coming transition, see the web site of Transition Austin.