EARTH
Responsibility | Respect | Reciprocity
‘You thought, as a boy, that a mage is one who can do anything. So I thought, once. So did we all. And the truth is that as a man’s real power grows and his knowledge widens, ever the way he can follow grows narrower: until at last he chooses nothing, but does only and wholly what he must do.’
– Ursula K. Le Guin
All profits will be donated to The African Pangolin Working Group
Earth – the playground and foundation for the other elements: it is enriched and enlivened by them. It is the physical realm where our intentions materialise and we are able to witness the reflection of our own creation. It is through this element that we can witness our role and responsibility within this creative process.
Earth helps us get real, it grounds us and provides a fertile landscape in which we can plant the seeds of our dreams, and it is here that our dreams meet boundaries and limitations as well as gateways of opportunity. It is the great karmic mirror where we bear witness, and reap that which has been sewn. The quality of our soil will determine the quality of our crops, and the quality of our crops will determine what kind of seeds are sewn next.
We have been provided with everything we need, yet our mindset and general approach to these resources has been distorted by overconsumption and overproduction where nothing is felt to ever be enough. If we are able to centre ourselves and recognise that the Earth is not here to be exploited but to be engaged with with utmost respect, appreciation, and awareness of what it offers, then we have aligned with a position from which a more sustainable and abundant world can be built.
African Pangolin Working Group
“I think that every species has got the right to live. It is as simple as that. I think it’s our responsibility, and if they die on our watch, it’s our fault. Any species. We can’t individually save the world, but we can try and save one species. If pangolins go extinct, that’s because of humans… We’re losing an estimated 100 species a day. Pangolins have an impact on biodiversity and are a very special animals – not one aggressive bone in its body. If we can all be like pangolins, wouldn’t it be a wonderful place?”
– Prof Ray Janson from APWG
Pangolin – the venerable ‘wise old man’ of the African bush – is said to be a totem of good luck and the bringer of rain. This enigmatic creature that holds the secrets of 85 million years of evolution is now the most poached mammal on the planet.
The African Pangolin Working Group (APWG) was established on 27 June 2011, following an inaugural meeting by a diverse group of people who all have one passion in common – understanding and protecting pangolins in Africa. The APWG’s objectives are encompassed by its mission statement:
“The African Pangolin working Group will strive towards the conservation and protection of all four african pangolin species by generating knowledge, developing partnerhips and creating public awareness and education initiatives.”
We actively engage in public awareness, pangolin rescue and rehabilitation, training of law enforcement personnel, and engagement with governments and non-governmental organisations across Africa, in addition to research. Most of these activities are not covered by research grants and we rely on donations to effectively protect and conserve pangolins in Africa.
‘If we lose the pangolins we lose the Earth’s great gardeners, they are our caretakers.’
– Lisa Hywood, Tikki Hywood Foundation
For more information about the African Pangolin Working Group and their current initiatives click here https://africanpangolin.org/