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JOURNEY OF THE UNIVERSE Study Group

Shirley Pevarnik & Ezekiel Fugate
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Description

Description

Join a . . .

JOURNEY OF THE UNIVERSE Study Group!

Facilitated by Shirley Pevarnik & Ezekiel Fugate

Registration is Closed.

Zoom Meetings on Seven Mondays— 7:00 PM EST:  March 23, 30; April 6, 13, 20, 27; May 4

Journey of the Universe weaves together the discoveries of the evolutionary sciences together with humanities such as history, philosophy, art, and religion. The course draws on the Emmy-award winning film, Journey of the Universe, and the book from Yale University Press.

Journey explores cosmic evolution as a creative process based on connection, interdependence, and emergence. It examines a range of dynamic interactions in the unfolding of galaxies, Earth, life, and human communities. It investigates ways in which we understand evolutionary processes and the implications for humans and our ecological future.

The Journey course, thus, is based on a new integration that is emerging from the dialogue of the sciences and humanities. Journey tells the story of evolution as an epic narrative, rather than as a series of facts separated by scientific disciplines. This changes our perception so that we begin to see ourselves as an integral part of this narrative. By situating ourselves within this story we can better appreciate the complexity and beauty of processes such as self-organizing dynamics, natural selection, emergence, symbiosis, and co-evolution. As we discover these intricate processes of evolution, we awaken to the beauty and complexity of our natural environment at this critical juncture in our planetary history.

 

 

How the Study Group Works:

Participants sign up for the JOURNEY OF THE UNIVERSE course on Coursera.  (See registration steps below).  Each week, participants read articles and watch videos on Coursera and meet with the DTN study group in Zoom Meetings on Monday at 7:00 PM EST for seven weeks, beginning March 23.  The first session on March 23rd will introduce participants to the course and how to navigate between the two sites.  Not to worry, we’ll hold your hand!

 

Who is this for?

  • Everyone who wants to delve deeply into the Universe Story and it’s implications for our future.
  • Teachers who want to frame their curriculum inside the Story of the Universe.
  • Montessori teachers in particular will be interested in how this work compliments the
  • Cosmic Education curriculum.

 

 

Just in . . . !

Storyteller, rapper, poet, writer and teacher Drew Dellinger, Ph.D., will join the study group on April 27th.  Drew is a teacher who has inspired minds and hearts around the world, performing poetry and keynoting on justice, ecology, cosmology, and compassion. He is also a consultant, publisher, and founder of Planetize the Movement. Drew was a participant, speaking on arts and justice and the new story, in the JOTU Conversations:Weaving Knowledge and Action.

 

Participants in our Fall Study Group were asked, 

“What did you like about the Study Group?”  Here’s what they said:

I loved the interaction.

Talking to all the people around the United States and the world and hearing their stories and philosophies. The readings and videos were very interesting. I thought a lot about what I read and heard.

Great readings, great cohort.

The deep dive into Thomas Berry’s brilliant, and profound language for integrating ALL the domains of both knowledge and understanding…..the comprehensive view that leaves out…..NOTHING…..in recognition that all our physical, cultural, and spiritual/psychic experiences are inseparable from their relationship with all dimensions of the Universe.

The ability to hear and respond to the perceptions of other individuals who are equally excited and interested in the material!!

I loved the thoroughness of the presenters. I enjoyed the videos and the readings. It was also great getting to know some other people.

 

Two Registration Steps

  1. DTN:  Register for the DTN STUDY GROUP by clicking on ADD TO CART above, then VIEW CART, and follow prompts.
  2. COURSERA:  We will use content on the Coursera course Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life.     To audit the Coursera course for free, click here.  Or, you can pay for the Coursera course to get a certificate from Coursera.

 

 

Journey of the Universe: The Unfolding of Life

Week 1 (March 23, 2020)
Introductions
Instructions for Navigating the Course and Using Zoom
Brian Swimme Video:  The New Cosmology Via Einstein and Dirac as a Fundamental Copernican Type Turning Point

Week 2: Session 1 on Coursera (March 30, 2020)
Introduction – The Beginning of The Universe
In module two, we explore how humans are part of the larger universe story.

Week 3: Session 2 on Coursera  (April 6, 2020)
The Formation of Galaxies and Stars
This module explores many of the world’s greatest stories and how they begin our journey, a quest to answer life’s most intimate questions like where we come from and why we are here.

Week 4: Session 3 on Coursera  (April 13, 2020)
Our Solar System and Life’s Emergence
Here we look at several milestones in scientific discovery that expanded our knowledge of the solar system.

Week 5: Session 4 on Coursera  (April 20, 2020)
Living and Dying and the Passion of Animals
We now invite you to think about the coevolution of the human with other species within this broad time scale. Completing this module may change the way that you understand what it means to be human.

Week  6: Session 5 on Coursera  (April 27, 2020)
From the Origin of the Human to Becoming a Planetary Presence
In this module, we hope you come to understand the human species to be “planetary” in a way that other species are not.

Week 7: Session 6 on Coursera  (May 4, 2020)
Rethinking Matter and Time Within the Emerging Earth Community
What does it mean to live in cosmological time? How is thinking like this different than your previous understanding of time? What implications does it have for your understanding of yourself and your sense of your relationship to the world around you? This module explores answers to these questions.

 

Shirley Pevarnik has an MLA in Creation Spirituality from Matthew Fox’s University of Creation Spirituality (UCS)/Naropa. She studied with Brian Swimme at UCS and California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in the Bay Area. She was a good friend to Thomas Berry and Swimme and is a life long student of their work. She has spent years facilitating video discussion groups on Swimme’s work “Canticle to the Cosmos”, “Earth’s Imagination” and most recently “Journey of the Universe.”  She has started many Ecozoic groups and discussion groups on New Cosmology and gives “Active Hope” workshops based on the work of Joanna Macy. She has been blessed to have lived most of her life in the Southwest desert with the sweet scent of creosote and juniper and the beauty of flowering cactus and great horned owls to help soften the anxiety of the challenging world we live in.  A teacher and social worker, she is also a long time social and environmental justice activist. After being arrested many times for Civil Disobedience protesting the state of our world and brooding over why we humans behave the way we do, she was fortunate enough to finally hear Berry and Swimme’s work and the new Universe Story. She realized it was okay to brood and to understand our real crisis was one of story.  This new scientific, cosmic story changed her life as it possibly has or will change yours. She looks forward to sharing the awe, wonder, and hope that radiates from Brian and “The Journey of the Universe” course and study group.

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Anthony Robert Zelle, Esq., Tony is an Earth lawyer. While serving as Chair and President of the Earth Law Center, following 30 years in private practice trying cases and arguing appeals, he served as lead editor and author of the only comprehensive book on the subject: Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law-A Guide for Practitioners. Developed for law school curricula, and now part of developing LLM programs internationally, the book has also become the primary reference source for practitioners.

The focus of Tony's current work is developing Earth law in practice and creating revenue-generating opportunities for Earth lawyers.

Learn more about Tony’s journey from a recent Boston College Law School Magazine profile.https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2025/02/voice-for-the-earth/

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Maisie Paddon, Maisie is spearheading the advancement of Earth Law by integrating its principles into transformative policies and business strategies that resonate with Earth-centric practices and Nature's patterns. At the helm of Project 2040, she seeks to revolutionize financial systems, foster circular economies, and develop regenerative food systems. Her extensive experience in top-tier management consulting, with roles at Ernst & Young and Capgemini, showcases her ability to lead complex innovation programs and engage with C-suite leaders. With a solid foundation in Philosophy and Climate Science, Maisie is deeply committed to beneficial systemic change. She champions the inclusion of Nature's voice in discussions that tackle the multifaceted crises of today's modern world, while aligning her efforts with global frameworks like UN SDGs, ESG principles, and ISO standards. Her holistic and emotionally intelligent approach underscores her pursuit of sustainable and equitable solutions.

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Kerry Hudson, Hudson works as an activist and public interest lawyer with a focus on social justice, and an academic and employment history addressing heirs' property reform and protections of the Florida aquifer. He served as co-founder and manager for a medical practice that focused on Environmentally Acquired Diseases, and the effects of that most macro of human phenomenon—climate change, on the most granular, personal issues—individual health and the chronic and intractable maladies brought on by changing climate. He has served as Education Director for Rights of Nature and eco-centric education, creating informational content addressing topics such as environmental protections and property law, and the Public Trust Doctrine, and creating supplemental educational content for the law school textbook Earth Law: A Practitioner’s Guide. He holds an MFA in writing, has a publication history with both fiction and non-fiction, and has authored funded grants examining strategies to mitigate generational heirs' property abuses. He holds a J.D. with a focus on Environmental Justice, social equity, and restorative justice and has created informational and educational content addressing the intersection of environmental and legal issues such as the one-percenters' climate change preparations. Currently based in London, He works on a long-form manuscript addressing the importance of property law, social justice, and the climate change crisis.

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April Elizabeth Finlayson, April Elizabeth Finlayson is an “Edu-neer” dedicated to designing holistic and transformational learning experiences. She has a fervent commitment to reimagining education, promoting lifelong learning and creating uniquely curated, humanizing educational experiences for youth, and the young at heart. This has led to the development of nearly a dozen innovative schools and numerous educational programs in the K-12, after-school learning, adult development and Higher-Ed spaces.

April’s style of leadership and service is rooted in making space for learner voice, agency and empowerment. She believes that the best teaching and learning is reciprocal, interwoven and interchangeable. April asserts that “if a learner knows that they are seen, affirmed, “in-powered” and protected while learning, they will feel loved, and will henceforth thrive!”

April's students and graduates have gone on to international and national renown in philanthropy, entrepreneurship, professional athletics, entertainment, and being great, enjoyable people. April was cross culturally raised and educated between The Bahamas, the USA and Canada. She completed her undergraduate degree in International Development Studies, Political Science and Management from McGill University, and earned both her Master's Degree in Mind, Brain and Education and her Doctorate Degree in Education Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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Tara A. Pierce, Tara holds degrees in painting, the humanities, a J.D., and an LL.M. in Oceans, Environment, & Sustainability. This transdisciplinary background enriched her legal studies and contributed to the successful publication of several papers on Earth Law and Restorative Ocean Farming. Her latest thesis synthesised her entire academic and hands-on experiences into an approach to transforming the law into a healing practice. Tara regularly guest lectures on Ocean & Coastal Law developments for various institutions in the United States and Europe.

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Cat Haas, Cat Haas is the Director of the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor (EJM), where she oversees the research and development of the world’s most comprehensive database of ecological jurisprudence initiatives globally. Since 2022, she has led efforts to document and analyze the global evolution of Earth-centered law, with a particular focus on the Rights of Nature movement, ecological law, and Indigenous ontologies. Cat holds an M.A. in Global Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her research explored the influence of Indigenous cosmologies and pluriversal ontologies on the development and globalization of the Rights of Nature movement.
She also serves on the Steering Committee of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) Academic Hub, an interdisciplinary network of scholars specializing in ecological law and governance.
With a background in environmental education, Cat is passionate about fostering awareness and advocacy for sustainable, equitable legal frameworks that address the climate crisis and center ecological well-being

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Ava Roche, Ava is currently a pre-law focused senior at Columbia University studying Political Ecology, conducting her senior thesis on the socio-political effects of deep-sea mining in the Cook Islands. She is attending Columbia University’s Climate School next fall, and aspires to be an earth lawyer, with experience as the student director of the Earth Law Centers, “Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law- a Guide for Practitioners” course last summer. She is an avid scuba diver who is passionate about protecting earths vital oceanic ecosystems, and is interning at Columbia Law Schools, "Sabin Center for Climate Change Law” this coming summer under Michael Gerrard. Above all, she can’t wait to TA with Earth Law Practice and work in such an impactful environment.

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Aurélie Rodzynek, advances Earth Law by uniting global advocacy, legal strategy, and community-led action. As Communications, Marketing, and Strategy Lead for the Earth Law Alliance, she works to embed Rights of Nature principles into governance systems worldwide. She has held leadership and coordination roles across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific, guiding water governance initiatives, supporting international advocacy campaigns, and developing education programs on climate resilience and biodiversity. Leveraging her expertise, Aurélie has contributed to major UN-based gatherings and COP, promoting a holistic legal approach to protecting nature.

Holding an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University and a BA in International Relations, she works at the nexus of law, science, and community priorities to help restore ecological integrity and strengthen the relationship between people and the planet.

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Janet Marley is completing an MA in Ecopsychology at Naropa University. She is currently researching styles of governance in traditional indigenous societies of Turtle Island and how such wisdom ways can positively influence modern ecocentric regenerative residential communities and bioregional initiatives. She has a BA in Religious Studies from Brown University. Janet is a community organizer with an abiding interest in designing and co-creating intentional living and learning centers that model and teach connection, communication, and reciprocity with the natural world. Her gifts and roles include Teacher, Naturalist, Healer, Event Producer, and Facilitator of ceremony, council, rites of passage, vision quests, ecotherapy, and trauma integration work. She is a Montessori-trained educator and mom of two young children. She currently serves as a board member for The Circle for Change Initiative and is the Director of Programming and Events at the Manitoulin Eco Park, an indigenous-led nature connection facility in Ontario, Canada.

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Urwa Hameed, is a final year law student at Boston College Law School. She is a graduate of Boston College with degrees in International Studies and Political Science and has taught a course in Environmental Law at her alma mater. Urwa is the author of two published books, including her most recent, Hosting Earth: Facing the Climate Emergency (Routledge, 2024), which examines the environment through a philosophical and theological lens, framing humans as both hosts and guests of the Earth. Her work blends academic rigor with a deep commitment to exploring humanity’s moral and spiritual responsibilities toward the planet.

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