We wanted to show our love and appreciation for water with an offering of beauty. We brought her ourselves, our songs, our drums, flowers and prayers, and we stood in the freezing cold and offered these things to Her - in her shape as the River Exe and in her shape within all of life, in all of us.
We asked her to send a message through all waters, in support of the aims of Extinction Rebellion - for me this it is in particular the aims as they relate to taking necessary action on the climate and ecological emergency. . We must reduce carbon emissions and halt biodiversity loss and we need our Government to stand up and take the lead on this. Businesses are clearly either not going to, or are not acting fast enough, and as individuals we don't have the power that either the corporations or the Government do to effect the fast change that is so urgently needed.
We asked that we may remember who we really are - children of Earth, indivisibly interwoven with all of Life, one among many; precious, sacred, necessary and beautiful. All-ways.
That's me with the flag and my friend Annee Bury with the bottle of water, she collected water from the Exe and poured into it a small amount of water that has been gathered from places all around the world, in ceremonies like this one, celebrating our love for our Earth, and for water. These photos were taken by Christa Mackinnon, our third co-creatrix in this ceremony.
We were joined by a swan, who arrived as the circle gathered, walked to the middle to inspect our basket of flowers (perhaps hoping for a picnic?) and the wandered off again, keeping us close as we moved to the bridge and back again, his presence feeling like a blessing and an acknowledgement of our consanguinity with all of Life.
The XR Solemn Intention Statement reads as follows:
"Let's remember our love for this beautiful planet that feeds, nourishes and sustains us.
Let's remember our love for the whole of humanity in all corners of the world.
Let's recollect our sincere desire to protect all this, for ourselves, for all living beings, and for generations to come
As we act today, may we find the courage to bring a sense of peace, love and appreciation to everyone we encounter, to ever word we speak and to every action we make. We are here for all of us."
