Introduction: The Natural World

"God is alive, magic is afoot. God is alive, magic is afoot."

So sang the patron poet-priest of this town upon a mountain beside a river which is soon to be unfrozen. For eons people have sought spirits in the green and growing world which surrounds and abounds. Dryads and Naiads of Greece. Apsaras and Yakshis of South Asia. Countless more, too.

Do trees still sing? Can waves be read? Does the Mountain King still hold court? In this issue of Radix, we call you to listen in and realize the eternal energy and endless delight of Nature, and to ask, what is our Nature? To create? To destroy?

Revelation came to Moses in a burning bush, and from bearing witness to this encounter he knew what he must do to save his people. In 2017, 3.4 million hectares of forest burnt in Canada alone. What shall we do to lead our world from the precipice? In August I stood atop a mountain on the west coast of this continent while my eyes stung with smoke and I waited for an answer. As of yet, I do not know it. The fires still burn—more every season— but it is humanity that will be consumed by our consumption before this Earth is through forever, unless things radically change. Let’s start today.

With love, hope, and endless awe,

Lucas

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