There is an intimate connection between Pantheism andhuman aesthetics. Our sense of nature’s overwhelmingbeauty, and the variety, complexity and interwovenness of thatbeauty is perhaps what gives us the deepest feeling of awe andwonder at the universe.
The sight of setting suns and cloud-wreathed mountainsmay be what inspires most humans who follow even theisticdeities to believe in the power and wisdom of their gods. Yettheism also contains within its theology a diversion ofattention and feeling away from nature itself, to the supposedinvisible creator who lies behind it. Pantheists are more likelyto marvel at nature as its own collective creation, more likelyto focus intensely on what they see and sense for its own sake,rather than as a reflection of something beyond it.
Naturalistic pantheists with a scientific bent may wonderhow such a powerful feeling of affinity can arise within them.
For me, it is a feeling of identity, based on natural butwonderful causes. First of these is that we evolved withinnature and we have an inborn tendency to love thematrix from which we emerged. This is whatAmerican naturalist E. O. Wilsoncalls “biophilia,” which he definesas “the innately emotional affiliationof human beings to other livingorganisms.” This feeling gave us anevolutionary advantage in the past,and helps to motivate us to defendnature today. It helps to explain our
love of animals and landscapes, and our desire to surroundourselves with pets and houseplants and gardens.
But our aesthetic fascination with nature goes deeper thanthis. It extends into the basic forms found in nature: spirals,radials, spheres, honeycombs, crackings, branchings, stripes,waves and turbulent flows. We find these forms repeated inmany different animate and inanimate fields, and fractally atmany different levels: branching in arteries, trees, rivers andlightning; turbulence in clouds and liquids; cracking in skinand clay and bark; radial forms in sea creatures and stars;spirals in shells and galaxies and whirlpools. This fascinationwith form could also have a partly evolutionary explanation:our tendency to recognize and love of these patterns woulddrive us to reproduce them, and give us an impetus to tool-making and art.
There is also an even more abstract level of fascination,related to mathematics. Our attraction to relationships basedon the golden ratio 1 : 1.618 (see page 3) is one example.
Others are our fascination with musical harmonies, whichhave been known since the time of Pythagoras to be
connected with simple mathematical ratios.
What are we to make of theseenigmatic numerical relationships?
Platonists and other theists mightargue that these numbers, like othersthat show up in maths and nature, areideas in the mind of God, which Godused when designing nature. Our soulshave access to these numbers on thespiritual plane, and so find them
attractive.
Naturalistically-inclined folk wouldsee things very differently. Both nature and the
human brain are constructed of physical entitiesand energy flows, and these combine and relate in
certain mathematical relationships according to the
THE QUARTERLYMAGAZINE OF THE
WORLD PANTHEISTMOVEMENT pan
ISSUE NUMBER 9 • AUTUMN 2002
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WPM art and photography galleries: http://community.webshots.com/album/39622611gbwMMH
Editorial: Paul Harrison Design and UK production: First Image US printing and distribution: Blessed Bee Inc.
Pantheist art:the primacy of nature
“From my earliest youth I have beenspellbound by the formal beauty ofliving things. Nature creates in herwomb an inexhaustible wealth ofwondrous forms, whose beauty and varietyoutreach by far all human-created art.”Ernst Haeckel, Art Forms in Nature
properties of energy and matter. The fact
that we construct mathematics and that
maths corresponds to nature - the fact
that we find certain mathematical ratios
in nature pleasing - these wonders are
not an expression of our unity as spirits
with an invisible spirit being. They are an
expression of our unity and community
with the natural world. They are not a
sign of our character as primarily
spiritual entities, but as physical beings
comfortably seated in a physical world.
Art as a form of sciencePantheists have a special fondness for
nature’s own creations, and for artists
who deal with nature's beauty. Many
artists have been primarily concerned
with nature. The stress on nature in
Chinese and Japanese art reflects the
centrality of nature in Taoist and Zen
thought. In the case of Western nature
artists we can’t conclude from a focus on
nature that they were pantheists -
though we can conclude that nature was
central to their thinking and activity.Whether we know what their religiousbeliefs were, or not, there are somenature artists like John Constable,Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keefe or AndyGoldsworthy where one feels at least apantheistic feeling towards nature. Theirwork reveals a deep obsession withnature, a consistent programme ofinvestigation of nature, pursued withcommitment and dedication.
Can there be an explicitly pantheistform of visual art? What would be thecharacter of a pantheist artist? There'sno question of orthodoxy here - althoughmost artists adopt one or other dominantapproach from their times, all artists areindividualists. It’s a question more of thesource of inspiration and the focus ofattention. For the pantheist artist natureis central. Art can never rival nature.Evolution - the continual refinement ofliving and non-living forms in interactionwith each other - produces endlessvariations and marvels, from the tinyarchitectural shells of radiolaria anddiatoms and the microscopic sculpturesof pollen, to the eyes painted on a malepeacock’s ostentatious tail.
Pantheist artists produce reflectionsof nature, meditations on nature,variations on nature. At their very best, ifthey have instinctive access, they canbecome a byway of evolution, a creator ofnew forms that spring from the samefountains of creativity that engendernatural forms.
Nature for the pantheist artist is notsimply nature in the sentimental senseof cute animals and lovely landscapes: itis nature in all its self-created diversity,including nature's raw materials andfavoured forms, and the mathematicalprinciples behind them.
For the pantheist, art is another formof exploration and discovery of nature, insome ways similar to science. It may be adiscovery of nature as normallyperceived, in terms of trees or tigers orbirdwing butterflies. This level may bewhere photography or representationalart focus. Nature photography allowsnature to paint its own portrait. Thephotographer merely selects which partof nature to present to the viewer. He orshe may also choose to simplify nature,
Nature finds as artAs the dadaist Marcel Duchamp oncedeclared “Art is whatever the artist saysis art.” Duchamp went out andpurchased a white porcelain urinal,signed it R. Mutt, and transformed itinto art, thus proving his thesis.
Art schools, galleries and criticshave taken Duchamp's view fully onboard. The artist Piero Manzoni tookthe principle to the extreme in 1961,when he had several tins of his ownexcrement canned. Labelling them“Artist's Shit” he sold them by weightfor the market price of gold on the dayof the sale.
We can’t all expect critical acclaimfor our plumbing supply purchases,excrement or soiled underwear. Implicitin Duchamp's quote is the priorquestion: who is an artist? In practicethe definition applied is: “An artist iswhoever is considered an artist bygalleries and critics.” The primary taskof the would-be successful artist is
therefore to break through torecognition by galleries and critics.Once this has been achieved, anythingthe artist claims to be art and wishes toexhibit or sell may receive seriousattention and earn a high price.
It should be possible for pantheistartists to turn this to advantage oncethey have got past the gatekeepers ofthe art bazaar. They can roam beachesand forests and deserts, picking upshells, fossils, wave-beaten roots. Theycan exhibit these as their own “work”simply because they selected them,gain attention for nature’s originality,and help to guide art into morewholesome channels.
Every one of us can “create” suchnature art for our own home galleries,for ourselves and friends to admire.Most pantheists and other naturelovers have displays of found andpurchased items like pebbles, crystalsor tree seeds.
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Artist's Shit (Piero Manzoni); Pebbles (© Paul Harrison)
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during the processing or exposure, byincreasing contrast, suppressing detail,focussing on outlines or dominantpatterns. Representational art may dothe same, and involves perhaps evencloser attention to detail, since theartist’s pencil or brush strokes have toreproduce the thrust of nature’s growthpatterns, sometimes in the finest detailof twigs, leaves, limbs or textures.
Pantheist art may be an explorationof the constituent forms of nature thatwe often miss - the tree’s bark, thetiger’s markings, the birdwing’siridescent patches. Often a photographor painting that shows the part ratherthan the whole can sharpen and renewour perception. It may be a patient andsystematic exploration of nature’smaterials such as clay or marble or the
melted sand that is glass. Ceramics and
sculpture often involve the investigation
of natural materials and how they behave
under human manipulation.
Or it may be an exploration that goes
back to the mathematical formulae or
creative principles that underlie natural
forms, using them to create new
phenomena, never seen before, yet in
the spirit of nature.
Art as pantheist practicePantheism can be expressed not just
through the subject or materials or
shapes of art, but even through the
simple act of doing art. Here it’s
important to remember that every one of
us can be an artist, at least for ourselves
and for our families and friends, if not
professionally for a wider market.
Every one of us can use art as a partof our pantheist practice. Art is a way offocussing our attention very closely onnature’s fine detail, on the properties ofmaterials and surfaces, on our own skillsand physical limitations in interactionwith the materials we use.
Art can also be subtle evangelism: away of communicating to others thebeauty of nature, along with ways ofseeing nature afresh, free of the blur ofaccepted concepts and stereotypes.
Finally art can be homage to nature,a way of expressing one’s deep gratitudeto nature, of cementing one's connectionto nature, and enshrining it in semi-permanent form.
Paul Harrison
One of the most fascinating illustrationsof the link between the mind and thephysical world - between humanaesthetics and mathematics on the onehand, and nature on the other - is the“golden ratio” of 1 : 1.618. The number1.618 is known as Phi.
This number was known to theancients, not of course in decimal form,but as half the square root of five, plus ahalf. The Parthenon, noted for the beauty of its proportions, is1.618 times as wide as it is tall on its frontal elevation. Itsside elevation is root five times longer than it is tall.
Geometrically, the golden ratio can be obtained bydividing a line into two parts, in such a way that the shorterpart is to the longer, as the longer is to the whole: in bothcases this ratio is one to Phi.
Mathematically, Phi has almost magical properties, all ofwhich follow logically from the geometrical premise: -
• Phi plus one, or 2.618, is the same as Phi squared.
• Phi minus one, or 0.618, is the same as one divided by Phi.
This smaller number 0.618 is known as phi. Small phialso has strange properties:
• Small phi plus its square, 0.382, add up to one.
• One divided by small phi equals big Phi.
• Small phi divided by big Phi equals the square root ofsmall phi.
• Big Phi divided by small phi equals big Phi squared
It’s fun to play around with these circular relationships
and discoveries. But these ratios andnumbers are not just mathematicalgames: they show up in nature too.
The 13th century mathematicianLeonardo of Pisa (filius bonacci or son ofthe Bonacci) pondered how a single pairof rabbits might increase in the courseof a year. He assumed that each pairproduced one new pair per month, andthat rabbits became fertile at age two
months. He thus came upon the Fibonacci sequence whichbears his nickname. Each successive number in thissequence is the sum of the previous two: so, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8,13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 and so on. As the numbers grow, theratio of each number to its predecessor gets closer and closerto big Phi - and the ratio to its successor gets closer to smallphi.
Fibonacci manifests itself in the growth of plants. Manyplants tend to have numbers of petals that correspond toFibonacci numbers. Michaelmas daisies, for example, have 55and 89 petals. Some large seed heads have Fibonaccinumbers of spirals. On many plants leaves tend to grow in away that allows most light through to the leaves below, andthis results in growth at the rate of 0.618 leaves per turnaround the stem.
The Fibonacci ratios also show up in the WPM’s symbol,the Nautilus shell. Any point on the Nautilus growth spiral isPhi times further from the centre than the point directlybelow it - so a full turn is needed before Phi is reached. Incertain shells with looser spirals, Phi is reached after only aquarter turn.
Magic numbers in maths and art
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Photography as MeditationI am not a photographer. I am a
meditator. My intent when I take a
photograph is not to record an image,
but a portrait. I have always loved
Annie Liebowitz’s work. I admire the
way she captures what people are
about, not just their image. She once
did a portrait of soccer star Pelle. The
entire image is of his feet. How else do
you photograph a man famous for
using his feet?
She makes portraits. I try to do the
same. I simply make portraits of
natural places and landscapes. Why
nature? I think perhaps it is simply a
matter of sharing. Like some born
again zealot, I head out into the woods
and find “God” there, and I want
everyone else to see. I suppose deep
down there is the hope that if I can
show the divinity in a tree by a stream,
the viewer can trace that divinity back
to nature on their own.
I wander about until I find an
interesting place, and then I give it my
full attention. Tracing each individual
line in the mind’s eye, studying each
shadow, watching the play of light
becomes a sort of mantra. You begin to
place importance on things that you
might not have noticed otherwise.
Sometimes what can be seen with a
casual glance, and what can be felt
about a place is very different.
Sometimes the best illustration of miles
of canyon is only a rock in the middle
of it. Sometimes the best view of an
entire forest is found in one tree. At the
risk of slipping into animism, you find
the spirit of the place. That is the end
goal. An image that gives a feeling of
the area, not a view of it.
If you look at one of my photos, and
you find some of that awe you might
feel gazing at the night sky, or
pondering trees that live longer than
nations, then it achieved my goal. But is
it art? Is it beautiful? Is the Milky Way
art? Is a cheetah's stride? Are the finest
sculptures made by hands, or wind
and water? Perhaps all that we can as
humans can claim of our art, is
that it is always at best a poor copy
of Nature’s own.
Shane Smith
Meditation: Close or continued thought;the turning or revolving of a subject in the mind;serious contemplation; reflection; musing.
Trees in snow © Shane Smith
Shane Smith’s photos can be seen athttp://shentzu.home.mindspring.com/mysticlighta/
Meditation: Close or continued thought;the turning or revolving of a subject in the mind;serious contemplation; reflection; musing.
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Breaking the clichesIce © Paul Harrison
I have been taking serious photographsfor almost thirty years now. I started as aphotojournalist, focussing on humans insocial contexts, often in poorcommunities in Britain. As I travelledmore and more in less urbanizeddeveloping countries, the pictures weremore and more of humans in theirecological relations with nature - inagriculture and so on.
Eventually nature took first place.One reason was that, instead of gettingbolder at taking photos of people, Ibecame increasingly shy - increasinglyaware of how people felt about me takingtheir photos. In some places people lovedit and insisted on posing or smilingstraight at the camera, sometimes evendressing up in their finest clothes. Butthat was not what I wanted as aphotojournalist. I would ask them to lookaway from the camera and get on withwhat they were doing. this. Gradually Icame to feel that they had a right to havetheir photos taken in the way theywanted. On the other hand I was not
very interested in doing that.
In other places people hated havingtheir photos taken. Sometimes they weresensitive about their poverty; some sawthe Western photographer as acondescending imperialist; some hadcultural beliefs about the evil eye. Insome Islamic countries photographingwomen was unacceptable. I grew tired ofall the explanations and pleadings andintrusions involved in taking photoswhere people did not initially want me to.
The other reason for the shift was agrowing interest in capturing elements ofnature. I have always been fascinated bythe less obvious aspects of nature -especially by natural form. To see thisfree of the ways in which people oftenstereotype nature as picture postcard, ithelps to focus on levels that are not theones we usually notice, on patterns andtextures isolated from the objects thatare part of - tree bark as fresco; rock astile. Or forms isolated from the usualreference points - waves without banks
or shores; clouds without horizons. Tosome extent my photography is engagedin breaking cliches, showing nature inunfamiliar ways without the veil ofconcepts that humans use to obscure it.
I don’t claim credit for creating myphotographs. Nature creates. What I do -and what any photographer does - is toselect and collect things as theyassociated at specific moments in time.The photograph freezes what Cartier-Bresson called the “privileged moment.”In my book all moments are privilegedand will only occur once in all history.
I frame the shot - but the scene takesit own picture in light, engraving itself onfilm through the photons that ricochetoff it. This is often just for my ownbenefit, but when others see my picturesI hope that they are getting a chance tolearn how to see nature’s creativity andpattern -making for themselves, so thatthey can appreciate it directly at thesource, without needing a mediator.
Paul Harrison
Sharing in the oratorio of existenceHow long have you been making
graphics of the kind you do now?
What started you off?
I began three years ago by teachingmyself how to use MS Paint, discoveredon an old computer someone gave me.A friend started sending me some of herphotos, beautiful nature scenes which Ipractised on. The discoveries wereendless. My experimentation evolvedinto a format employingreflections and reflectivepatterning of natural formsthat had always held amystical power for me eversince I was a tiny kid.
How do you choose
your themes?
The themes are usuallysubliminally imbedded within Nature - somethingmagical or evocative thatinvites my focus.Contemplation of a photoalmost always invokes anabstract idea I want tovisually realise as an ‘alternative’ image.After some digital fooling around (this is a kind of meditation for me), theimage suddenly becomes and I knowthat was the theme I had intuited andneeded to express.
Many of my pieces convey recurringthemes, such as, “Nature is Exemplar”,and, “Patterns Build Nature.” One thingI’d like to emphasize is that none of myimages are presented as a perfectedrealization - I have left thingsdeliberately in a “non-finalized” state,because the reality we call Existence isEver-Becoming. The caption I wrote for“Heart of the Matter” says it all: “Justcan’t seem to finish this thing.”
Are all your basic components natural
objects - from photographs and so on?
Yes, always; the objects and forms ofNature contain intrinsic abstractconstructs, vital conceptual clues,
within their visual manifestation - anon-verbal kind of information. It isactually another kind of language that isintuited and recognized by the innatecore of my being. They are like personalchords or thematic melodies thatemanate from the creations beingvisually contemplated. The urge thatarises within me is to echo back, addingmy own variations, as a celebratory
expression of my profound appreciation,a sharing in the ‘oratorio’ ofmanifestation, and as a way to showother humans how they might be able toperceive the natural world in new waysthat transcend their mundane view.
How do you decide how to
transform these?
The crucial part of my work is in thechoices I make, selecting the parts Iwant to isolate within the photo forexploration and explosion. This actionbegins to reveal previously obscuredmetaphorical content and implicit“clues” about our own uniquespirituality and the awesome creativeimpetus of our divine Cosmos. In someof the selections I want to convey anintrinsically dream-like, other-worldlyaspect of terrestrial forms that echoesthe phenomena of Universal process in being.
What would you like the spectator to
take away from viewing your work?
My first hope is that these imageswould help to kindle that conceptualcreativity that is inherent, but usuallydormant, within most human minds.My second hope is that they mightinvoke some deeply latent Pantheistfeelings of awe and reverence towardsNature and the Cosmos, and possibly
instigate some new spiritualmeditation upon the divinitywithin Natural Creation. Forme, this a kind of Pantheistevangelizing, and my contri-bution toward the formation ofa Pantheist memeplex basednot on verbal doctrine (words)but on imagery stimulatingvisceral perception.
I would hope that the viewerwould become infected with adesire to cultivate her ownunique ability to perceive, fromas many different perspectivesas possible, all the glories that
are and could be manifested withinExistence. Just hanging upside-down,as children do, would begin to open upone's alternative windows of perception,and help one to realize that nothingHAS TO be accepted as the only,correct, way of being or having. Anyshifting of perspective (changingpositions for a different view) orreadjustment of one’s focus can bring somany other things into our range ofobservation, which may help us greatlyin wanting to change our staleviewpoints - to restore our childlikeamazement and wonder about Life andthe sheer joy of discovering the myriadfacets of Being.
I call my works C.R.O.N.O.graphs -Contrived Reflections Of Natural Objects- because contriving is what we humansreally do best. I mean “reflections” toconnote meditations, as my work is avery meditative discipline for me.
An interview with Paxdora
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Heart of the Matter © Paxdora
For me some of your most striking works
show the viewpoint from the interior of
something, like a leaf or an acorn.
This approach intends to show howwe can exercise and develop much greaterempathy by employing our most powerfuland least appreciated attribute, our sap-ient imagination. When we “make believe”we are something else, as we did whenwe were children, we virtually become the“other” and begin to see and experiencelife from that other perspective. My hopeis to inspire curiosity enough to makepeople want to really think aboutdifferences instead of ignoring them.
I am also intrigued by your strange
creations that look like things that
Nature could have created but didn’t get
round to it just yet.
The intrinsic, natural right to exist ofany being or entity that is strange, new,or unexpected (anomalies) should berecognized and accepted by humans asan “amen” (so be it). The fear of theunknown often does more to harm us (aswell as to the ‘other’) than its actuality,and if we practice confronting the thingswe fear, one by one, we can begin to learnthat they are not as horrible as we hadassumed. I think the point I’m trying tomake is that the “aliens” we keepsearching the heavens for may well besitting smack dab in front of our eyes,within our tangible everyday environment- and that they have been coexisting withus in symbiotic harmony, with or withoutour acknowledgment of their existence.Our opinions have nothing to do withtheir implicit value in the great Process ofUniversal existence.
Your titles are very suggestive, how do
you arrive at them?
The captions were developed as‘backup’ to ensure that the viewer reallyunderstands the message should theimage alone not strike the subliminalchords of resonance I intend. The wordsare really a form of over-kill, but some‘newer people’ on the planet need to have“show & tell” expositions to understandsubliminal clues.
Paxdora’s images can be seen at
http://community.webshots.com/user
/paxdora
“Mysterious Island” was the first oftwenty-one drawings that I was asked toproduce for a book with the intriguingtitle, the “Gurdjieff Meditation &Colouring Book”.
Whatever its name and origins, it’sprobably the most obviously pantheisticpicture I’ve done although, when I drewit, I didn’t even realise that I was aPantheist. I was able to interpret mybrief in a way that connectedcomfortably with my own deep feelings.Looking at it now, I can recognisethemes that have been influentialthroughout my life, stepping stones onmy own path to Pantheism. Greekmythology was an absolute passion ofmine when I was very young, and theantics of the Olympians evoked a farmore profound “religious” response fromme that church attendance evermanaged, because they seemed sointrinsically bound up with the beauty,mystery and unpredictability of thenatural world. Distant panpipes start towhisper on the breeze in that sun-drenched Arcadia of my imaginationand, in a strange subjective process ofconnection, trigger a sense of absolutewonder and awe that’s the only realisticway any of us have to perceive the
Universe of which we’re each a part.
Space and time are other themes towhich I often return. One is easy todepict and the other is much moretricky. The focal point of this picture isthe hollow tree trunk. Within it are starsand a spiral galaxy, while from itemerge a curving procession of planetsand a stream of acorns. One of theacorns is already growing and, in time,will become another tree to replace theold stump as it decays away and dies.
Nature, in both its tranquil andviolent aspects. provides aspects of thebackground. Waves pound an undefinedshore; lightning splits the clouds; ashfrom a volcano becomes a swirlingspiral around a crescent Moon whilsthuge pinnacles of flame erupt from theSun. And, beneath all this mayhem, lifegoes on - vines ripen and birds dip lowover still water, creatures and thingslive and die. Maybe the islandrepresents subjective experience,apparently isolated but in realityconnected to everything.
I suppose that what I wanted mostto convey in this picture is a sense ofenergy, renewal and connection with themysterious.
Oliver Chadwick
Mysterious Island
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Sculpture: Recreating Nature’s RecursivenessAbout fifteen years ago I become aware of Chaos Theory andthe fractal imagery so often included in books on the subject.My fondness for such shapes stems, I think, from growing upin Minnesota under the canopy of hardwood trees. For at leasthalf the year, their beautiful branches are bare, oftenhighlighted by a layer of newly fallen snow or spectacularlycovered in sparkling ice.
I was deeply influenced by the scientific and philosophicalimplications of this relatively new field - specifically, thatregardless of how closely we measure and study them,dynamic systems are inherently unpredictable. At the heart ofthis unpredictability, is recursion - the process of taking“output” and feeding it back as “input.” The shape of a tree isa good example: if “branch into two stems from one” is theoutput process, then by feeding the newly formed branchesback into this process the familiar tree-form is created. Objectscreated by recursive processes exhibit fractal geometry - self-similarity across scale. A tree is composed of smaller "trees,"which are themselves made up of smaller trees, and so forth.
I spent some time creating fractal images like theMandelbrot set on my computer monitor. But I never felt truly
moved by images on the screen. At the same time I discovereddevices called "stepper motors" which break up rotation intodiscrete steps. The thought of being able to use a computer tocontrol the movement of real-world objects, not just an arrayof glowing phosphor dots, was irresistible. My first machinewas an Easter-egg coloring robot. One stepper rotated the eggEast / West, while the other moved a pen North / South - asimple two axis plotting device.
My early work focused intensely on building ComputerNumeric Control machines which move tools under computerguidance by entering numeric co-ordinates in two or threedimensions. These machines enabled me to make artworksinfused with algorithmic design - forms which could beexpressed by a program or formula. Within a few years, Imoved from drawing on eggs to cutting steel plates and tubes.I often chose fractal patterns.
It may seem that rigidly controlled machinery movingvarious cutting tools in tightly pre-programmed paths couldnot be more removed from the natural mechanismsresponsible for towering oaks overhead. But the longer I studyfractal geometry, the more I feel a deep sense of recognition:I've seen this before - oaks, clouds, mountains, ferns, galacticspirals. The link is recursion. Forms in nature are built fromrecursive processes (eddies within eddies that trail from yourcanoe paddle), just as fractal images are built from recursivemathematical processes.
In more recent years much of my work has centeredaround the machines becoming artworks in themselves. In mycurrent position as Artist-In-Residence at the Science Museumof Minnesota, I have the wonderful opportunity to continueexploring motion control as an art medium, while at the sametime teaching kids the skills they need to start their ownexperiments. More information: www.taomc.com
Recommended reading: The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants,Prusinkiewicz and Lindenmayer,1990.
Bruce Shapiro
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Members on artConcern for natureforemostA Pantheist artist, by definition, wouldmost likely be a ‘religious’ or spiritualperson whose work would be concernedwith exploring and expressing the myriadfacets of divinity within Nature (or theCosmos) in a uniquely personal way. Theperspectives manifested within the artwould express a lot about the artist’sfeelings: reverence, love, awe, joyouscelebration or a meditative exchange
involving the artist’s reciprocal echoing of
the revered subject.
Pantheist Art can be a “paean,” a
psalm, a canticle, etc., to the beloved
divinity within Nature and All That Is. It
can also be a medium for meditation,
which may serve to inform, enlighten or
inspire other humans to view our
“sacred” material world in new,
revelatory ways - and possibly help in
expanding our scope of human
perception and awareness. I see much of
my own work as being a form of intuitive& spiritual ‘iconography’ of the CosmicProcess. The Mandelbrot Fractals and agreat deal of the new Fractal Art that canbe found on the Net is also quite‘pantheistic’ in this regard.
Paxdora
If there is a criterion for art beingconsidered pantheistic, I don’t think itwould be the religion/philosophy of thecreator. Vivaldi was a priest but his FourSeasons might be considered a Pan
Being a third generation pantheist, I wasraised to wonder about the treasure of allthat is natural, and this has greatlyinfluenced me in all my artwork.
I have worked in several media, butnone has fascinated me so intensely or foras long as ceramics. Shaping the clay Ihave always felt a special passion increating wondrous textures. I use naturalmaterials to make impressions - acorns,leaves, nuts, flowers, rocks, shells,driftwood, anything I find on beaches. Myshapes are very organic and usually have avery natural asymmetry.
I often make folds and patterns in myworks, often in a chaotic rather than aregular way. It’s not easy to reproducechaos. Humans have a tendency tointroduce some obviously designed
regularity. I try to let the chaosthat's typical of nature comeinto my hands as I work.
I like to parallel naturalprocesses like the folding andlayering of rocks. I love toexplore materials, to investigatedifferent glazing and clayeffects and to conductexperiments, like a scientist. I never quite know what willcome out of the kiln - I amalways excited when I open thedoor, to see how things haveturned out, and often they turnout unexpectedly.
The heat inside the kiln rangesup to 2400 degrees F - hotter
than volcanic magma - so through this theartist becomes a force of nature, recreatinggeological processes. I allow nature to workthrough me, through my hands. With clayyou are forced to go with the forces ofnature, especially gravity. I feel I amexpressing nature with nature's resourcesand forces.
I have taught ceramics in schools andstudios for over 30 years and find myselfalways inspired by, and teaching from, avery pantheistic inner place. I have alsosold my work over these years. I have felt adeep inner satisfaction in believing thatthrough teaching and selling, I havesparked and enhanced people's awarenessof nature. In this way I feel I am expressingmy deepest self as a pantheistic artist - andI am spreading the awareness to others. Ifeel I am subliminally making a politicallyactive statement with my work andteaching, startling people with the beautyof nature, which overrides all cultural andhuman conflicts that are so widespreadtoday, helping them to recognize naturalbeauty in other contexts.
We all have it within us to create things.If people could get turned on by creativity,it could greatly rehabilitate them and takeaway the purpose of or interest in conflict.Love of nature brings out the very best inpeople. We are all tiny pinpoints on a mapthat is so expansive and yet so universal toall of us - if we focussed on the beautiesthat we all enjoy and share it would takeaway so much of the hatred that is in the world.
Ceramics:The artist as a force of natureSheila Rudich Rosenthal
9
Cowhide pot © Sheila Rudich
work. Hovaness is a Christian but listen
to ‘Mysterious Mountain’, or to ‘And God
Created Great Whales’.
I think what makes art pantheistic is
a concern for humanity’s place in nature,
for nature. But it’s much more than that.
Pantheist art shares all or most of the
following features:
It sees humans as part of a natural
universe that is just as it is, no more, no
less. And it sees the natural universe
(including humans) as wondrous,
interconnected, and numinous. For it,
form evolves, and follows function.
Pantheist art is not concerned with
impressing in order to show offvirtuosity. Pantheist art needs the degreeof technique necessary (but no morethan that) to create the piece and make itwork aesthetically. Technique fortechnique's sake gets in the way. The artmust appear artless (but not be artless).Raku pottery comes to mind. Thetechnique is transparent. It is there. Itmust be there, but it must not comebetween the viewer and the vision. Thevision is what counts.
Natural objects can be used to createart. But to do so, they must be selected,placed, composed, utilized with anartist’s eye. Else they are just pretty, or
beautiful, or interesting natural objects
but not art.
To be art a thing must be seen by the
artist to be beautiful (not pretty,
necessarily, but beautiful) and used - in
a sense isolated and framed - for its
beauty. Yet sometimes art is deliberately
not beautiful but is deliberately hideous -
an anguished cry at beauty lost or
destroyed. But the ability to see, and feel
must be there. Else the piece will not
work. It will be shrill but dull
propaganda. The vision must signify.
What exists is celebrated, and the
self-evolving complexity of all that exists
10
is revered. This does not mean thatpantheistic art portrays everythingliterally. It is not illustration.
It does not see man or nature assinful. The body is not shameful to it,nor is sex. It has no use for distinctionsof 'higher and lower'. Indeed it findsthese laughable. Value is seen not assomething God-given, but as meaning'cherished by someone'. Pantheist artcelebrates existence, even when dealingwith painful subjects.
It is keenly aware of scale withinscale, of forms nested in forms on everlarger or ever diminishing scale, of timeperiods and their passing, and geologicaltime's immensity. It is aware of naturalcycles, the days, the seasons, theweather, the phases of human life,ageing and death. Of fractals and chaos,of order and pattern. Of evolution.
It has no concern with an afterlife. Itdoes not preach. It does not pray. It doesnot propagandize. It just shows how youbelong (even when most alienated) to thiswonderful, tragic, comic, beautiful,unbearably precious world. It celebrateslife, unity, individuality, diversity, change,and the intricate webs of cause and effect.
In the end it says ‘Thou art that’. Andoffers the consolation ‘out of thisuniverse you cannot fall'. And withoutpreaching, holds up a mirror of empathy,perhaps of compassion - ‘they too areyou’. And sometimes speaks of love. Butalso of freedom, necessity, chance anddeath. And ever of change andtransformation. Of the great dance thatgoes on till the end of time.
Walt Mandell
There are many artists I feel aregreat, but for my money, no one will evercreate anything more beautiful than thecave art at Lascaux, France. I considerthat the closest thing to Pantheist Art. Icould never call the artists that createdthose paintings, primitive. Theirknowledge of line, form and color wascomplete. They captured the essence ofthe animal.
Ernie Hopkins
The most abundant and variedsource of Pantheist art is undoubtedlythe Taoist tradition, which hasinfluenced Chinese culture for millenia.In my office, I have two Taoist works ofart. One is a large contemporary scrollpainting that I bought in Taipei someyears ago. It shows a mountainouslandscape with some small humanfigures at the base, two friends drinkingin a hut besides a torrent and a solitarytraveller who is walking along a path thatleads into the mountains. The paintinginvites us to follow the path and explorethe distant mist-encircled peaks. Theother is a round slab of veined marbleset in an elaborate wooden frame. Thepattern is suggestive of storm clouds,and evokes the way in which the Taopervades nature. Linked to this is adistinguished tradition of poetry andcalligraphy. Poems are often written onscrolls; the poem and the paintinginform but do not exhaust each other. Adelightful feature of Chinese art is that itpervades the whole of life. Fabrics andeveryday objects such as brush holdersand teapots, even slabs of ink, becomeworks of art. Among the works made byhuman hands, the Chinese also place‘objets trouves’, gnarled branches andinteresting looking stones, asrepresentatives of the world of nature.
However, while drawn to depictions ofnature, Pantheist art is not limited tothis. Pantheism embraces a wide rangeof values which may be represented byPantheist artists, realistically orabstractly, as their muse leads them. Forexample the exploration of humannature is a topic which is of greatinterest to Pantheists and inevitablyreceives its expression in art.
Tor Myrvang
I make no important distinctionbetween human and non-human nature,so I consider art about man isolated fromnature, or trapped in human technology,to be just as pantheistic as anylandscape painting. Even religiousiconography - of gods and goddesses,saints, etc - is a portrayal of the humanimagination, and since the imagination isalso part of Nature, I consider all artwork- even supernatural religious artwork - tobe pantheistic, depending on the eye ofthe observer. Still, it might be appro-priate to encourage pantheist artists toexplore the artistic potential of non-human nature more fully, to balance thedominance of art exploring humannature. Or better yet, to encouragedepiction of humans interacting withnon-human nature in a holistic way. Theartwork could be composed in such away that humans do not dominate thescene by size or emphasis. Butultimately, it should be remembered thatartwork is a human enterprise, andhuman nature is naturally of primaryconcern to human artists. Elephantartists, now, that's a different matter.
Brer Davananda
If to call an approach to visual art a‘pantheist approach’ means approachingthe subject matter in a way that honoursthe Universe and all within it, then Iguess that could be called a pantheistapproach. But throughout the ages,there have been artists of all disciplinesand beliefs who have taken Nature (andall that that word implies) as the subjectof their art. So, no, I don't think therecan be a ‘specifically pantheist’ approachto visual art, if by that one means thatthe pantheist approach is recognisable tothe viewer of the artwork. Of course, apantheist artist would naturally, orpresumably, have a pantheist approachto his/her work. But that would be aprivate matter, not something that couldneccessarily be determined from thefinished artwork by anyone other thanthe artist.
Sue Williams
Nature as artLast Saturday my children (two boysaged nine and ten) went to PeachMountain observatory with their father.
Gaia, glasswork © Walt Mandell
It’s away from city lights, out in thewoods somewhere - I’ve never been.Halfway through their time there, theNorthern Lights began. Both of themwere completely overwhelmed by thisexperience - my elder son lay on his backlooking at the sky and refused to move orspeak. (He’s hyperactive, so this is bignews.) My younger son said: ‘It’s like art,but not art. Art made by nature.’
Joanna Hastings
I cannot believe that anyone couldlook at the veins in a leaf, or drops ofwater, or feathers on a bird, and not seethe Art in it.
Linda Kerby
Nonlinear mathematics and fractalgeometry are areas where nature’s orderand beauty can appear divine.(TheMandlebrot set has been dubbed the“thumbprint of God”.) If I havepanentheistic leanings, they are due tothis mathematical precision within theuniverse (or multiverse as the case maybe.) The fractal concept has helped megain more precise understanding of whatresonates for me personally withinnature, unifying things like self-similarity, geometric precision, andcomplex detail on multiple scales. A bookI’ve enjoyed is The Loom of God:Mathematical Tapestries at the edge of
time. (Clifford A. Pickover.) It is a sort ofbridging between math and theology. A more general introduction can befound in: Fractals: The Patterns ofChaos: A New Aesthetic of Art, Science,and Nature (James Briggs). To exploreand create fractal images a great site is:www.fractalarts.com/ASF/index.html
Katherine Peil
I had a friend who insisted that everyphoto he took have at least some smallnoticeable encroachment of man in it. Heeven went so far as to go and find litter,and move it into his image if the scenehe found was unspoiled. He said he did itto reflect reality, because in truth wehave touched everything. To Me thesimple fact that art has been madeimplies man’s hand in the matter. Howcan we say any work of art is natural.Maybe snowflakes?
Shane Turner
Can we deduce tastefrom pantheism? I see little difference between moraljudgements and aesthetic judgementsregarding whether one can derive an“ought” statement from an “is”statement. In my opinion, moral andaesthetic statements are subjectivestatements of taste; they are not
statements of fact. Moreover,agreeing with Hume, I holdthat these judgements cannever be derived fromstatements of fact.
According to evolutionaryethics, evolutionary forceshave shaped human tastesregarding what is good andbad. I agree with this, butnevertheless, this does notjustify the derivation of anought from an is. It merelyexplains what in fact we dohave positive and negativetastes for.
I think exactly the same thingcan be said for aesthetictastes. Evolutionary forceshave shaped what weconsider beautiful. We candetermine what we in factthink is beautiful from thisevolutionary perspective, but
we cannot derive what we ought to thinkis beautiful.
Todd Washington
One approach for ethics andaesthetics is to ask “what ought we do(or deem beautiful), given what we are”. I think another approach worth taking isto ask “what do we want our actions (orart) to say about us”. The latter approachholds that our morality and aestheticsdefine us. What is the self- image wewant to have and how do we promotethat self-image by our actions? Asindividuals, “our actions, our ideas, andmemories of us live on, according towhat we do in our lives”.
We leave a remembrance of us in thememories of those who love us and liveafter we are gone. As a species, we canlook to noone else for validation andappreciation - we are the only consciousspecies on this planet. We areanswerable to noone but ourselves. This is a more selfish motivation thanwanting to leave a legacy for ourchildren. In the end, it is what we wantto see in the mirror, even more thanwhat we want to bequeath to ourchildren, that i think will be the mostpotent guide of our actions.
Dennis Virtudazo
Th
e O
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iver
se a
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her
Ch
ildre
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atc
h t
he
Bir
thd
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irew
orks
© P
au
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11
12
Truth only will lastJohn Constable 1776-1837
It appears to me that pictures have beenover-valued; held up by a blindadmiration as ideal things, and almost asstandards by which nature is to bejudged rather than the reverse; and thisfalse estimate has been sanctioned by theextravagant epithets that have beenapplied to painters, as ‘the divine’, ‘theinspired’, and so forth. Yet, in reality,what are the most sublime productionsof the pencil but selections of some of theforms of nature, and copies of a few ofher evanescent effects; and this is theresult, not of inspiration, but of long andpatient study, under the direction ofmuch good sense.
It was said by Sir Thomas Lawrence,that 'we can never hope to compete withnature in the beauty and delicacy of herseparate forms or colours, - our onlychance lies in selection and combination.'Nothing can be more true, - and it maybe added, that selection and combinationare learned from nature herself, whoconstantly presents us with compositionsof her own, far more beautiful than thehappiest arranged by human skill.Painting is a science, and should bepursued as an inquiry into the laws ofnature. Why, then, should not landscapepainting be considered as a branch ofnatural philosophy, of which pictures arebut the experiments?
From his Lecture 4, 16 June 1836
In love with light itselfClaude Monet 1840-1926
Monet is the example of total dedicationto capturing the fleeting changes of
Great Artand Nature
Clo
ud
stu
dy, H
am
pst
ead
Hea
th
nature. He would work for hours anddays to capture the quintessence of lightand colour, the lensed oscillation of a lilyreflection, the tawny hue of evening lighton a cathedral façade, or the rich deeporange-yellow of a sunset mirrored in apond. Much of his work was done in thefield, on the Normandy coast, on theSeine, in the forests around Paris.
Yet, paradoxically some of his bestknown series paintings involved quiteartificial procedures, precisely becauseart took time while nature’s lights andmoods were so transient.
His paintings of the Thames, Rouenor the lily pond were not done quickly in
a single session. Instead Monet wouldwork, often from a hotel room with aview, on many canvasses at once. Hewould get out the one that wasappropriate for the time and weather andlight and work on it for a short period,then when the light changed, he wouldput it away and get out the one that wasappropriate for the new mood.
His most prolific series relate to hisgarden at Giverny. Here, wanting a morestable framework on which he couldstudy the subtle variations of light byseason and time of day, he laboriouslycreated an artificial garden and pond outof a field by a railway line.
Monet on MonetMy only desire is an intimate
infusion with nature, and the
only fate I wish is to have
worked and lived in harmony
with her laws. The only merit
I have is to have painted
directly from nature with the
aim of conveying my
impressions in front of the
most fugitive effects. . . I am
following Nature without
being able to grasp her. I know that to
paint the sea really well, you need to look
at it every hour of every day in the same
place so that you can understand its way
in that particular spot; and that is why I
am working on the same motifs over and
over again, four or six times even.
When you go out to paint, try to forget
what objects you have before you, a tree,
a house, a field or whatever.
Merely think here is a little square of
blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak
of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to
you, the exact color and shape, until it
gives you your own naive impression of
the scene before you.
13
News of the WPM
Following the move of UK membershipsecretary Oliver Chadwick and WPMinformation officer Stuart Stell to thepanel of directors, elections were held forvacant seats on the Membership AdvisoryCommittee. Rick Bamford (New Jersey),Rick Davis (Ohio), and Audrey Pavia(California) were elected.
Conserving Nature
The World Pantheist Movement saved35 acres of wildlife habitat by sponsoringtwo click-for-nature organizations. AtEcology Fund our sponsorship saved 22 acres of rainforest in through theWorld Parks Endowment. At Care2’sRace for the Rainforest our sponsorshipsaved 13 acres through the NatureConservancy. In both cases our checkswere made out directly to the natureconservation agencies, and ourcontributions also gained 400,000views for a banner ad for the WPM.The Ecology Fund ad was particularlysuccessful, bringing us 6,500 extravisitors, a much higher click-throughrate than average for Web banner ads.
In September the directors votedanother $2,000 for similar sponsorshipwith Ecology Fund and with TheRainforestSite. We shall be repeatingthis exercise at regular intervals, leavinga few months’ gap between each so thatwe are seen by a new round of people.
New Celebrants CodeIn September the directors officiallyadopted a code about celebrants so that wecould fulfil our aim to provide pantheistand nature-lovers with weddings, funeralsand other ceremonies in keeping with theirbeliefs. It’s important to note that WPM
Continued on next page
Nature as gallery,material and subjectAndy Goldsworthy 1956 -
Among artists working today AndyGoldsworthy is among the closest attunedto natural pantheism. Nothing is on publicrecord to suggest his religious views, so it’snot known if he is consciously a pantheist.But he sounds like one. Though he hasmade some permanent structures, espec-ially walls, he creates mostly ephemeralworks, liable to decay, dry up, blow away,melt, or fall down. He then photographsthese before they disappear - or even duringthe process of decay. The vulnerability totime, and its effect on his work, is alsopart of the work and part of why his workreflects and embodies nature’s processes.
Nature is Goldsworthy’s art gallery. Hemakes his constructions almost always innatural settings, in the open air, in placessuch as Dumfriesshire, the Yorkshire Dalesor the Lake District in Britain, Grize Fiordin the Northern Territories of Canada, theAustralian outback, and even the North Pole.
His materials are drawn from nature.They may be clay, rocks, twigs, leaves,
Goldsworthy on Goldsworthy
I enjoy the freedom of just using my hands
and “found” tools -a sharp stone, the quill
of a feather, thorns. I take the opportunities
each day offers: if it is snowing, I work with
snow, at leaf-fall it will be with leaves; a
blown-over tree becomes a source of twigs
and branches. I stop at a place or pick up a
material because I feel there is something to
be discovered. Here is where I can learn.
Looking, touching, material, place and
form are all inseparable from the resulting
work. It is difficult to
say where one stops
and another begins.
The energy and space
around a material are
as important as the
energy and space
within. The weather -
rain, sun, snow, hail,
mist, calm - is that
external space made
visible. When I touch
a rock, I am touching
and working the
space around it. It is
not independent of its surroundings, and
the way it sits tells how it came to be there.
I want to get under the surface. When I
work with a leaf, rock, stick, it is not just
that material in itself, it is an opening into
the processes of life within and around it.
When I leave it, these processes
continue. Movement, change, light, growth
and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the
energies that I try to tap through my work.
I need the shock of touch, the resistance
of place, materials and weather, the earth
as my source.
Nature is in a state
of change and that
change is the key to
understanding. I want
my art to be sensitive
and alert to changes
in material, season
and weather. Each
work grows, stays,
decays. Process and
decay are implicit.
Transience in my
work reflects what I
find in nature.
Rick Bamford
The frames of our animated gif at Ecology Fund
Rick Davis Audrey Pavia
feathers, even ice and snow, usually fromthe location where he is working, so thatthere is a close interdependence of locationand matter. On occasion he has madethings out of nothing, out of the veryabsence of material - such as when he layon a red rock in a rain shower creating hisown dry shadow, or when his frost shadowsheltered hoary grass from the sun on awinter’s day. He rearranges natural mater-ials to depict his subject matter. Althoughhis topics are always, in some way or other,once again some aspect of nature, they arealmost as diverse as nature. By rearranginghis materials he delineates nature’sfavourite shapes and processes in playfulways, such as an ammonite spiral made ofbroken pebbles, or a radial explosion of ice.
Perhaps more than any other artisttime and change are his subjects too. Hewill create a work by throwing sticks ordust into the air and seeing how they fall,or by embedding materials in hugesnowballs and seeing how they aredistributed when these melt. He buildsprecarious cairn-like columns from wetrocks cemented together with ice, whichwill tumble when the ice melts.
Almanac
14
Equinoxes &SolsticesWinter solstice 2002December 22 01:15
2003
Spring equinoxMarch 21 01:00
Summer solsticeJune 21 19:10
Autumn equinoxSeptember 23 10:47
Winter solsticeDecember 22 07:04
Full Moons
2002
October 21 07:20
November 20 01:34
December 19 19:10
2003
January 18 10:48
February 16 23:51
March 18 10:34
April 16 19:36Almanac [Universal time=GMT, EST + 5, PCT + 8]
Special eventsNovember 30John Tolland’s birthday
December 10Geminids: Starwatching +Human Rights Day
January 22Surrender of native landsby Chief Seattle
February 2Imbole
February 12Darwin’s birthday
February 14Valentine’s Day
February 15Birthday of Galileo
February 17Giordano Bruno’smartyrdom
March 8International Women’s Day
March 14Einstein's birthday
MikeToday, Brenda, I join my life to yours, not only as your husband, but as yourfriend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, therock on which you rest and the companion of your life. With you I will walk mypath from this day forward.
BrendaToday, Mike, we begin our new life together. Let us assume our roles asmarriage partners with love, understanding, trust, and mutual fidelity for aslong as we both shall live. I ask you to share this world with me, for good or forill. Be my partner, and I will be yours.
Minister (as they exchange rings)The circle is the symbol of the sun, earth, and universe. It is the symbol of peace. Let this ring be the symbol of unity and peace inwhich your two lives are joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever you go, return unto one another and to your togetherness.
Continued from previous page
celebrants will not be hierarchs with anyspecial religious authority.
We tried to reach a careful balance. Onthe one hand we feel that any membershould be empowered to performceremonies for friends or relatives, in linewith our belief that the reverent responseto nature requires no priestly mediation.Allowing this removes the absurd situa-tion where the WPM might have to referits own members to the Universal LifeChurch if they want the status to performa ceremony for friends or relatives. On theother we feel a responsibility to ensure asfar as practicable that anyone publiclyadvertizing for clients using our name andsymbols should be responsive andinformed. We believe that general public
has a right to feel confidence in theseriousness and capability of a civilcelebrant to provide an adequate andsensitive service. There will initially be twocategories of celebrant:
WPM members who wish to perform awedding or funeral for friend or relativeswill be able to get official WPMauthorization to do so by forwarding arequest from those friends or relatives [email protected]. If they want touse WPM name or symbols they shouldalso indicate agreement with the WorldPantheist Movement belief statement(http://www.pantheism.net/manifest.htm).
Certified celebrants: members wishingto advertize celebrant services to thepublic using the WPM name or symbols,and to perform weddings or funerals
without specific authorization for eachone, will need to get WPM certification.This will be subject to certainrequirements of knowledge of basic skillsrelating to prenuptual and bereavementcounselling, familiarity with a range ofmodel ceremonies and approaches, andcharacter references. For category two wewill now need to develop a form ofquestionnaire and set reading and collectsome sample ceremonies. If you wouldlike to get involved in this, you can jointhe celebrants list:http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/
wpmcelebrant.
Both types of celebrant will have tomake sure they comply with the law ofthe country or US state they wish tocelebrate in.
Wedding of Beatrice and Mike Mondragon, August 11, 2000
Peop
le o
f eve
ry r
elig
ion
are
stri
ving
to
find
a
theo
logi
cal b
asis
for
envi
ronm
enta
l con
cern
.
The
orie
ntal
rel
igio
ns h
ave
trad
itio
nally
plac
ed s
tron
g em
phas
is o
n ha
rmon
y w
ith
natu
re. I
n H
indu
ism
, Jai
nism
and
Bu
ddhi
sm r
espe
ct is
acc
orde
d to
livi
ng
crea
ture
s be
cau
se t
hey
may
be
inca
rnat
ions
of d
ead
hum
ans.
In T
aois
m li
ving
sim
ply,
in
acco
rdan
ce w
ith
natu
re, i
s th
e hi
ghes
t go
al.
The
Wes
t ha
s ha
d a
mu
ch t
ough
er t
ask
in fi
ndin
g a
relig
iou
s gr
ound
ing
for
conc
ern
abou
t na
ture
. The
Old
Tes
tam
ent
visi
on is
that
nat
ure
is c
reat
ed p
rim
arily
for
hum
ans
to h
ave
dom
inio
n ov
er a
nd t
o u
se. T
he N
ew
Test
amen
t, t
he c
ore
scri
ptu
re o
f Chr
isti
anit
y,
focu
ses
on e
thic
s to
war
ds o
ther
hu
man
s an
d
show
s no
con
cern
wit
h du
ties
tow
ards
anim
als
or n
atu
re.
All
thre
e m
ain
Wes
tern
/Mid
dle
Eas
tern
relig
ions
see
thi
s ea
rth
as s
econ
dary
to
an
afte
rlife
in h
eave
n. In
deed
all
thre
e ha
ve a
n
apoc
alyp
tic
visi
on o
f the
Las
t Ju
dgem
ent
in
whi
ch G
od h
imse
lf de
stro
ys t
he e
arth
and
ever
y liv
ing
thin
g on
it.
Pant
heis
m is
one
of t
he o
ldes
t re
ligio
us
trad
itio
ns, a
nd r
eser
ves
its
deep
est
reve
renc
e fo
r N
atu
re a
nd t
he U
nive
rse.
Nat
ure
is c
entr
al, s
acre
d, a
nd d
eman
ds t
o be
trea
ted
wit
h re
spec
t, lo
ve a
nd c
are.
One
of p
anth
eism
's b
asic
ten
ets
is t
he
uni
ty o
f all
thin
gs. T
he w
hole
uni
vers
e is
a
uni
ty t
hat
was
bor
n to
geth
er in
the
sam
e
inst
ant.
Nat
ure
on
eart
h is
als
o a
uni
ty o
f all
livin
g be
ings
. We
all h
ad a
sin
gle
orig
in a
nd
we
shar
e m
any
of t
he s
ame
gene
tic
code
s.
Livi
ng t
hing
s do
not
exi
st in
isol
atio
n bu
t
in e
colo
gica
l com
mu
niti
es, i
n w
hich
all
the
mem
bers
hav
e ev
olve
d to
geth
er in
to a
fine
bala
nce
of in
terd
epen
denc
e. T
he p
lane
t it
self
is o
ne v
ast
ecos
yste
m in
whi
ch li
fe d
eepl
y
affe
cts,
and
is a
ffec
ted
by, t
he a
tmos
pher
e,
the
ocea
ns, a
nd e
ven
the
solid
cru
st. H
um
an
acti
ons
have
ser
iou
sly
disr
upt
ed lo
cal a
nd
plan
etar
y ec
osys
tem
s. O
ur
task
now
is t
o
rest
ore
the
lost
bal
ance
s.
Pant
heis
m d
oes
not
belie
ve in
an
afte
rlife
in h
eave
n. T
his
eart
h is
ou
r on
ly h
ome,
we
can'
t ho
pe t
hat
God
will
pro
vide
us
wit
h a
new
ear
th if
we
wre
ck t
his
one.
The
resp
onsi
bilit
y lie
s on
ou
r sh
ould
ers
alon
e.
Pant
heis
m h
as a
dee
p re
spec
t fo
r th
e
wel
fare
of a
nim
als.
In p
anth
eism
all
anim
als
are
equ
al c
entr
es o
f aw
aren
ess
of t
he
Uni
vers
e, a
nd a
s su
ch t
hey
dem
and
equ
al
resp
ect.
Res
pect
doe
s no
t m
ean
we
cann
ot
use
nat
ure
and
her
pro
duct
s, b
ut
it d
oes
mea
n w
e m
ust
use
the
m s
pari
ngly
, wis
ely,
and
wit
h de
ep c
ompa
ssio
n, a
lway
s
rem
aini
ng a
war
e of
the
impa
ct o
ur
acti
ons
may
hav
e on
oth
er li
ving
bei
ngs
and
natu
ral
com
mu
niti
es.
natu
re a
nd sp
iritu
ality
Ever
ythi
ng is
frui
t to
me
whi
ch th
y se
ason
s br
ing,
o n
atur
e; fr
om t
hee
are
all t
hing
s, in
thee
are
all
thin
gs, t
o th
ee a
ll th
ings
ret
urn.
Mar
cus
Au
reliu
s
Nat
ure
and
the
env
iron
men
t ar
e a
cent
ral
conc
ern
of t
he W
orld
Pan
thei
st M
ovem
ent.
Ou
r lo
cal g
rou
ps u
sual
ly m
eet
in n
atu
ral
area
s, w
hen
the
wea
ther
per
mit
s, fo
r hi
kes
and
picn
ics
and
star
-wat
chin
g pa
rtie
s.
Ou
r vi
ew o
f nat
ure
is e
xpla
ined
in t
hese
clau
se o
f ou
r be
lief s
tate
men
t:
•A
ll m
atte
r, en
ergy
, and
life
are
an
inte
r-
conn
ecte
d u
nity
of
whi
ch w
e ar
e an
inse
para
ble
part
. We
rejo
ice
in o
ur e
xist
ence
and
see
k to
part
icip
ate
ever
mor
e d
eepl
y in
thi
s un
ity
thro
ugh
know
led
ge, c
eleb
ratio
n, m
edita
tion,
empa
thy,
love
, eth
ical
act
ion
and
art
.
• W
e ar
e an
inte
gral
par
t of
Nat
ure,
whi
ch w
e
shou
ld c
heri
sh, r
ever
e an
d p
rese
rve
in a
ll its
mag
nific
ent
beau
ty a
nd d
iver
sity
. We
shou
ld
stri
ve t
o liv
e in
har
mon
y w
ith N
atur
e lo
cally
and
glob
ally
. We
ackn
owle
dge
the
inhe
rent
val
ue o
f
all l
ife, h
uman
and
non
-hum
an, a
nd s
triv
e to
trea
t al
l liv
ing
bein
gs w
ith c
ompa
ssio
n an
d
resp
ect.
As
in a
ll m
atte
rs o
f eth
ics,
we
leav
e it
up
to t
he in
divi
dual
to
deci
de h
ow t
o ap
ply
thes
e pr
inci
ples
. For
exa
mpl
e, m
any
of o
ur
mem
bers
are
veg
etar
ians
, bu
t m
any
are
not:
the
choi
ce is
you
rs. W
hat
we
prob
ably
all
have
in c
omm
on is
a c
once
rn fo
r co
mpa
ss-
iona
te fa
rmin
g, w
here
ani
mal
s ar
e al
low
ed t
o
lead
live
s th
at a
re a
s na
tura
l as
poss
ible
.
We
tend
to
be a
war
e of
the
env
iron
-
men
tal c
onse
quen
ces
of o
ur
acti
ons,
and
to
bear
the
se in
min
d in
ou
r ch
oice
s
in w
hat
we
buy
and
cons
um
e.
Whe
n th
inki
ng a
bou
t w
aste
, we
emph
asiz
e re
duci
ng, r
e-u
sing
and
recy
clin
g.
Ou
r m
agaz
ine
Pan
ofte
n fo
cuse
s on
gree
n is
sues
– a
rec
ent
issu
e w
as e
ntir
ely
devo
ted
to s
ust
aina
ble
livin
g. O
ur
gene
ral
mai
ling
lists
oft
en d
iscu
ss e
nvir
onm
enta
l
conc
erns
and
app
reci
atio
n fo
r na
ture
. We
also
hav
e tw
o sp
ecia
lized
mai
ling
lists
of
inte
rest
: a li
st fo
r ve
geta
rian
s, a
nd a
n
envi
ronm
enta
l act
ion
list
whi
ch s
ends
ou
t
aler
ts fr
om t
he m
ajor
env
iron
men
tal
orga
niza
tion
s. W
e ha
ve b
ough
t th
e do
mai
n
ww
w.w
ildki
ds.o
rg, w
here
we
plan
to
crea
te
an a
ctio
n, fu
n an
d in
form
atio
n-or
ient
ed
natu
re s
ite
for
child
ren
and
you
ng p
eopl
e.
In t
he lo
ng r
un
we
aim
to
help
inte
rest
ed
loca
l gro
ups
to
crea
te a
net
wor
k of
mu
lti-
purp
ose
natu
ral r
eser
ves.
The
se w
ill p
rote
ct
and
enha
nce
biod
iver
sity
thr
ough
nat
ura
l
woo
dlan
ds a
nd s
hru
b ar
eas
wit
h na
tive
spec
ies,
and
thr
ough
ope
n ar
eas
wit
h
wild
life-
frie
ndly
gar
deni
ng. T
hey
will
pro
vide
sim
ple
lodg
e-st
yle
indo
or fa
cilit
ies
for
pant
heis
t m
eeti
ngs,
and
a n
atu
ral s
etti
ng fo
r
cere
mon
ies
like
wed
ding
s an
d fu
nera
ls. A
ny
stru
ctu
res
on t
hese
res
erve
s w
ill b
e bu
ilt t
o
the
mos
t en
viro
nmen
tally
-fri
endl
y
stan
dard
s.
If yo
u h
ave
a de
ep r
ever
ence
and
conc
ern
for
natu
re, a
nd w
ould
like
to
find
a
spir
itu
al e
xpre
ssio
n fo
r th
is t
hat
does
not
invo
lve
turn
ing
you
r ba
ck o
n re
ason
and
evid
ence
, the
n th
e W
orld
Pan
thei
st
Mov
emen
t m
ay b
e th
e ri
ght
plac
e
for
you
.
the
WPM
and
nat
ure
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ld P
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eist
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orth
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ld P
anth
eist
Mov
emen
t PO
Box
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ondo
n N
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ted
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