“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
- A “Gate to Our Garden” Meditations on selected watercolors by Mary Coelho
- One-Page summary of the New Story Group: January 2025
- “From Trauma to Inscendence” by Mary Coelho, October 2024. Hosted on the Deeptime Network.
- “The Sacred Depths of Nature” August 14, 2023, by Mary Coelho in Befriending Creation August 2023 Newsletter
- “A Transformed Understanding of Matter” By Sarbmeet Kanwal. A review of Coelho (2020) Chapter 2.
- 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.
What are Ways The New Story Lives in Us?
We highlight here how the New Story informs and has practical meaning for our lives. We hope others will share their pathways. Please email New-Story@fmcquaker.org when you’re able to enrich our community by adding your view.
- Plastics! by Dave Damm-Luhr, October 2025
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 January 26, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Wisdom from the Classical Traditions that informs us today” and plans for the coming year. Cornelia Parkes and Dave Damm-Luhr, co-facilitators.”
Meeting December 2025
- No Meeting in December.
- New Story Newsletter December 2025
Meeting November 24, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic “How the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality Help Us Live into the New Story” with Rev. Gail Sofia Ransom. Follow Gail on the substack “Meditation for the Nation.” Entry for October 14 “The Universe and the Frog: What if the frog decided to jump?.”
- New Story Newsletter November 2025
Meeting October 27, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “The New Story and the Wisdom of Women” with Cornelia Parkes. co-facilitator of the FMC New Story Group.
- New Story Newsletter October 2025
Meeting September 22, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Indigenous Lifeway, Cosmovision, and Giving World” with John Grim, co-director of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
- New Story Newsletter September 2025
- “Indigenous Lifeway, Cosmovision, and Giving World” slides.
Meeting August 25, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Creating the Spiritual Context of the Ecological Age.” with Mary Kay Klein
- “Creating the Spiritual Constect of the Ecological Age” slides.
- New Story Newsletter August 2025
Meeting July 28, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “A Civilizational Rite of Passage” – Daniel Schmachtenberger’s Keynote to Quaker Earthcare Witness’ Spring Gathering 2024.
- New Story Newsletter July 2025
Meeting June 23, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Changing Systems of Power from the Inside” with Alicia McBride (she/her), Senior Director for Quaker Leadership, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL).
- New Story Newsletter June 2025
Meeting May 26, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Ecological Civilization: My presentation in China” with Mary Evelyn Tucker
- Recording of Mary Evelyn Tucker’s presentation.
- New Story News May 2025
Meeting April 28, at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Does the Earth Charter Speak to you?”
- New Story News April 2025
- Slides for program on Does the Earth Charter Speak to you?
Meeting March 31, the FIFTH Monday of the month at 7:00pm on Zoom
- Topic: “Diving into the Earth Charter: Four Pillars and 16 Principles” Discussion with Betty Kissilove (HERE)
- New Story News March 2025
Meeting February 24,at 7:00pm on Zoom
- New Story News February 2025
- Topic: “The Earth Charter: A transformation at the species level” with Betty Kissilove
Meeting January 27, at 7:00pm on Zoom