Sanctuaries

What are sanctuaries?

The physical sites of the Sanctuaries of the Earth Mother will vary significantly in how they look, especially since they will appear in diverse ecosystems around the country – and the world. Each will also have slightly different uses based on the will of the circle of people running it. Yet each will work within the mission of SOTEM.

The first Sanctuary we see is a large property with diverse natural resources. Places to build – and places to grow food. Places to sit quietly and learn – and places for group ceremonies. Places for people – and places for other creatures. The majority of the land will remain untouched, being kept in its natural state as much as possible.

Buildings will all be green construction, and as much power as possible will be generated by eco-friendly means: wind, solar, and water. Housing units will be small, and a communal building for teaching and eating will be present. Other temporary structures would appear as needed and be removed when their use was complete. Some people will live on the land and be caretakers for the land and all the people and creatures who come to it. They will also be teachers about the land and its’ uses. Other people will come, stay and teach and learn, and then go out to teach others. Still others – elders well versed in the wisdom of the elders and people educated in sustainable land use – will come periodically and share their knowledge. Children will be welcomed at all times and for as long as they wish to stay so they may learn, understand and accept the changes we need in how we live. Groups of young people will always be present so they, too, can mentor other children when they leave. Service groups, such as AmeriCorps, will be welcomed in to work the land and learn, from an experiential approach, the old and new ways to work with the land and the people.

What is their purpose?

By Sharon Bar-Or of Haifa

A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. The use of such places as a safe haven, by extension, the term has come to be used for any place of safety.

We have walked on this Earth for millions of years; as animals, as trees, as stones and rocks, and now, as our ancestors have walked on this Earth, we are being asked to walk, step by step, one-hearted spirit, as ONE.

We have survived but not flourished. Now we must live through a time of united work and energy, not just between human spirits but also by connecting to our animal roots and animal guides, with the history and stories that are hidden in the essence of our Earth Mother. The past experiences are being recreated like an unstoppable heartbeat so we will be able to learn, teach, and create a truthful, colorful, and harmonized future for the seven generations because we are a part of them.

In the first days of our Earth, all seven continents were united as one continent. As the years went by, the Earth Mother changed her appearance but not her spirit as the continents started to form. The colors of the rainbow the people represent even today: White, Red, Yellow, Brown, and Black evolved and populated the continents. As the colors of the rainbow are connected to each other, so are all the colors of the human spirit. We complete one another in a circle because deep within, we are all part of the Earth.

We are not here to own our Earth but to learn from it, teach from it, even as we are meant to learn and teach from one another, from all living things around us. By sharing the wisdom that our Earth Mother is so determined to show us, and with our ability to learn and teach one another and to stand equally in our circle with no judgment or expectation, we help by empowering the balance with these connecting lines between the links of our circle we create the Sanctuaries of the Earth Mother, or to make things a bit shorter – SOTEM.

We believe in the form and power, and energy of the circle. It’s not a coincidence that in the first days of our planet Earth, the seven continents were one. Now, as we come full circle, we are asked to be one between the seven continents for the good of the seven generations.

Sanctuaries of the Earth Mother are not a destination but a journey – A cornerless circle that has begun as a vision and will never end. SOTEM is to be timeless and limitless.

It’s the beginning of a synergy that contains the old and the young, men and women, animals of all kinds, trees, rocks, stones, oceans, seas, rivers, night skies and day skies, Red, Yellow, White, Brown, and Black all covered by the Green of our Earth Mother and only then the door to the road of the Rainbow will be opened to us.

“I have always seen the Sanctuaries as places where humans and other creatures have a safe haven as the major changes now enveloping our planet play themselves out. In these places, humans are to learn to again to live in harmony with the Earth Mother, taking only what we need. The primary, over-arching goal is to pass on to our descendants a more sustainable, friendlier, more humane place to live the current legacies we seem to be creating. In the way of Native Americans and many indigenous people around the planet, every action we propose should never be made without considering the impacts seven generations forward. That is, what will the action mean to our children’s children?”  ~ Jim Graywolf Petruzzi.