Iceland - Costa Rica
December 21st, 2012 /Day One
Hello citizens of Iceland, fellow yoga teachers and practitioners:
I’m a Costa Rican landscape architect. I started doing yoga some months ago with Francisco, the pioneer who introduced yoga practice in my country a few decades ago. He’s also the creator and developer of a new yoga system called “Yoga for the Earth,” which synthesizes the most important contributions of the traditional schools and includes the environmental dimension.
Francisco Javier Ortiz
With the support of the Yoga Teachers Association, Francisco is leading an initiative to sign a peace agreement with the Earth (see text below) and organize a great global celebration called Day One on December 21st, 2012, honoring the contribution of the indigenous peoples’ ancestral knowledge to the solution of environmental issues. Their contribution to this cause is complemented by an initiative to support the Costa Rican government in the goal of making the Nation Carbon Neutral by year 2021.
We who practice yoga for the Earth are taking solid steps to make Francisco’s vision come true. As part of this process, we’re visiting each of the indigenous tribes of Costa Rica to ask their forgiveness for the abuses committed since the invasion, and invite them to join us in celebrating Day One.
Through this process, we are making peace with all of the original Costa Rican tribes. This act is much more than simply symbolic, because the peace that we are proposing is a peace that arises from the soul, from a genuine act of humbleness and respect. For us, this is the continuation in Costa Rica of a culture of peace born from peace itself. These original tribes of Costa Rica are receiving a message that comes from the inner light, which is the light of life and the means by which we want to reach peace.
Our first visit to an indigenous community took place at Lake Coter, one of the sacred places of the native Malekus, where we were received by Espíritu Guerrero (Warrior Spirit) and held a beautiful ceremony to make peace.
Lake Coter, sacred to native Maleku
The next morning, while swimming in the pool I unexpectedly received information that I should contact the natives of Iceland and tell them about what we are doing, and invite them to the celebration of Day One! And especially about what we began with the Malekus and what their support means for the Proclamation.
Grandfather don Alejandro Cirilo, representative of the Mayan Council, offered his support as long as we make Day One a day of unity for all world tribes. As you can see, this unity of the world’s tribes also includes the native people of Iceland, and you are the first nation in the world to be officially informed of this process.
Since Francisco has assigned the task of leading this movement to practioners of yoga, we are contacting you so that you can spread the message and extend the invitation to all the citizens of Iceland. More information is available at our website www.celebremoseldiauno.com, although it has not yet been translated into English.
I look forward to your reply and comments.
Thank you very much
Arch. Guillermo Chaves H.
Letter from Espíritu Guerrero
Espíritu Guerrero (Warrior Spirit), young leader of the Maleku, representing his tribe.
Hello friends, comrades, family and brothers of Iceland. We are the MALEKU, an indigenous tribe from Costa Rica; for us it is an honor to be able to communicate with you our brothers. I know that as we have, you have been through very rough situations. For us it has been arduous to recover, first for the lost of the utmost part of our population, and for that weakness, to lose as well the major part of our territory. We have fought much for our welfare, we know that recovering from this is no easy task, but is not impossible, we have fought much and we are achieving great progress. Our main objectives are:
1. Maintain our culture, tradition and language.
2. Strive for our rights before the government.
3. Make peace and forgive others, in spite of the damage made to us.
4. Organize to obtain respect and protection in our community and territory.
5. Erase every vice in our community, to help us carry on for the welfare of our future generations.
6. Educate our young man and woman on the good path, because the well being and the future of our people is in their hands.
7. Attend to recuperate what it is ours, and do it with much wisdom.
8. Forget about all our bad moments and receive the good and positive things for our people.
9. Reunite all of the groups that form our people and let every person know that we exist and that we are equal to them and need to be respected as citizens and as persons.
10. Strive for our rights as humans and brothers that we are.
Brothers of Iceland, I know it is a rough fight, but not impossible, we have fought very hard to carry on, in spite of the massacre that the Nicaraguan did with us. They almost erased us from the face of Earth, but we attain to escape. Very few of us remained and started to fight to recover and today we are an organize group. Even though the government doesn’t support us, we have come forward with our own means, because as you were before, we are a group of warriors, willing to fight for us and what is ours. But those are fights that today we make without violence, with wisdom and steadily.
We know about your problems and we want you to know that you are not alone, that we are to be of help to one another, because we feel that we are all equal. From here, we send you the best energies for you to keep on, fight for your people. From our sacred territory we will ask the Great Spirit to enlighten and give you much wisdom, our brothers from heart.
Dear brothers, let’s start fighting for our welfare and for the peace of the whole world and especially for that of our Mother Earth. Here, in Costa Rica, we, the Maleku, are signing the Peace with Earth. I hope that our words be of much encouragement for you, keep forward for you to be able to be better than before, do not forget, you are not alone, we are with you.
UUUH, UUUH, UUUH, UUUUUUUH, CAPI CAPI leku jija marama, chachafato mi un marama, natoye, natoye, CAPI, CAPI...
Proclamation of Costa Rica for Peace with the Earth*
Whereas all forms of life are legal persons; whereas the Earth is a living being; whereas the Earth Charter contains the values and principles necessary to assume universal responsibility for protecting and preserving it; whereas the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, and whereas the Government of Costa Rica has proposed to make our country a Carbon Neutral Nation by the year 2021, we invite all individuals, organizations, institutions, companies, tribes, nations and the international community to unite around the following objective:
FIRST. Invite all individuals, communities, organizations, institutions and companies to sign the Peace Agreement with Earth:
“I choose here and now, freely and consciously, to make peace with the Earth and to do what is necessary to live sustainably; to know, minimize and compensate my carbon footprint; and to have Costa Rica reach the state of Carbon Neutral Nation.”
SECOND. Invite the media, educational institutions, professional associations, cooperatives, environmental organizations, the Red Cross, the Association of Guides and Scouts and other youth associations, instructors and centers of yoga and personal development, gymnasiums, companies that research or provide friendly products and services, and the sustainable tourism sector, to take the initiative in the mission of spreading the content of this Proclamation, to sign the Peace Agreement with Earth, to create opportunities for people to sign this Agreement, and to begin the process of knowing, minimizing and compensating their carbon footprint.
THIRD. Invite all actors of civil society to carry out a joint effort to promote the objectives of this Proclamation, through a permanent campaign based on the values and principles set out in the Earth Charter and aimed at the active involvement of children and youth in the Peace Agreement.
FOURTH. Deliver the peace agreement with its signatures to the President of Costa Rica on December 21st, 2012, as the Mayan calendar comes to a close, in homage to the contribution of the indigenous and tribal peoples’ ancestral wisdom toward the solution of current environmental problems, and as civil society’s contribution and commitment toward the country goal of reaching the level of Carbon Neutral Nation by 2021.
FIFTH. Name that day, Day One, and hold the greatest number possible of separate events at which participants together make the following choice:
"Given that I am responsible for what happens in the world, I choose here and now, freely and consciously, to do what I have to do to become the person I want to be, to construct the life I want to live, to make peace with my essential nature, and to make life on Earth sustainable. Because there will only be peace on Earth if I am at peace. So it is.”
*Activity of the Planet Earth Project, declared of Public and National Interest through Decree No. 20257-MIRENEM. Organized by Fundación Gaia, legal identity no. 3-006-105388, declared of Public Utility through Decree No. 234-39 MJG and registered as entity authorized to receive donations through official communiqué issued by the Directorate of Direct Taxation on May 9, 1991.
Governmental support: this Proclamation which is an activity of “Proyecto Planeta Tierra” was declared a public and national concern through decree No. 20257-MIRENEM.
OBJECTIVE: To achieve the goal of turning Costa Rica into a carbon-neutral nation based on a model of sustainable development.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
To involve personally all citizens in the process of knowing, minimizing, and compensating for their carbon footprint, with a special focus on children and the youth.
