Monday, August 25, 2014

The Covenant of the Goddess adopts formal position on environmental issues.

  
The Covenant of the Goddess
P.O. Box 12193, San Bernardino, CA 92423-2193


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


ATLANTA, GA - On Aug. 22 the Covenant of the Goddess (CoG), a 39-year-old national organization representing Witches and Wiccans, adopted a formal statement and policy regarding the environment. Approved on Friday at the yearly national business meeting, the statement reads:

We, members of the Covenant of the Goddess, honor the sacredness of Planet Earth and Mother Nature. 

We honor the powers of Air and we rejoice in breathing fresh air and in all the creatures of air. We support efforts to protect the atmosphere that shields our planet and to ensure that our air is clean and refreshing.

We honor the fire of the Sun above and the fire within our Earth -- the fires that warm us and transform us. We support efforts to provide sustainable energy to fuel our future without further damaging our ecosystem.

We honor the Waters of Life – springs, rivers, lakes and oceans – and the waters of our bodies – blood, sweat and tears --the waters that keep our bodies and our dreams fluid and ever-changing. We cherish all the creatures of water. We believe that access to clean water is a basic right, and thus we oppose privatization of water sources and efforts to deny anyone access to those sources. We support efforts to prevent and reverse pollution of our waters, to preserve groundwater, marshlands and the oceans that embrace our world.

We honor the Earth, our bodies, trees and plants, animals and rocks, and all that is manifest on this plane of existence. We support efforts to remediate damage, to conserve natural resources, to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity, and to maintain wilderness areas.

We stand at the Center, mindful of our interdependence as part of the Web of Life. We commit to support efforts to rebalance our wondrous world for future generations.

We know that climate change presents an imminent threat to humanity and other life on Earth. Since this imbalance is caused by human activity, we humans must accept responsibility for our actions and seek to reverse the damage and restore the balance.

We support local, regional, national, and global efforts to conserve natural resources, to seek clean, sustainable sources of energy, and to rebalance our world.

The CoG environmental statement was originally proposed and developed by longtime member and national CoG interfaith representative M. Macha NightMare (Aline O'Brien.) She said, "It gives me a great sense of accomplishment that we, the Witches of the Covenant of the Goddess, have crafted a statement about our beloved Mother Earth that reflects our shared values and expresses our mutual concern for our planet, as well as our responsibilities for its current state and our hope for the future. Having this official statement on behalf of the entire membership will be immensely helpful to those of us who work in interfaith arenas. I am proud to have it to share.

For more information about the environmental statement or Covenant of the Goddess, contact Heather Greene, pio@cog.org

The Covenant of the Goddess is a nonprofit 501c3 organization that has represented Witches and Wiccans for 39 years. Beginning in 1975, the Covenant of the Goddess has worked diligently to secure legal protection for Witches and Wiccans, provide ministerial credentials, offer education through interfaith outreach or collaboration, and foster community within its membership. For more information go to www.cog.org 


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