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A Call to Defend the Sacred by Jim Robinson
On the Friday before St. Francis Day, I rolled down the familiar final stretch of Greenwich Road with my friend Ryan Elwood, excited to arrive at Agape after a long ride from New Jersey. Turning onto the property, I was struck by the banner stretched across the trees, commanding: “DEFEND THE SACRED.” The banner alerted me, at…
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Peace and Prayer Honor Us by Hawk Looks Far
To sum up what I took from St. Francis Day at Agape would be the word powerful, a strong and fitting word to describe how we as Native people were honored by the presence of spiritual beings, highly respected individuals in our culture. We were honored by being in such a natural and pure setting,…
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By Bike: Mashpee to Standing Rock: A Journal Excerpt by David Detmold
Wounded Knee Massacre I stopped a few miles south of Porcupine, where Chief Big Foot, suffering from pneumonia and starving, along with his 100 or so lightly armed Hunkpapa and Minneconjou warriors, and the 200 or more old men, women and children who accompanied them, was surrounded in the snow in 1890. They had left…
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Our Drum Echoes over the Water by Joe Dancing Eagle
When I heard of an opportunity to sing and drum at a gathering being held for Standing Rock in Hardwick, MA, I jumped at the opportunity. When I arrived, I was greeted with smiles by friendly people. I noticed the buildings and the garden, built by the community with love. As our drum group, The…
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Systemic Racism is Alive and Well by Chief Dwaine Perry, Iron Bear
We have experienced conflict and oppression for over 300 years. Our children were encouraged to drop out of school, so that generation upon generation became weary of survival, and afraid to address anyone outside of the tribe. Some of us have been murdered, and our land has been taken, and the oppressors have gotten away…
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Voices from Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas’ Blog Post
“You brought water to parched land. The rain today is reaching down to the roots of that little white pine. May that ceremony water the shriveling spirits across the land.” Judy Hyde “Thank-you for bringing us all into the sacred circle of confession, repentance and commitment to making amends for our past egregious betrayal of…
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Paul by Suzanne Belote Shanley
RIP Paul Hood, co-founder of Ailanthus, key influence on the founding of Agape. Feature in next issue. Your essence is blue jean, frail denim. your jacket, an emblem, you wear like a second skin, the first left in a foxhole in Okinawa. Shining rebirth, you fled those booze-beguiling fantasies of the good life into those…
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Pat Tracy, Goodbye to an Agape Pillar by Brayton Shanley and Suzanne Belote Shanley
When we got the word from one of his students that Pat Tracy had died on September 17, we felt immediately overwhelmed, devastated. “Death is impossible” we thought, a truism from the philosopher Sartre which seemed truer than ever with Patrick’s death at age 64. Patrick had worked his way into the heart and soul…
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Bruce Davidson, Sirius Community Visionary, Mystic, Friend RIP by Brayton Shanley
For Bruce, the truest soul-mate, a true anam cara spiritual brother who both lived the spirit of mystical love but also worked so hard, taught so tirelessly, so much, about how to live life to the absolute fullest. Bruce was a walking, talking, radical alternative–gritty, earthy, always with that smile. Whenever I needed advice on…
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