Exploring naturalistic spiritualty since 1999
The Dawning of Dark Skies
Top: the glorious star-flooded skies
above an Ontario home in August 2003,
during the biggest power blackout in
North American history. Below: the
impoverished and washed out sky after
power was restored.
W e rarely have an opportunity
to realize how the spread of
development and of light pollution has
robbed us. Contrasting images (left)
taken during and after the great 2003
blackout in North East USA and Canada
bring home the loss graphically.
Dark Skies are a central issue for
pantheism. They enable us to experience
our surrounding Universe directly. Their
nemesis, light pollution, makes the
experience increasingly difficult to come
by. On top of that it wastes energy, results
in excess greenhouse gas emissions,
damages human health and disrupts
wildlife. That’s why, last month, the
WPM decided to become a supporting
organization of the International Dark-
Sky Association.
Pantheism reveres the Universe.
The impulse for that reverence comes
not from scripture or theory, but from
what we see and learn about the vast
cosmos that envelops us. Today we have
astonishing images from the Hubble
telescope that show us details of distant
supernovae, majestically spiralling or
awesomely colliding galaxies. More
telescopes are coming on line or planned
that will expand that vision. While the
ancients speculated on the meaning of
those dots of light – Heraclitus thought
they were holes in an upturned black
bowl – we know what they are.
But to place those images in their
living context, to show how they all
fit together and how we and the Earth
fit into that vast picture, we rely on
the direct experience of looking up
into a dark moonless night. Looking
at astronomical imagery, and lying on
your back gazing into the heavens, are
complementary – one is not complete
without the other.
Light pollution is gradually
diminishing our direct experience. How
do we define it? Like other forms of
Editing and Design: Paul Harrison Associate Editor: Rene Lawrence
Issue 20 Autumn 2007
pollution light pollution is not intended
– it’s an unwanted by-product, something
that our needed activities spill out onto the
rest of the world. It’s light that serves one
person or company’s needs, but interferes
with many others’ needs. It’s light that
strays beyond the area where it’s needed,
light that sprays into the sky or strays into
a neighbor’s bedroom. It’s wasted light
- light that nobody wants, light that wastes
money and energy and produces the waste
of greenhouse gases.
S tealing the stars
The most obvious effect of light
pollution is to obscure the night sky. It’s
somewhat like stretching wrapping plastic
over your windows. I lived for over thirty
years in London, close to Parliament Hill –
with a full horizon all around this would be
in theory a superb viewing spot for anything
in the skies. But I remember going up there
at the peak of meteor showers and seeing
maybe one meteor in several hours. The rest
of the time there was the same reddish grey-
black, with only the very brightest stars
visible.
In 2001 Pierantonio Cinzano of the
and his colleagues produced the World Atlas
of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, based on
satellite data and accurate modelling of how
light propagates in the atmosphere.
This was the first attempt to survey
the extent of the problem world-wide.
About two-thirds of the world population
live in areas where the night sky is above
the threshold set for polluted status. The
more developed the region, the higher
the proportion of people living with
light-polluted night skies: in the United
States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and
the European Union, 99 per cent of the
population are affected. In concrete terms,
this means that for eight out of ten people
in the USA and two out of three in the EU
the night sky is brighter than a full moon
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Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

The World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness shows

the extent of light pollution across the world. We have
probably all seen NASA pictures of the earth at night,
showing the lights of human activity. Light pollution is
brighter than the lights themselves, because it spreads
far beyond its sources, diffused by atmospheric dust.
The lightness of the image coincides with areas of light
pollution and also locates the sites of human energy use
and greenhouse gas emissions.
In Euope, North America, Asia, South Africa and the
coasts of Latin America, the light pollution derives mainly
from cities and industries.
In the interior of Africa and Latin America and in South
East Asia, brightness on this map may indicate forest and
grassland fires, lit to clear land for farming or pasture. In
parts of the Arab countries or coastal Africa it reveals gas
flarings in oil fields. And in the ocean (eg off the Falkand
Islands or in the Sea of Japan) it may represent the
presence of very large fishing fleets or (in the North Sea
east of Britain) offshore oil fields.
There is almost nowhere in the whole of Japan, Europe
or the Eastern USA where pristine dark skies are
viewable.
This image is based on data from 1996-97 - the situation
today is almost certainly considerably worse.

Source: Cinzano et al.,

World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness

sky woud be in a dark-sky area – what Cinzano calls “moonlight

without the moon.” In these areas people never actually
experience true night. In the UK almost everyone living in the
South East and the Midlands can see less than 400 stars, while in
the larger conurbations the total is less than 200. This compares
with up to 1300 stars visible with the naked eye in areas with no
light pollution.
Probably the single element of the night sky that evangelizes
people to pantheism is the Milky Way, revolving above us like
some gigantic illuminated Ferris wheel, brilliantly dense and
radiant in the constellation of Sagittarius, where the heart of the
galaxy resides hidden behind thick veils of dust. Cinzano’s team
found that about one-fifth of the world population have already
lost naked eye visibility of the MilkyWay - including over two-
thirds of the US population and more than half the population of
the European Union.
Another effect of light pollution is to reduce people’s night
vision capabilities. Full night vision takes about 30 minutes to
set in, in very dark areas. In areas that are not fully dark because
of light pollution, night vision is weaker and so even less is seen
of an already depleted sky. The Atlas found that about one tenth
of the world’s population no longer views the heavens with
their eyes adapted to night vision, because of the sky brightness.
This is the case with more than 40 per cent of the United States
population and one sixth of the European Union population.
These results, based on data from 1996-97, are troubling
enough, but ten years later – given rapid urbanization in China
and an extra 900 million people in the world – they are probably
a good deal worse. The team are now working on the growth of
light pollution – results from Italy show an alarming deterioration
between 1971 and 1998.
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L eaking energy and pollutants
Virtually all of the light that causes light pollution is
unwanted and wasted. Apart from air raid wardens, the Luxor
hotel in Las Vegas and a few special events, nobody wants
light to leak skyward. The Environmental Protection Agency
has made rough estimates of the cost of the wasted light in the
United States, where lighting accounts for up to a quarter of the
electricity used annually. Lighting for industry, stores, offices,
and warehouses represents from 80 to 90 percent of the total
lighting electricity use. If energy efficient lighting were used
everywhere that it was profitable, the electricity required for
lighting would be cut by at least 50 percent. This reduction would
free up $18.6 billion for investment. It would cut carbon dioxide
emissions by 232 million tons a year - equivalent to taking 42
million cars off the road – and also reduce emissions of sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which cause acid rain.
The production of this wasted light means an annual waste
of at least six million tons of coal or 23 million barrels of oil,
with all the acid rain, air pollution and greenhouse gases that
these imply. In reality all these figures are probably serious
underestimates.
D amaging human and ecosystem health
Light pollution also has effects on human health – excess
lighting in workplaces can increase stress. Poorly shaded security
and street lights can scatter light into homes and bedrooms,
interfering with sleep which is essential for good physical and
mental health.
So far we have been seeing light pollution from a human
point of view, where only stray light is considered as polluting.
From the point of view of other living creatures and ecosystems,
any artificial light is light pollution and can have complex effects
 Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

that are only just beginning to be investigated. Among moths from the light.
artificial light interferes with mating, dispersal, and migration. It Artificial light can change whole ecosystems. In the ocean
diverts moths into traffic, and burns or desiccates moths that fly many creatures descend to lower depths in daylight hours, to
into lamp housings. One of the best-known effects is on hatching avoid predation, and rise again at night. Many zooplankton forage
sea turtles. They normally head towards the sea, which under near the surface during dark conditions. Artificial light can reduce
normal conditions will be lighter, while things in land are darker. their rising, which may result in population increases in the algae
With artificial lights land is lighter they normally eat, leading to algal blooms.
and sea darker, so the turtles head What you can and cannot see
inland - towards predatory gulls
and roadways with traffic. Excellent Zodiacal light and zodiacal band visible; M33 directly visible to naked-eye; many
dark sky Messier globular clusters are distinct naked-eye objects; Sagittarius region of
Some animals use changed site the Milky Way is complex and casts obvious shadows on the ground; clouds
light levels to their advantage. visible only as dark holes
Harbor seals congregate under Rural sky Near horizon, light pollution is evident and clouds are illuminated; the Milky Way
lights to eat juvenile salmon as still appears complex; M33 is visible with averted vision; nearer surroundings
they migrate downstream. Crows are vaguely visible.
prefer to roost near lights, where Rural/ Light pollution domes are visible in various directions over the horizon; Milky Way
they can spot owls. Artificial light suburban above the horizon is still impressive, but lacks most of the finer details; clouds
has important effects on predator- transition are illuminated in the directions of the light sources, but still dark overhead.
prey relationships. Moths and Suburban The Milky Way is very weak or invisible near the horizon and looks washed out
other insects such as lacewings, sky overhead; artificial light sources are visible in most, if not all, directions; clouds
are noticeably brighter than the sky.
beetles, bugs, caddisflies, crane
flies, midges, hoverflies, wasps, Bright The Milky Way is visible only near the zenith; the sky within 35° of the
and bush crickets are attracted suburban horizon glows grayish white; clouds anywhere in the sky appear fairly bright;
sky surroundings are easily visible.
to lights and may be killed by
the heat, or exposed to higher Suburban/ The entire sky has a grayish-white hue; strong light sources are evident in all
urban directions; Milky Way is invisible; M31 and M44 may be seen with the naked eye,
predation by bats and insect- transition but very indistinct; clouds are brightly lit; even in moderate-sized telescopes
eating birds. Light may affect the brightest Messier objects are only ghosts of their true selves.
reproductive behavior - frogs in
City sky The sky glows white or orange - you can easily read; even with a telescope, only
one study stopped mating during a few bright Messier objects can be detected; stars forming familiar constellation
nearby night football games. Male patterns may be weak or completely invisible.
choruses tuned up again only Source: Simplified from Bortle Dark-Sky Scale, Wikipedia
when the frogs were shielded
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Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

What’s being done

First Dark Sky Park
Earlier this year, in April, the IDA
recognized Natural Bridges National
Monument as its first International
Dark Sky Park. The park, already
one of the darkest in the USA,
shielded more the 80 percent of their
light fixtures so all the light points
downward. Most of the fixtures now
use 13-watt compact fluorescent
light bulbs that reduce light from
the park buildings straying into the
campground and backcountry. In
summer, the park provides astronomy
ranger programs under spectacular
starry skies.
The whole US National Park Service
is now committed to protect natural
darkness and other components of
the natural lightscapes of parks.
UPS Management Policies of
2006 describes natural lightscapes
© 1997 Terry Acomb/John Chumack/PhotoResearchers: vwww.galacticimages.com as “natural resources and values
that exist in the absence of human-caused light.” The Service will minimize light that emanates from park facilities, and seek the
cooperation of visitors, neighbors, and local government agencies to minimize the intrusion of artificial light. The Service will avoid
artificial lighting in areas such as sea turtle nesting locations where the presence of the artificial lighting will disrupt a park’s dark-
dependent natural resource components; restrict artificial lighting to areas where security, basic human safety, and cultural resource
demands it, and use minimal-impact lighting techniques.

First International Dark Sky City: Flagstaff Arizona

The title was awarded in 2001 to Flagstaff, Arizona, which has advanced municipal lighting policies such as replacing of high-pressure
sodium and mercury vapor roadway lighting with fully shielded low-pressure sodium. The city distributes Dark Sky brochures with all
building permits, and funds an innovative program to help businesses replace obsolete lighting. It was aiming to bring all city-owned
facility lighting completely into compliance with the lighting code by the end of 2002. All Arizona counties now have outdoor lighting
control ordinance.

First Dark Sky Country: Czech Republic

In 2002 the Czech Republic became the first country to bring into force national legislation aimed at eliminating light pollution,
and mandating the use of the use of fully shielded light fixtures that emit no light above the horizontal direction. Italy has also
made considerable progress: 15 of the countries’ 21 regions have Dark Sky laws and seven of these have the best-practice laws
recommended by anti-light pollution organizations. At least eight US states have regulations to restrict light pollution - Arizona,
California, Connecticut, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, Texas and Vermont.

National Dark-Sky Week

In 2002 a 15 year old student, Jennifer Barlow, began campaigning for a US National Dark-Sky Week (NDSW), and the first such week
was held in April the following year. It’s now endorsed by the American Astronomical Society, Astronomical League, International
Dark-Sky Association, and Sky & Telescope magazine. It is held in the week of the new moon in April, and people in the US are
encouraged to turn out their unnecessary outdoor lights. In 2008 NDSW will be April 6-12. Visit http://www.ndsw.org/

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 Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

What you can do

● Think in terms of conserving the natural
lightscape, conserving energy, reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and restoring
natural diurnal rhythms for yourself and for
nature.
● Consider your human and non-human
neighbors, and the effect your lights may have
on them.
● Design your outdoor lighting system based
on what light is actually needed.
● Use light sources no stronger than is
required for your purpose.
● Improve your fixtures and shades, so they
direct more light where you need it, and less
light strays where it may harm or annoy
others or pollute the night sky.
● Adjust the type of bulbs and tubes used, to
ones that emit light waves less likely to cause
problems and that use less energy.
● Turn all lights off using a timer or sensor or
manually when you don’t need them.
● Ask yourself if you really need to illuminate
that tree or that fountain after dark!
● Join the International Dark-Sky Association
at http://www.darksky.org/
● Invite your friends and neighbors to star
parties for events such as meteor showers, in
dark sky locations so they see the difference.
● Celebrate and promote Dark Sky Week and
the peak of the Perseid shower (August 12).
● Write to your local papers about local
light pollution issues such as gas stations and
excessive street lighting.
● Lobby your local representatives and
officials to introduce and enforce Dark Sky
policies.
● Enjoy the peace of darkness.

Star-friendly lighting
Many modern outdoor light fitments
direct the light where it’s wanted,
and keep it away from where it’s not
wanted. Usually this involves fairly
simple techniques like shades that
point the light downwards, or in a
limited pool, rather than through all
azimuths and all degrees. When light
goes only where it’s wanted, much less
light is required to do the job, resulting
in savings in cost, energy use, and
greenhouse gas emissions.
These four light fitments are produced
©Hubbell Incorporated

by Architectural Area Lighting (http://

www.aal.net), and are approved by the
International Dark-Sky Association.
In addition, many of the fitments are
produced in environmentally friendly
ways and use low-energy bulbs and
tubes.
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Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

Fogged In on the Shores

of the Cosmic Ocean
F or as long as I can remember, I
have been graced with fabulous
“aurora karma.m” For example, one
that organic molecules, and by fearless
extrapolation perhaps life itself, could
be produced by energetic processes
beautiful summer night at Lenox in such as lightning, acting upon ordinary
western Massachusetts, a group of atmospheric constituents. All this led
us were listening to Rachmaninoff me to a fresh view of the skies, which
on the lawn of the Tanglewood were crystalline as seen from my home
Music Center, far from the lights in northern Vermont, far from the city
of Boston. As the music swelled, a lights of the seaboard.
spectacular auroral display erupted Leaving teaching to pursue
overhead. Perfectly choreographed research training that would be
to the music, it danced above us for applicable to these interests, I landed in
perhaps 20 minutes, creating for us a program with a focus on the contents
all a truly unforgettable experience. of our own solar system. With no
The friends with whom I witnessed illusions that life on Mars was likely,
this are at this very moment sailing these interests seemed like a call to
down the eastern seacoast and will study how our solar system came to be
arrive in my neighborhood this as it is; ready for life on Earth, at least.
weekend. As sailors, they have a WPM Vice President Tom Moore Still, the Viking landings on Mars in
great appreciation for the skills lives with his family near 1976 had me glued to my telescope,
Annapolis, MD, where he enjoys
of dead reckoning and celestial the seafood and walks along the
imagining those dauntless robots trying
navigation. woodsy shore, but misses the to sniff out life in a red desert.
My point in relating these clear skies of his New England Faced with an opportunity to
youth. He has worked as a
anecdotes is that the dark night skies landscaper, engineer, teacher,
build a scientific instrument and fly
play a dual role in our lives with homebuilder, executor, landlord, it on a sounding rocket above an
both practical and spiritual or artistic writer, and for the past 25 years aurora, I guessed that the auroral
as a heliophysicist studying the
aspects. Dark skies form a perfect effects of solar and interstellar assault of the solar wind on the upper
yin/yang duality with the blazing sun winds on our cosmic shoreline. atmosphere might well be relevant to
He recently joined the ranks of
of daytime. The sun brings energy NASA’s middle management.
the composition and stability of our
to life and creates a merry campfire atmosphere over geologic time. So
around which we gather, while the soon I was treated to the very clearest
dark night skies behind us reveal the cold vastness of the of skies anywhere on our planet, in the long cold arctic
universe as well as the infinity of other distant campfires. night of winter, where aurora is a nightly occurrence.
My own interests in astronomy and space began as an When my own children developed interests and school
interest in physics and the Earth, including “meteorology”, assignments relating to the skies, we lived in Huntsville,
the root of which refers to all that lies above and beyond Alabama. Though the south is not renowned for clear skies,
the ground. When Carl Sagan asked whether life on Earth and Huntsville suffers from widespread use of sodium
could be detected through a telescope trained on us by vapor lamps, dark skies do occur during dry air periods.
an alien culture, I was astounded by the audacity of his Indeed, auroras are not unknown in Huntsville, though
perspective. But my interest was cemented by experiences they tend to be huge red blobs rather than the rayed green
as a young teacher of math and physics, from which I drew and pink draperies of the polar aurora. Later, in Maryland,
energy when teaching those topics. Watching Star Trek and likewise prone to murky skies, we sought at one point to
reading Carl Sagan led to daily discussions with students watch a meteor shower in the early morning hours. We first
that ranged far and wide over topics including the origins tried a nearby highway intersection that is surrounded by
of life on Earth and perhaps elsewhere in the cosmos. At farm lands. However, there were so many others already
that time, the first experiments were reported suggesting there by the time we arrived, that it was impossible to
6

find a parking place or darkness! We then resorted to an
incomplete subdivision lacking street or home lights and
had a beautiful head-on view of the incoming meteors.
Of course that subdivision has since been completed and
would be brightly lit at this point.
Increasing light pollution and sub/urbanization are
rapidly consuming the dark skies that have been a source
of inspiration, information, and meditation for humankind
since our appearance on Earth. Instead of studying the skies
as we guard our flocks at night, we now deploy more and
more lights in hopes of deterring vandals as we sleep under
roofs, behind blinds and draperies. We have to place our
telescopes in space, or in the few clear spots on the ground
where (so far) light pollution is not a factor. Cameras on
these telescopes bathe us in views of the universe that are
far more revealing than the human eye could ever be in
both sensitivity and detail. And rather than the stars, we use
GPS systems to navigate in these days of cheap complex
devices. Why then should we care about our loss of dark
night skies?
It seems universal that humans feel somewhat
Pan Magazine Autumn 2007
oppressed by a night sky that is actually or effectively
closed in by a cloud deck, as if we were fogged in and
thereby prevented from leaving harbor. A view of the
infinite is something we all treasure and from which we
draw endless pleasure and inspiration. We are willing to go
far out of our way to find places where we get that view, in
place of the glow of nearby civilization. It is equivalent in
some sense to the climbing of a mountain at the seashore,
from which we can obtain a commanding view of all
reality. Dark skies are valued because bearing witness to
the infinite is a spiritual experience. Perhaps this speaks of
a universal pantheism of the human heart, widely felt if not
acknowledged. In Carl Sagan’s words, from the shores of
the cosmic ocean:
“Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us.
There is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a
faint sensation, as if of a distant memory, of falling from
a height. We know that we are approaching the greatest
of mysteries...We are made of star stuff... Some part of
our being knows that is from where we came. We long to
return... We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself.”
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Pan Magazine Autumn 2007
Members write about the spiritual meaning of dark skies
W here I live, the city lights pollute
the natural dark sky and its
magical perspective of the universe
and our relationship to it. I am often
robbed of the balance it would
provide me.
And so if I want that feeling, I
have to drive into the Santa Monica
Mountains, which I try to do as
frequently as possible. I immediately
relax into the lush darkness. I’m
drawn into the natural beauty, like
huge black arms surrounding me,
excited about the surprise that I know
awaits me. I find a clear spot, lie down
on my back and feel pulled into the
biggest, most mysterious journey
8
possible, into the infinity beyond me.
My eyes lustfully drink it all in.
As I look up I’m always startled by
the torrent of lights of other galaxies,
other worlds. I quickly become totally
absorbed by this overpowering force
which goes on and on. I’m filled with
awe and wonder. I feel intensely
humble as I realize my oneness with
this powerful immensity. My own
problems and anxieties shrink into
nothingness as my perspective of
my own tiny existence becomes very
clear. I tell myself to hold on to this
awareness and use it to guide me in
the future and ease my sensitivity
about my own life’s path.
As I drive home back
into the blindness of light
pollution I feel angry
that so many of us are
deprived of this mighty
reminder of our true
place in the universe, and
of a much larger, wiser
perspective and guidance
of our own lives and
actions.
Sheila Rosenthal
I f there is one thing
that sparks my
“inclusivity” with the
Universe, it is standing
and looking up into the
vastness of space, the
dark night sky, especially
when I am skyclad. It
is both humbling and
awe-inspiring. I find
it a great leveller and a
deeply calming influence
in today’s madness
to see and absorb the
immenseness that
surrounds us and of
which we are an integral
part. If I have a “church,”
then being free in Nature
and connected to that
awesome majesty is “it”
for me. Luckily, we
live far away from city
lights, in the “boonies,” so a simple
step outside the door enables me to
connect. I first became aware of the
vastness of our Universe when at
sea as a young mariner. Long night
watches during the wee small hours
amidst the deep oceans permit much
time for calmer and quieter thought,
and a growing connection to the
limitless scope of our existence. It is
both amazing and comforting, to be
faced with that infinity.
George Mycroft
I don’t have kids at home, and
where I live close to the Smoky
Mountains National Park I don’t have
big problems with light pollution.
But I will say that looking at the night
sky filled with stars from my hilltop
(especially in the winter) makes me
feel more at home in the vast universe
than just about anything I have
experienced. I still haven’t gotten a
telescope yet, but that’s ok. There’s
something about going out on the
porch and just looking up with my
own eyes that seems right. It makes
me feel really small and kind of huge
at the same time. It makes me feel
like I belong. It makes me just feel. I
don’t use the word awesome much,
but one dark night my daughter and
I were riding down the road and with
the curves and hills, all of a sudden
the full moon was straight ahead of
us and absolutely huge, and I could
swear that we were going to ride right
into it. That was truly awesome. That
was three or four years ago and she
and I still talk about that even now,
it was so amazing. I guess I’m lucky
that I can see the sky and the stars
so clearly from where I live - in fact,
in the past relatives from a big city
visited here and actually complained
about how dark it is! I can’t imagine a
life without that, so I think our joining
the International Dark-Sky Association
is definitely a worthy pantheist cause
if it means more people can have that
experience.
Sharon Wells
 Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

T hough the night skies did not

figure much in my childhood, I
have been lucky enough to travel into
kids hanging backwards out of their
windows, a bunch of bikers, a young
couple, a man flat out on his back on
sides of me have big bright security
lights. If I look at them they affect my
night vision so I must find a spot to
remote rural areas in Africa, Asia and his car roof, another guy on an air sit where I will not see them. Those
Latin America, and there I have had mattress with pillow. spots are not the best ones to view the
the joy of seeing the Milky Way in all Finally I got to a place high above heavens. Their light pollution, like all
its glory. I wantd to make sure my the Pacific about 15 miles from my pollution, does not recognize property
two sons had the same experience. In home. It was quite dark and the Milky boundaries. I sometimes get the urge
London you could only see a pathetic Way was strong and clear, rising out to bring along my rifle but don’t
scattering of the brightest of stars, of the ocean and soaring vertically because temptation may get the best
but we used to holiday on the island overhead with its dust clouds and of me. A full moon is light enough.
of Tresco, 30 miles from the English millions of stars. A big hill blocked off Jerald Robertson
mainland. On the night of the Perseid the view of the shower’s radiant, but
peak, around August 12 we used to
turn off all the lights, and lie back on
deckchairs, staring in the direction
I could see some of the larger meteors
that got further, some of them heading
to plunge into the Pacific. With one
I live in a development of condos
which has several hundred lamp
posts spaced about 20 feet apart, and
of Perseus. I am sure my boys will sweep I could see the earth’s ocean lamps outside each garage. These
remember those nights and I hope and land, and the earth’s place in a lights are left on all night. The whole
they will pass the tradition on. solar system still full of debris from place seems flooded with light like
These days I live in a canyon its formation and later collisions, and a high security jail, but most of it is
backing onto 60 square miles of in the wider circling galaxy. Life is unnecessary for visibility or safety. We
wild lands. I see more stars than wonderful and has many wonderful could manage with half the number of
London, but because of a haze of moments, but for me few of them lampposts, while the garage lights are
light pollution from Los Angeles embody and reward the pantheist redundant since everyone drives up
and the Valley it’s not possible to view better than this. with their car headlights on. The lights
see the Milky Way here either. One Paul Harrison waste energy, and glaze over the night
of the worst sources is an auto-mall sky. I just love the nights when some
in Thousand Oaks about ten miles
from here, where dealers leave half
a mile of floodlights switched on all
I have a place in the country where
I can get away from the lights of
the city and really see the night sky.
malfunction blacks out the outdoor
lights – the place looks so much more
cozy, with warm little lights emerging
night long. Light pollution like this Unfortunately my neighbors on both from scattered windows, like a village
is a crime against human
wonder.
While the solstices and
equinoxes are theoretically
important, Nature does not
provide any fireworks to
mark them. So for me the
Perseid shower is one the
high points of the pantheist
year. This year I headed
for the nearest wild area,
Malibu Creek State Park,
surrounded by steep hills.
Even here, shielded from
all nearby artificial light,
light pollution from Los
Angeles was bad, so I
headed further West, where
there are fewer houses. As
I got deeper into the darker
areas there were people by
the roadside out to watch
the show - a family with

Van Gogh’s Starry

Night expresses the
most intense emotional
response to the
enveloping night sky.
9
Pan Magazine Autumn 2007
in a forest.
I am a light sleeper and easily awakened by dawn or
other lights, so these lights constitute “light trespass” and
for a long time I found them intrusive and distressing.
One day I took matters into my own hands and
unscrewed the bulbs outside my own townhome. There
was plenty of light from the adjacent lamps. I had a quiet
agreement with the maintenance guy that he would not
screw them back in again. Then one of the homeowners’
board noticed, and I got a letter from the association to
screw them back in again, with threats of fines if I did not.
My latest trick has been to insert aluminum foil
shaped to the lamp glass, cutting out the light that points at
my unit while increasing illumination on the path. It works
a treat and I can sleep peacefully again. Don’t tell anyone!
Mary Wild
I have enjoyed looking up at the night skies, away from
the city lights, since I was a child. My family used to
go camping in the San Bernardino Mountains, and I
remember singing songs around the campfire, dazzled by
the number and brightness of the stars in the sky. When
I was a senior in high school, my father and I took a long
trip around California, visiting various college campuses
I might attend, and one night we camped out in Yosemite
park, in sleeping bags under the open sky. I remember
how absolutely silent it was that night, how cold, and how
bright the stars were. I later learned that the expansion of
the universe appears to be accelerating, and eventually
(millions of years from now, at least) the galaxies will all be
10
separated by so much space that when we look up in the
night sky, we will see very little other than our own galaxy,
and less and less of that. We are very lucky to live in the
present time when so much is still visible in the night sky.
Our great, great, great . . . . nth great grandchildren may
not be so lucky.
Dave Kiebert
I’m a New York City native, so I grew up only knowing
about the few stars we could see. I was lucky enough to
go pretty often to the Hayden Planetarium. Not quite the
same, though.
A few years ago I was on the beach at night on Koh
Samui, Thailand. The stars covered ever inch of sky, and
they seemed as big and heavy as ripe fruit waiting to be
plucked. The experience felt almost hypnotic.
A few days ago, I was watching a movie about
Beethoven. One of the climactic moments is the
performance of his 9th Symphony. The old man, now deaf,
climbs onstage and recalls his life as a boy as he hears the
music in his head. His memory takes him to a time when
he climbed out his window to escape a beating from his
abusive father. Then he ran through the woods to a pond
and, with the night sky reflected all around him in the
black water, he floats on his back. The famous, powerful
Ode to Joy plays in his mind, and camera pans out, showing
how tiny he is among the vast expanses of the galaxy, until
the boy becomes only a few little stars among all
the others.
Zen
At France’s Mont
St Michel, light
illuminates buildings
tastefully but does
not stray beyond
their margins.
 Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

Our lists need your thought

E very now and then we send out a message to encourage people to post to our lists. We know from the join form statements
that our members are intelligent, sensitive and profound people. All of you have experiences and insights or inspiring and
enlightening stories that we could all benefit from hearing. So please don’t be shy, let’s hear them. They will broaden, inspire or
inform us or simply help us all feel that we are not alone in our positive, life-affirming, nature-valuing, reality honoring viewpoint.
I know that for new members the lists can seem daunting, especially the Ideas list. It can sometimes feel like you have just
entered a room where a private conversation is going on among a group of people you do not know. Try to overcome that feeling
and just jump in. Remember that every frequent poster was once a first-time poster just like you. If you don’t like the threads
that are running, you can always start a new thread. It may seem that you need a high level of writing skill, or scientific or
philosophical expertise in order to post. On most of our lists, what counts above all is not not rhetoric or expertise but sincerity
and experience: everyone is the world expert on their own experience and feelings. On the Ideas list it is preferable if people
are cautious about posting on topics with which they are not at all familiar – but with the Internet it’s easy to get at least a
general idea of most things rather quickly. It may also appear sometimes that if you stick your head above the parapet, you may
get it cut off. That should not be the case and if that happens to you and we notice it, we will be on your side. If you think we
haven’t noticed it, write to one of the moderators (see the table opposite). We have firm rules to encourage mutual respect and
we enforce them. Please remember that our major lists are not censored in advance, we don’t control what goes in, we can only
deal with things after the event. Posts (other than WPM announcements) represent ONLY the opinions and character of the person
who posted them. Paul Harrison

Choosing your lists
In the first few years of our existence, we used to have
just one list for everything from philosophical and scientific
ideas to feelings and experiences, poems and ceremonies.
This “Big List” started out with 35 members and eventually
grew to almost 1000. But there was one big problem that
kept recurring every few weeks. Debates on political and
philosophical issues would get heated, two or three individuals
would start baiting each other, a fight would break out,
everyone else would go silent, and good feelings and sharing
would vanish. This interfered seriously with our efforts to
build up a community spirit. So we divided the Big List into
two – one for the kind of topic that led more frequently into
adversarial debate (the Ideas list), the other for sharing
feelings and discussing pantheist living (the Community list.)
These days we have four major lists and one safety valve
list. Each has its own special niche. Here’s a brief guide to
give you some idea of which list to choose for your post, or
which you might be interested in reading. You can belong to
all four.
However many you belong to, cross-posting between
the lists is not a good idea. We do this only for WPM-wide
news, to make sure everyone sees it. There is a considerable
amount of overlap in membership, so a large proportion of
people will see the same post twice. People may cross-post
their replies. And finally, cross-posting blurs the distinctions
between the lists and confuses everyone. It’s best to get to
know the differences between the lists and to choose the most
appropriate list. If it’s a borderline subject, ask yourself: is
this likely to create adversarial debate? If so, then post to the
Ideas or Spirituality lists.
Community List: This list is for sharing experiences and
feelings about nature, discussing everday problems of
pantheist living, suggesting ways of celebrating life’s stages
and the seasons, inspirational quotes, and developing the
World Pantheist Movement and its local groups. As it’s title
implies, this is the place where we stress community and
cooperation and sharing rather than adversarial debate. We
emphasize mutual respect, sharing and patient listening to
each other, warmth rather than heat. We want everyone to
feel totally safe to post without anxiety, regardless of age,
gender or level of education.
Ideas list: This list is mainly for discussing pantheist and
related beliefs, and also discusses science, ethics, philosophy
and comparative religion related to a reverent naturalistic
life-view. These are topics where opinions may differ, and
where people may challenge each other’s ideas. It’s a
list primarily for people in sympathy with the WPM belief
statement: people who feel a deep religious reverence for the
universe and nature, who generally do not believe that mind
and matter are two separate substances, or that supernatural
phenomena exist. If you want to challenge these viewpoints,
then the place to do that is the Pantheist_Spirituality list
where you will find more supporters for alternative versions
of pantheism. Here too we encourage people to be friendly,
cooperative and constructive. Since ideas can only be
developed if debated, be prepared, if you raise a pet idea, for
someone else to offer a (hopefully constructive) critique.
Pantheist_Spirituality: This list was the first generic pantheist
forum on the Internet. Although the WPM set it up, it is for
all types of pantheist to communicate and share experiences
and ideas. This is the place to post if you don’t agree with
the WPM’s form of pantheism. There are natural/scientific
pantheists there along with dualists and so on. For that reason
there may be disagreements at times. As always we encourage
people to remain respectful, and this list usually is.
Intro list: Our only fully moderated list, this is for people
interested in getting to know the ideas and practices of the
WPM before becoming supporting members. All posts are
moderated, and there are a number of experienced WPM
members who can discuss pantheism and answer questions.
Hot Topics list: This list is a kind of safety valve where high
pressure steam can be let off. It fused three of our prior lists:
Politics, WPMVocabulary and the adversarial aspects of our
vegetarian lists. Hot Topics covers two kinds of topics:
Those that often generate an unusual amount of heat, such
as vegetarianism v meat eating or discussion of national or
international political issues and political systems. [Note:
as a charity the WPM may take positions on issues core to
us, but we do not endorse any particular political group or
candidate.]
● Those that have come up dozens of times on the Ideas list
and that frequently hinge on the definition of terms, such as
“Is pantheism a philosophy or a religion?” or pantheist usage
of the word “God.”
11
Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

How list moderation works moderators must agree. If not, then they bring the case to
the moderators’ committee which consists of all the main
Our lists have different levels of moderation. The Ideas list list moderators, and a majority decision there decides the
is not moderated at all, except for a limit of two posts per appropriate action.
day of 130 lines or less. This limit is enforced robotically by
the software – if you exceed these your post will not get in. How we deal with rule breaches
So please post in text only, not in HTML, and please don’ t Moderation is usually very light. Off-topic stuff gets in, as
quote the whole of the digest you are replying to. long as there is some kind of link with pantheism. When
All our other lists are at Yahoo groups and they are set someone violates the more important rules – usually the
to moderate new members for a few months – Yahoo’s soft- one against insults - we follow a set procedure. We send
ware decides how long. That’s because there are tons of a private informal and friendly warning to the person con-
spammers out there, many of them automated, who keep cerned. Most people respect these. However, a few people
pouring in with new IDs and when allowed post a message do not. If they repeat the behavior, then they get a formal
every day. Lists with no moderation quickly get flooded warning, also in private. Any breach following the formal
with spam. For everyone who is past this introductory warning may lead to the person being set to moderated, or
period, the Community list and the Pantheist Spiritual- in extreme cases (which are very rare) they may be sus-
ity list, like the Ideas list, are not moderated before the pended from all our lists. We don’t discuss specific cases
event. That provides freedom of expression, but it also in the lists to avoid embrarrassment. However we may is-
brings risks. A few times a year someone comes along who sue a very generalized reminder to the list about the rel-
just can’t stop themselves insulting or mocking or putting evant rules. If the person concerned discusses the modera-
down other people. That kind of behavior is not compat- tion in the list, then we will respond to that in the list.
ible with a friendly environment where people feel safe.
Mailing List Active moderators
Who moderates
Each of our major lists has at least Ideas (pantheism-l@listser.aol.com) Eljay Love-Jensen, Tom Moore
two moderators (see box) to make WPMCommunity@yahoogroups.com Tom Moore, Sharon Wells
sure that pending messages are dealt Pantheist_Spirituality@yahoogroups.com Paxdora, Sharon Wells
with promptly. For any stage beyond Pantheism_Intro@yahoogroups.com Eljay Love-Jensen, Paul Harrison
informal warning, or if either has
WPMHotTopics@yahoogroups.com Elay Love-Jensen, Paxdora
doubt about an informal letter, both

Rules of the games attitudes do not help to advance any

The basic rules apply to all our lists, and
are designed with two goals in mind. The
first is to maintain a civilized, positive
and friendly atmosphere in which
open-minded exploration and mutual
development can thrive. The second goal
is to keep mail volume within digestible
limits. Many people are busy, and some
sign off a list if confronted with excess
volume. The rules about privacy are also
important.
A few rules apply to all of our lists.
The most important is mutual respect
and avoidance of insults directed at
persons or groups of persons on our lists.
Mockery and put-downs are also strongly
discouraged. Adversarial style – eg point-
by-point refutation – may sometimes
be necessary on the Ideas or Pantheist_
Spirituality lists, but hopefully rarely.
subject. They take attention away
from the content, turn discussions into
brawls. Reason is replaced by posturing.
Outbursts of flaming, hostility or hand-
to-hand combat monopolize attention,
focus interest on personal clashes, close
off intelligent exchange and drive good
people into silence or even departure. If
you want to lose respect and credibility,
and divert attention from the content of
your message to your personality, this is
the way to go!
So no personalized attacks are
allowed against individuals or sections
of the group, whether targets are named
or can be easily inferred. Ideas may be
criticized or disagreed with, but persons
should always be treated with respect.
Please also try to avoid racist, sexist,
obscene or foul language. Remember we
have members aged between 13 and 93
members with chain letters, advertising,
commercial approaches, flaming, threats,
harassment or calls to leave the list.
Anyone found to be breaching these rules
will be expelled from all our lists. Names
and contact details on the geo-database
must not be divulged to people who are
not members of the WPM.
V olume and focus: A maximum of
two posts per person per day are
allowed on our busiest lists. That allows
for corrections and responses to later
posts. It is designed to prevent what
often happens in no-limits lists, that just
one or two individuals with a lot of time
on their hands post massive numbers of
emails and drive most people away.
Try to be concise and avoid rambling.
Reliable research shows that shorter
letters are far more likely to be read
than longer ones. Also turn off your email
program’s options for automatic quoting

E thos: Generally write your messages

in the tone you would talk to friends.
Assume that all your readers, even if
they disagree with you, are intelligent,
sensitive people who have joined the WPM
because they want to interact positively
with like-minded folk.
Experience has shown that adversarial
12
so consider your content and language
accordingly.
or posting HTML along with text – these
massively pump up volume without
P rivacy issues: We know that our
members’ value their privacy, and
we will defend it vigorously. So please
adding to content, and make lists harder
for people to read.
To complain about a rule breach or
don’t cite people’s private posts to the private mail harassment, please email
list without the author’s permission. listadmin@pantheism.net.
Don’t send private mails to other list
 Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

WPM joins the top ten groups

saving wildlife habitat
The World Pantheist Movement recently moved into the top ten of all
groups saving land at EcologyFund, taking over tenth position from
the Green Party. We have also saved more than WWF and Sierra Club
supporters or any other environmental organization!
We have been the biggest land saver among just the religious groups
for quite some time - we save more than Buddhists, Catholics, Unitarians,
and than the largest pagan group. Our group now has 306 members and
has saved almost 53 acres. We have saved an additional 75 acres through
sponsorship of click schemes. Most of this land is rainforest brought
under the protection of conservation organizations in Central America.

Why does this matter?

If the state of the planet bothers you, then this a contribution that makes
a really worthwhile difference. It costs half a minute of your time per
day. It’s not an alternative to greening up your life but it’s a valuable
addition. Each person who clicks the buttons every day, at the current
total of 63 sq ft per day, can save at least half an acre of wildlife habitat
per year from development or exploitation. That’s almost 22,000 sq ft
- half a small soccer pitch. Rainforest is the most biodiverse habitat on
earth. Just one acre contains around 300-400 individual trees of 20 to 80
different species, and each tree is home to thousands more species. The
photograph on this page show some of the hundreds of plants growing
up a single huge tree in Costa Rica, each one with their own attendant
court of fungi and animals. One tree in Peru was found to house 43
different species of ant. There are benefits for the climate as well as for
biodiversity. If this area were cleared for farming, which it might well be
if not protected, it could emit up to half a year’s average carbon dioxide
emissions of an American – or a year’s worth for a European. So your
daily clicking is helping to prevent that from happening.

How can it be that easy to save land?

After you click on a button, you are shown the next page which includes
ads for eco-friendly companies and non-profits. The payments from
these advertisers go to fund nature conservation organizations. These
organizations in turn spend the funds on buying up private land in
sensitive areas to dedicate in perpetuity to wildlife habitat. Basically
then your clicking is stimulating organizations and companies to spend
money on conserving wildlife habitat.
The World Pantheist Movement has direct experience that this
works, because we advertise with EcologyFund from time to time.
When we advertise, our check is made out to and posted directly to the
conservation organization we wish to sponsor – in our case it has been
the World Land Trust USA. EcologyFund does not take a percentage cut.
World Land Trust undertakes to preserve one acre of habitat for every
$100 donated.

Why is the WPM so keen on this?

For the WPM, preserving the diversity of life has always been a top
priority. As our belief statement says:
We are an integral part of Nature, which we should cherish,
revere and preserve in all its magnificent beauty and diversity.
Conserving wildland is also a survival issue for millions of humans
threatened by sea level rise or climate change. Being in a team that can
show visible collective results is a motivator to stick at it and not forget.
It gives the excitement and satisfaction not only of your own totals but
also those of the group.
13
Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

Some projects funded via EcologyFund’s click site

Rare green sea turtle,
protected by an
EcologyFund sponsored
project in Tanzania

• Jocotoco Reserve in Ec-

uador (home to nearly
1,600 species of birds)
• Reserva Comunal Tam-
shiyacu-Tahuayo in the
Peruvian Amazon, home
to pink river dolphin,
manatee, jaguar, ocelot,
margay, giant otter, and over 700
bird species.
• Sabalillo Forest Reserve in Peru
– with diverse habitats such as
flooded forest, upland forest and
sandy ridges which shelter many
extremely rare species.
• Atlantic Rainforest of Paraguay,
home to more than 310 species of
bird and 40 species of large mam-
mal.
• Mkwaja-Saadani National Park in
Tanzania, East Africa, a project to pur-
chase a 280 sq km ranch and donate it
to the Tanzanian Government. The park
contains a mosaic of distinctive and
rare habitats including five woodland
types, two forest types, coastal thicket,
scrub, grassland, wetlands, saltmarsh-
es and mangroves, along with one of
the last significant breeding beaches
in East Africa for the green sea turtle.
Among the large mammals found are
the rare Roosevelt sable antelope, wil-
debeest, zebra, and eland, and beaches,
elephants, buffaloes, large antelopes,
and the very rare Giant Brown Bat.
In each case EcologyFund chan-
nels the donations through respected
conservation charities including the
World Land Trust, the Rainforest Con-
servation Fund, and Rainforest2Reef
(formerly friends of Calakmul).

Support WPM’s cause

at Facebook
When Facebook opened itself up
to developers earlier this year, one
of the best new applications was
Causes, which allows people to
sign up for their favorite causes,
spread these to their friends, and if
they are so moved, donate.
Very soon after this became
possible the WPM set up a cause
to sponsor our advertising at
EcologyFund. Each $100 we
collect helps the World Land Trust
to preserve 1-2 acres of wildlife
habitat, depending on the region.
Causes includes a built-in
mechanism for secure payments.
You can check out and donate to
this cause at http://apps.facebook.
com/causes/view_cause/4632

14

Make sure your landsaving clicks add up
We know for sure than a very
significant proportion of people
who are clicking are not getting
the credit of that for themselves
or for World Pantheism.
The reason lies with cookies.
EcologyFund uses cookies stored
on your computer to confirm who
you are, and to link up your daily
clicks with your EcologyFund
identity. They need this so they
can add your clicks to your own
total and that of the group you
belong to. Without the cookie,
your clicks will still save land –
so you are not wasting your time
- but they will not count towards
your own achievements or the
WPM’s. In this era of firewalls
and browser security settings
and ad and popup blockers, it’s
very easy indeed for cookies to
get disabled or deleted. So it’s
really worthwhile for everyone
to check regularly that things
are as they should be. Here’s
information on what you should
see if everything is working
properly – and how to put it right
if it’s not.
Check regularly that your
clicks are counting
Look in the left-hand pane on the
Save Land page.
Everything is good if you can see
● Your name and totals under
under “My EcologyFund”,
● The WPM name and totals
under “My Group Info,” and
● They both increase each time
you click on the save buttons.
If not, then try these
remedies
● Allow EcologyFund to set a
persistent cookie.
● Don’t set your browser to
delete all cookies when you exit.
● Are you registered at
EcologyFund and signed up for
the WPM group? (See “How to
join?” above)
● Are you logged in? Check the
left hand pane.
● Did you already click in the
last day? Bear in mind that
EcologyFund’s “day” may not
coincide with yours and try again
tomorrow.
If these measures don’t work,
maybe your cookie has been
deleted or messed up.
Then you have a few extra steps
to take. Bear with us here, this
is all worth while. Ask a friend
to do this for you if you have
computer-phobia.
1. Delete the EcologyFund
cookie.
Internet Explorer: Go to Tools/
Internet Options/General/
Under “Browsing history”
Choose Settings/View Files
Sort by site, find ecologyfund.
com or www.ecologyfund.
com and delete all ecologyfund
cookies. OK out of all the
dialogue boxes.
Firefox: Go to Tools/
Options/Privacy, click on the
“Show Cookies” button, find
ecologyfund and delete all
ecologyfund cookies. Close out
of all the dialogue boxes.
2. Re-register with
EcologyFund
Just your name and email.
Make sure you use the same
email you used when you first
registered. Click the “Register”
button down at the bottom.
3. When it tells you you are
registered, MAKE SURE you
click on the link “Click here to
return to Ecologyfund’s home
page to begin free donations.”
This is VERY important.
4. If the above steps don’t
work, make sure your
browser allows cookies from
EcologyFund.
Internet Explorer: Go to
Tools/Internet Options/Privacy/
Sites, paste or type in http://
www.ecologyfund.com/ and
click Allow and OK.
Firefox: Go to Tools/
Options/Privacy, click on
the Exceptions Button,
paste or type in http://www.
ecologyfund.com/ and click
Allow and Close.
If all else fails
Write to
webmaster@EcologyFund.
Pan Magazine Autumn 2007
How to join our
Save Rainforest group
1. Register with Ecology Fund
2. Join the WPM group.
[Scroll down to us, click JOIN]
3. Start clicking and clocking land. Make the Save
Land page your first Web visit of each day.
4. Remember to keep clicking.
Make Ecologyfund your home page so it’s there first
thing every time you go on the Internet, or make a
bookmark.
5. If you think you might forget, write to
info@EcologyFund.com to ask for a daily email
reminder.
Visit our page for the links:
http://www.pantheism.net/EcologyClick.htm
WPM membership: Join or Renew
The World Pantheist Movement depends on the generous sup-
port of its members to sustain, improve and expand its activities
and services. If you would like to join or renew by check in US $,
please fill in the form below and mail check and form to us. Oth-
erwise please renew at http://members.pantheism.net/imdms/
or join at http://www.pantheism.net/join.htm
Please tick as applicable if this is an address change and if you
wish us to correct the database entry for you.
Name
Address 1
Address 2
City
State etc
Zip code
Country
New? Yes No
Change it? Yes I’ll do it
Membership level:
Basic ($30) Family ($60) Low Income ($12)
Other amount
Please mail this form with your check (US $ only) to:
World Pantheist Movement
P.O. Box 103, Webster, NY 14580, USA
15
Pan Magazine Autumn 2007

Calendar & Almanac

Special Equinoxes
events & Solstices

November January Winter solstice

1 All Souls/Day of the Dead 11 International Laughter Day December 22 06:08
16 International Day for 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tolerance Religious Freedom Day Spring Equinox
21 World Television Day 22 Surrender of Native lands by March 20 05:48
[Switch it Off] Chief Seattle
24 Spinoza born [1632]
30 John Toland born [1670]
Full Moons
November 24 14:30
December December 24 01:16
1 World AIDS Day January 22 13:35
2 International Day for the February 21 03:30
Abolition of Slavery
3 International Day of All times Universal time =
Greenwich Mean Time
Disabled Persons
10 Human Rights Day
25 Birth of Isaac Newton [1642]
29 International Day for
Biological Diversity

In Memoriam Sondra Lebost

On behalf of the whole WPM we would like to offer our sincere condolences to Barry Lebost on the loss
of his wife Sondra, and our gratitude for the generous donation of $500 for a posthumous membership in
her memory.
With Barry’s agreement we will be using this donation to sponsor an ad with EcologyFund.
This amount will sponsor the saving of at least 5 acres of wildlife habitat –
some of the sponsored projects are described on page 14.

Neither the WPM nor Ecologyfund take any percentage from the donation,
which therefore serves a triple purpose:
1. Making people aware of pantheism and the WPM
2. Helping to keep the EcologyFund site going and encouraging
people who click to think about conservation every day
3. Protecting private wildland from development
and preserving it forever as wildlife habitat.

Barry has also become one of our seven life members, joining
René Lawrence, Walt Mandell, James Poole, Loren Salmonson, Peter Schogol and Phillip Steinbachsl

16