The Council of All Beings
The Council of All Beings is a wonderful ritual for a community setting. It provides the opportunity for humans to step out of their traditional frame of reference and take on the characteristics and assumed values of other life forms. This allows us to become more aware of our interdependence with all species and elicits our response to protect the living environment. A vivid description of the Council of All Being is provided by Johanna Macy at http://www.joannamacy.net/html/deepecology/essay.html.
A great article in Mother Earth News describes the passion that contributed to the creation and power of the Council of All Beings (see http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Home-Building/1989-05-01/John-Seed-and-The-Council).
The Council of All Beings has been used in many situations all over the world. It is significant that it has found its way into the faith communities, as exemplified by the following website: http://www.seekerschurch.org/mission/learners/flyers/200105.htm