NMIPL Blog

Flordemayo® is a Curandera Espiritu, or a healer of divine spirit. She was among the faith leaders in New Mexico who offered a reflection for the video that New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light put together for Earth Day. We only used a portion of her seven-minute reflection in the piece that we posted online. Here is her full prayer.

As a seer, she has the ability to see other realms of color, light, and sound. In addition, she has the ability to see the effects of existing imbalances on the physical, emotional and spiritual realms within a person’s energy system. She was born in highlands of Central America, specifically Nicaragua and was the youngest of 15 children. In the Mayan astrology she has the seed sign.

As a world traveler she has offered ceremonies and has spoken on a wide range of topics from healing with the use of herbs to her more recent project, The Seed Temple, located in Estancia, New Mexico. Flordemayo® travels the globe to share her healings, prayers, and to foster a more spiritual understanding among humanity. She is a founding member of the the Confederation of Indigenous Elders of the America (1995 – 2000), Institute of Natural and Traditional Knowledge (2003 – 2007), Church of the Spiritual Path (1998, 2008 – 2014), and the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers (2004 – 2014).

In addition, she is the founder and member of The Path. Born under the sign of Q’anil (seed), Flordemayo® sees her role as cosmic germinator through teaching, community, manifestation and development. In recent years, she began to explore in-depth the wisdom of the seeds. As a caretaker of seeds, she prays for their well-being and survival.

In 2012, Flordemayo® received a vision during dialogue with the Beloved Mother. In this vision, Flordemayo® finds herself sitting in a rocking chair, rocking back and forth while being lovingly guided to prepare seed bundles with prayer. The Beloved Mother had shown a cosmic inspiration for Flordemayo® to birth, The Path, an organization dedicated to the conservation and preservation of heirloom and heritage seeds. Now, The Path, prepares seed bundles to be given to the parents of babies being born today and those to be born in the future in the dream of honoring and protecting light beings of all forms in this new era of the Divine Feminine.

On this 50th Anniversary of Earth Day we offer this gift to you as we pause to honor all people around the world working and praying for Earth Justice and healing. Most of all, we honor Earth herself. She is vast, abundant, diverse and beautiful.

The prayers and reflections we offer come from Franciscan Sister Joan Brown (Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light), Grandmother Flordemayo (Curandera Espiritu and Foundress of The Path in Estancia),  Rev. Beverly Moore-Tasy (Vicar of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Hobbs),  Rabbi Nahum Ward-Levy (scholar in residence at Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe),  Shelley Mann-Levy (New Mexico Public Health Association in Santa Fe), Barbara Malloy (Albuquerque Baha’i Community), Cynthia Jurs (Tibetan Buddhist lama and a Dharmacharya in the Order of Thich Nat Hanh in Santa Fe), Father Vincent Chavez (Pastor, St. Therese of the Infant Catholic Church in Albuquerque), Necip Orhan (Muslim and Executive Director of the Turkish Raindrop House and Dialogue Institute of the Southwest in Albuquerque).

The soundtrack for the video was recorded by local musician Keely Mackey-Gonzales.  Here is her full piece, entitled from her composition entitled Water: Out at Sea.

We also have the full reflections from Grandmother Flor de Mayo

and from Necip Orhan

This piece performed by Keely Mackey-Gonzales is on the newly released EP From “When the Veil Thins.” Her original composition, entitled Water: Out at Sea, was written to embrace her extensive experiences growing up and sailing on Lake Ontario. This song evokes waves, a dance, and a storm . . . listen to the whole song to see what happens at the end!

This piece has the added meaning of being a part of contemplating the water element for New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light’s Earth Day Prayer Ceremony 2020.

Composition Copyright 2018 Keely Mackey-Gonzales

The temperatures were hovering just above freezing. The dozens of people gathered at Alvarado Park in Albuquerque that cold November morning in 2019 had come together for a very special purpose: to plant five trees. Participants from Jewish, Christian and Sikh traditions witnessed the sacred event hosted by the Albuquerque Sikh Gurudwara and the City of Albuquerque.

The planting ceremony also had a very important spiritual purpose: a celebration of Guru Nanak’s 550th Birth Anniversary.  These were the first five of 550 trees that the Albuquerque Sikh community is planning to plant over the next several months.  In this video, community leader Kulmeet Singh offers an introduction.

According to the Sikh Gurudwara’s Facebook page, several other trees were planted in December 2019.

Forest of Bliss Campaign

In addition to the trees planted last year, the Sikh community–which is a participant in the local interfaith Forest of Bliss campaign–planted another five trees in the International District in April.

Other faith communities have joined in the effort to plant trees around Albuquerque. The Dialogue Institutute of the Southwest, which represents the local Turkish Muslim community, has set a goal of planting 284 trees locally.  Congregation Albert has also planted some trees near the bosque. The goal, including the plantings by the Sikh and Muslim communities, is to introduce 1,000 new trees in Albuquerque.

As part of the Forest of Bills campaign, trees will be planted in the fall and trees in people’s yards or at houses of worship and religious schools can also assist the project total. Send tree planting info to carlos@nm-ipl.org.

The following video was posted by Ghost Ranch this afternoon. Here is a description, followed by the video

Franciscan Sr Joan Brown, Executive Director of NM Interfaith Power and Light, and Clara Sims, also with NMIPL, invite us into this holiest celebration for Catholics, the Great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.

In this moment of pandemic and climate crisis with suffering upon us in unimaginable ways this holy ritual recounts our connectedness with ancestors whose lives were not in vain but who walk with us in these times.

With the symbolic fire of transformation and the baptismal waters of cleansing and new life, this holy night is also an invitation into a new commitment to Love, Community and Transformation for the days ahead. It will not be easy, but Love lights the way.

colorful up hand. concept of democracy

I pledge to vote with climate and Creation in mind.

I am pledging to be a Faith Climate Voter to put love into action for every living creature and for every vulnerable community suffering the impacts of our changing climate, from sea rise, to extreme heat, to devastating droughts, to supercharged storms.

I believe that our nation’s elected leaders and our public policies should reflect our shared values. By pledging to be a consistent voter and vote with climate in mind, I am communicating the values of caring for God’s Creation and our children’s future. “

You pledge to vote. We remind you to keep your word. It’s so easy. And it works.

Sign the pledge here

Other Ways You can Help

Make sure you’re registered to vote and register others

Help collect pledges. Sign up to have pledge cards sent to you.

Share the pledge link via email or social media. Here are  sample social media posts

Donate to support the Faith Climate Voter Campaign

Follow #FaithClimateVoter on social media and share your activities

PA IPL is pleased to be represented on this letter by the national Interfaith Power & Light network. It was sent to the President, the Administrator of the EPA, the Secretary of State, and several other national leaders.

Published Online by Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light

http://paipl.us/2017/05/10/letter-from-diverse-faith-communities-on-the-paris-agreement/

May 9, 2017

President Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As members of a coalition of diverse faith traditions, we are united across theological lines and called by our commitment to care for all of God’s creation and to stand with vulnerable communities, both across the world as well as right here in the United States. Included in our coalition are many faith organizations that provide direct accompaniment, technical support and post-disaster relief to frontline communities everywhere. These communities daily face the devastating impacts of dramatically changing weather patterns. Climate change disproportionately affects the world’s poorest communities; our faith traditions compel us to bear prophetic witness to their suffering.

It is in keeping with our deeply held religious values that we write to urge that the United States remains a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Paris Agreement and fulfills our commitments under that agreement.

As people of faith, we believe that we have a responsibility to be caretakers of Divine creation – to preserve our ecosystems for future generations and to ensure the human dignity and worth of all people. The ongoing climate crisis places a disproportionate burden on women and children, communities of color, low-income communities, and tribal nations both in the United States and globally.

Weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and drought can create great instability for individuals, families, and entire nations. It can mean losing their livelihoods, incomes, homes and land. It can also lead to an increase in conflict, hunger, disease, displacement, and human trafficking.

Many people in the United States live at or below the poverty line, including members of our own congregations. The Paris Agreement is a historic pact that will not only protect vulnerable populations, but benefit the United States’ economy and society. It will reduce carbon emissions, result in long-term energy savings, and foster growth and job creation in the emerging alternative energy market. Efforts to address climate change are, at their core, efforts to protect all of earth’s inhabitants, especially poor and vulnerable communities.

There are also broad international consequences to exiting the Paris Agreement or failing to meet domestic reduction goals. If the United States withdraws from the agreement or halts all efforts to reduce carbon emissions, we will face diplomatic ramifications that could undercut cooperation on other global efforts that are in the interests of the United States. Exiting the agreement would send the message that the United States cannot be trusted as a leader and partner in global affairs.

The need for global leadership could not be more urgent. We believe that the United States can and must play a leadership role in addressing the environmental challenges which threaten our planet, our security, the health of our families, and the fate of communities throughout the world.

For these reasons, we join together to urge you, as the President of the United States, to remain in the Paris Agreement and to meet our commitments in that agreement. The Paris Agreement will safeguard God’s creation, protect the vulnerable, address the impacts of climate change and fulfill our moral obligation to future generations.

Sincerely,

American Jewish World Service
Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
Columbian Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Church World Service
The Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Franciscan Action Network
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Interfaith Power & Light
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
New Evangelical Partnership
Office of Social Justice, Christian Reformed Church in North America
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas’ Institute Justice Team
UUSC: Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
Unitarian Universalist Association
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

CC: The Honorable Rex Tillerson
The Honorable Scott Pruitt
The Honorable Wilbur Ross
The Honorable Steve Mnuchin
The Honorable Bob Corker
The Honorable Ben Cardin

Sr. Joan Brown,osf, Executive Director New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light

The Senate, in a vote 51 to 49, chose Wednesday to protect public health, be good stewards of creation and act for the common good by preserving the BLM methane rule that curbs waste from oil and gas production.

The vote reflects the will of the public, which launched a massive effort to keep the common-sense rule on the books. Supported by 81 percent of Westerners, the rule was developed over nearly a decade and went through extensive gathering of input from industry, tribes, public and people of faith.

“Reducing methane waste is good stewardship and cares for sacred creation. Royalties from captured methane can now be used in New Mexico for our schools,” said Sister Joan Brown, Executive Director of New Mexico Power and Light. “The ethical and moral leadership shown by members of the Senate proclaims a strong stand for the health and well-being of communities.”

Similar regulations at the state level have proven successful in Colorado without harming the economy. Public Lands are held in trust for all people. Requiring oil and gas companies on public land to repair leaky infrastructure and waste less methane through venting and flaring could earn taxpayers $800 million in royalties over the next decade and capture enough methane to power 740,000 households every year.

In addition, leaked methane transports volatile organic compounds, benzene, asthma irritants, and carcinogens to people’s lungs, creating major health problems near oil and gas development. Leaked methane also exacerbates climate change, with methane more than 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide. The rule will assist in reducing the large methane cloud over the Four Corners region.

Today’s vote reaffirms the extensive efforts of a broad coalition of groups including tribal communities, public health organizations, sportsmen, environmentalists, public lands advocates, the faith community, and more. In particular, New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall deserves recognition for his role as a strong champion of the methane waste rule, as does Sen. Martin Heinrich. Thank you also to Sen. Michael Bennet and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp who faced strong pressure to repeal the rule. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. John McCain showed integrity through life affirming leadership. Every Senate Democrat and three Republicans voted in favor of keeping the BLM methane rule.