Beginning to gasp a little at the amount of work here to do with IMAGO, I have been looking at the need for a person to work with me for some time now. This spring, it began to really feel like the right time. Problem, where do I get the money to hire someone? A friend of mine looked me in the eye and said, “If you believe in IMAGO, you need to go ask.”
And so, I had to ask myself, do I really believe in IMAGO and in what it is about?
- U.S. income is four to five times the world average.
- The average person’s income on our planet is roughly $3,000 per person.
- The planet cannot sustain humans at the $3,000 per person level of consumption. We are destroying her.
- 80% of U.S. citizens feel they are missing something because they do not have enough money.
- A friend of mine asked me the other day, in light of what we are doing to the Earth, and what I feel about my children having children. What do I say to them?
- I, an optimist, feel we have about a 20% chance of survival as a species, if we continue to live the way we are.
Following the logic above, we obviously need to change. The message IMAGO has to offer is that if we change now, we don’t have to sacrifice. There is actually a better way to live that can save the Earth and all its living creatures from destruction.
IMAGO is a grassroots organization whose members are committed to living in harmony with the planet Earth and all her people. We envision and attempt to embody lifestyles premised on the sacredness of all Creation. Drawing on Earth-centered traditions, and an emerging bioregional consciousness, we are building community through seasonal celebrations, educational programs, and the development of an interdependent urban neighborhood. (IMAGO purpose statement)
And on some days I really believe this. On these days I had it in me to ask for help in hiring a staff person (need to raise $7500). The first person I approached was the person who said I needed to ask if I really believe – I received $100 per month. The second person offered $100 per month before I even finished my well-prepared spiel, and came back and offered more a few weeks later.
And so, I approached 16 people, 9 of them have committed $6500, 4 others are still thinking about it, two deeply regret not having the funds at this time to help out, only one gave a simple “no.”
The time of harvest? It seems that way. It is now that I feel IMAGO is reaching a point in which each of us can harvest, can reap from its ideas, direction, and support, helping us fall in love with this sacred Earth and its people, live with this sense of harmony and priority and thus be happier people on a sustainable planet. IMAGO is us; it is us believing, struggling, teaching and learning from each other. Sometimes it is an uphill struggle.
When a person made the statement that I sound like a little boy playing children’s games instead of doing something significant in my life, it left its mark. The support sometimes seems thin. But we are it for each other.
And to those who did not close the door in my face when I asked for help hiring a staff person, I thank you for your support. To those of you that I talked to while doing the member survey, thanks. To you that have helped with workshops, surveys, celebrations, and membership drives; to you who said yes during the membership drive; and you who say yes to the way we try to live our lives, and you who live it, as well and better than us; and to those who bear with us when we seem like hypocrites; and you who just love us even though you are not sure what we are about or why, I say thanks. We are all IMAGO, looking for a sustainable life.
May this sacred Earth and the Spirit within bear with us, this motley crew that we may be, as we come to fall in love and care the best we can. For there too is our support, in this harvest, when at times pickings may look slim.
rjamesschenk.org 