“It’s all a question of story. We are in trouble just now because we do not have a good story. We are in between stories. The old story, the account of how the world came to be and how we fit into it, is no longer effective. We have not learned the new story.” —Thomas Berry
“Change the Story, Change the World” —Findhorn Foundation
What is the New Story?
We believe that the process of evolution including the further evolution of the human species is on-going, that the next step is the further evolution of consciousness, and that this step is urgent and necessary for our survival as a species and for the survival of the planet.
We believe the Earth and all Creation are sacred. Knowing that we are deeply interconnected with all Creation, we urgently seek to be transformed and to be agents of transformation in response to the crises of our time. Recognizing this truth and continuing to be led by the Inner Light and wisdom traditions, we are committed to active participation in this emerging consciousness.
The New Story as explored by Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry, Joanna Macy, and others is a integration of a new cosmology, deep ecology, and a non-visible realm variously named God, “the aliveness,” the All-Nourishing Abyss, the Implicate Order, the Light. We also look to the old stories to discover the timeless truths of the wisdom traditions of our and other faiths. Within this framework we seek to answer questions such as:
- In the context of the New Story, what is God? Light? Reality? Consciousness? The self?
- What are the habitual patterns of thought and behavior that hold me/us back from experiencing connection to all life on Earth?
- How do we become agents for the transformation of consciousness?
- What is the special contribution of our faith traditions to the New Story?
- What is the contribution of the New Story to our faith traditions?
For more information and meeting times write to New-Story@fmcquaker.org.
Publications
- “The Sacred Depths of Nature” August 14, 2023, by Mary Coelho in Befriending Creation August 2023 Newsletter
- The Depth of Our Belonging: Mysticism, Physics and Healing by Mary Conrow Coelho, 2020. Now in Kindle edition.
- Les quakers et la nouvelle histoire: nous soigner ainsi que la terre 2020. Translated by Gregoire Maury.
- Quakers and the New Story: Healing ourselves and the earth by the New Story Group at Friends Meeting at Cambridge. 2014, revised 2017.
- Quaker Universalist Fellowship: Interview with Mary Coelho March, 2016.
- Recovering Sacred Presence in a Disenchanted World, Pendle Hill pamphlet #433 by Mary Coelho, 2015.
- Quakers and the New Story: Essays on Science and Spirituality by Philip Clayton, Mary Coelho, and the New Story Group, 2007. Republished on-line by Quaker Earthcare Witness.
- Awaking Universe, Emerging Personhood by Mary Coelho, 2001. Now in Kindle edition.
Meditations, etc.
- Book talk at Pacific Yearly Meeting by Mary Coelho.
- Welcome to the New Story, October, 2021
- Poor City Tom, May, 2021, by Cornelia Parkes
- Environment Awareness, May 14, 2021, by Gwen Noyes
- Environment Awareness June 30, 2021, by Gwen Noyes.
Links
Meeting April 29, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Ashes to Ashes: meditations and practices of life lived like rich and healthy soil” presented by Wren Ribeiro, as we continue to draw inspiration from the film Regenerating Life “How to cool the planet, feed the world, and live happily ever after,” a documentary by John Feldman from Hummingbird Films.
- New Story News April 2024
Meeting March 25, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Soil, Air, and Water- Spiritual Elements.” The program will be led by Gwen Noyes, Sophie Quest, R.E. Hogan, and Wren Ribeiro. We will watch and discuss the first third of the documentary Regenerating Life by John Feldman, which is on water, soil, and air.
- New Story News March 2024
Meeting February 26, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic:”Creativity” Slide developed by Celeste Hogan and Cornelia Parkes.
- New Story News February 2024
- New Story 2024 Initial Design
Meeting January 22, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- New Story News January 2024
- PowerPoint presentation on “How Connection to Nature Can Support the Dismantling of Oppression”