By Alexandra Postelnicu

On Sept 8^th, 2011 the NGO Pachamama Romania was born. Its mission is aligned with the mission of its bigger sister in San Francisco – The Pachamama Alliance: to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on this planet.

Here in Romania we are working on achieving this, through:

• Education Programs to bring the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium to schools, universities, and Organizations.
• Accelerating the process of transformation both on individual and collective levels using the Four Years GO (4YG) campaign.
• Healing our relationship with Nature by making the idea of Rights of Nature known and promoting the Rights of Mother Earth campaign by collecting signatures for the international petition.

Bucharest International Marathon

We decided to officially launch FOUR YEARS GO ROMANIA at the Bucharest International Marathon, where we promoted our current programs: the Symposium and the petition for Rights of Mother Earth. The marathon was held October 9, 2011;  the same day we launched the 4 Years Go website for Romanian. The marathon race was held along with a 3 day fair, where organizations countrywide presented themselves (sports organizations like the Romanian Running Club, environmental organizations like Viitor Plus and many others).

Our participation at the marathon was a success: we had around 1,000 visitors, out of which 850 signed the petition for Rights of Mother Earth, 500 where interested in the 4YG Campaign, and 50 people were interested in attending a Symposium. There were also about a dozen people representing various organizations who expressed their wish of forming partnerships with us.

Our next step was to organize an ATD Symposium. It was held the week after the Marathon. Twenty-one participants attended. Even though it was a small group, it was an engaging atmosphere. Five people decided to participate actively in the campaign either by becoming facilitators or by helping us promote the Symposium. One of the participants is a TV producer at the Romanian National Television station and invited us to a TV show.

Summary of What We Learned: The Trinity between Awakening the Dreamer, 4YG and Rights of Mother Earth

In Romania today there is a powerful current of dis-empowerment and helplessness. Most people have a deep respect for the land and the environment; however, they feel they don’t have any power. That’s one reason why at the marathon, each person we talked to, loved the idea of asking the U.N. representatives at the Earth Summit Rio+20 in 2012 to endorse the idea of granting legal rights to Mother Earth.

The relationship with the land runs very deep in the Romanian psyche. Sixty years ago, three quarters of the population lived in rural areas and where farmers. 150 years ago more than 90 percent of Romanians lived in the countryside and maintained a deep connection with Mother Nature. Historically our ancestors where sheppards and farmers, they had a deep connection to the ancient forests that used to cover three quarters of the land until the beginning of the modern era. Romanians are now worried that the deforestations are not stopping even though the forested area has been reduced to one third of what they were.

Freud was saying that there are two basic drives: pleasure and aggression. I would add, that there is a more universal drive: the drive towards health, harmony and balance. I don’t think there would be one person who would say that they would like to breathe polluted air. Each of us craves to live in a clean environment and enjoy healthy natural surroundings.

The Petition for the Rights of Mother Earth was our entry point at the Bucharest International Marathon. We used the opportunity to convey to the people that there are millions of people and hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world who are working together to create a sustainable, thriving, and just future. We told them that they are not alone and that if they want to join this social movement, and commit to the 4 Years Go mission, they can commit online, and start to connect with people around the world. People were enthusiastic of this perspective, and I feel that we succeeded in planting a seed that a new future is possible.

The Awakening The Dreamer Symposium would be the next step they could take in their pursuit for transformation. Participating in a Symposium, one can educate oneself of what is happening in the world, and find out what is one’s role: how one can contribute to this emerging movement.

I see it as a full circle starting with Rights of Mother Earth.  It can also go in the other direction: a person participating at an ATD can take a first step in signing the petition for the Rights of Nature, and then create a personal development plan for the next 4 Years.

By signing the petition, the participants of the Symposium felt empowered and felt they can do something. This is very important in countries like Romania, where the majority of people feel dis-empowered and unable to influence the social system.

PACHAMAMA ROMANIA is formed by a small team of enthusiastic, visionary, dedicated volunteers. And in one month, our team has increased from 3 members to 7 members. We are applying for European Funds so that we can bring Generation Waking Up into all schools in Bucharest and other major cities in Romania. We are working with Ingrid Castellan from 4 Years Go Mexico to create a Personal Transformation toolkit. We are promoting the Rights of Nature campaign. On December 11th, we held our first fundraising event at Carol Park Hotel in Bucharest. Christmas was brought alive by the singing of the children’s artistic group Contrapunct. (See Romanian Children Speak for Mother Earth)

What Gives Me Hope

What gives me hope: is Evolution itself, and the birth process of a new Universal Consciousness that is happening right now. Using the words of Barbara Max Hubbard.

“The key is to feel the evolutionary impulse, and connect with the individuals who feel the same. This is how we are going to create the web – the matrix through which our society can be transformed. So again, the answer lies in our heart and in us. We must align our energy to the energy of what is emerging worldwide, open our hearts and connect deeply with the ones who share the same vision. Working together, we can create the space for the transformation that is needed to happen. We just have to listen deeply to our hearts, connect with the deeper force that is acting through us, and take the first step in this direction. We don’t have to know the path. We just need to connect with like-minded people and work together on shared vision.”

I will conclude with the words of King Michael of Romania who just turned 90 years old a few months ago:

“Romania (our world) is not a country (a society) that we inherited from our ancestors, but a country (society) that we borrowed from our children.”

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