In my prior post, I discussed the latest efforts from The Fifth Sacred Thing Film Project – the group which is working to bring this novel to the screen. Written by Pagan leader, teacher, and author Starhawk, the book centers around an ecotopian society in the San Francisco Bay Area. Set in the year 2048, the story describes a post-apocalyptic world in which the United States has fractured into several nations, one of which plans to wage war against the Bay Area protagonists.
As a Deaf Pagan, the novel appeals not only to the Pagan aspects of myself – with its discussion of a sustainable economy based on an intimate relationship with nature, its honoring of the four elements, its recognition of a Divine Feminine…
But perhaps even more importantly, it appeals to my Deaf self as well. For in this ecotopian society, every child grows up speaking at least three languages – English, a neighborhood or ancestral tongue, and…
American Sign Language.
The residents of the city know and utilize this language as part of their recognition and acceptance of diversity. Linguistic differences are honored, not ostracized. Lessons and Council Meetings are always signed as well as spoken, so the Deaf are easily integrated into public life.
Madrone spoke, as they all did when addressing the Council, in English augmented with Sign.
~ The Fifth Sacred Thing, Chapter 3, page 48
Sign language interpreters are incorporated into all public events so that Deaf members can be a vital, participating part of the overall community process:
Finally the last speaker finished and beckoned to Maya. She stepped forward. A young girl, very solemn with the weight of her responsibility, handed her the Talking Stick, an oak staff beautifully carved, beaded, and feathered, carrying in its tip a small microphone. Powerful speakers were hidden in the branches of the four sacred trees that stood at the four quarters around the outskirts of the bowl. On the Signers’ platform, a man stood waiting to interpret as she spoke. All was ready.
~ The Fifth Sacred Thing, Chapter 1, page 16
Considering that the Bay Area has a large and active Deaf Community, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that American Sign Language would be one of the languages utilized by this Ecotopia. Nevertheless, I found it interesting that ASL is in fact mentioned in the book – particularly from a hearing author who is not closely involved with the Deaf Community herself. This sparked my curiosity to discover exactly why Starhawk did in fact choose to recognize the language and incorporate it in the novel in such a manner. So I sent her an email asking this very question:
How and/or why did you make the decision to incorporate American Sign Language and its use, along with the Deaf Community itself, into The Fifth Sacred Thing? In what way(s) do you feel this decision helps to define the story and/or the characters, community, etc.?
I knew that Starhawk is a busy woman who when she isn’t working on the film project, travels around the world giving workshops and presentations – in fact, she is in England as I type up this post. So it came as a pleasant surprise when I received a response within a matter of hours, in which she shared her thoughts:
Oh, that’s easy!
In The Fifth Sacred Thing, I wanted to explore what the world would look like if it were based on the values I hold and had been advocating for many years, values like justice, ecological balance, and respect for diversity. What would a truly inclusive society be like, one that saw differences not as reasons to hate or discriminate, but as multiple perspectives that enrich us and give us varied ways to look at the world. So, I thought, what if everyone were taught American Sign Language as a matter of course, along with whatever other languages they speak. Not only would that make inclusion for the deaf much easier, but I also believe that a language based on movement and gesture like American Sign Language activates different parts of the brain and would give its speakers a different way of understanding the world. Wouldn’t that society be enriched in so many ways?
I have to admit that having that vision in the novel didn’t necessarily immediately translate into awareness of its practical implications today. Our first video for Kickstarter wasn’t captioned until we received some gentle nudging from you! But after you raised our awareness, we now have a policy that all our videos will be captioned. So in that small way, we can start making our vision real!
Wouldn’t that society be enriched, indeed.
And by working together, we can begin to make such a vision real.
Admittedly, there’s a difference between captioning videos and learning sign language. Starhawk would be the first to acknowledge that she herself does not use ASL. Some might say that the lack of such knowledge of the language disqualifies her from writing about it.
I beg to differ. While certainly I would love to see the day when Starhawk and I could hold our own non-verbal conversation, the fact that she recognizes the value of American Sign Language and the rich contribution it can make to our society is worthwhile in its own right. Even more importantly, the fact that she recognizes the value of diversity in all its shapes and forms, and the importance of access and inclusion in sustaining a healthy thriving society is worthwhile in its own right.
The fact that she had the courage to create such a vision and write a book about it is worthwhile in its own right.
So the question becomes this…
How many of us in the Pagan Community share that same vision?
How many of us are willing to caption our videos? How many of us are willing to learn and utilize sign language and teach it to our children? How many of us are willing to include sign language interpreters during our lessons, our meetings, our workshops, our gatherings, our events? How many of us are willing to reach out to members of the Deaf Community – to incorporate them in the planning of such events, to invite them to participate, to encourage them to share their own knowledge and experiences?
How many of us are willing to begin translating a vision for tomorrow into practical implications for today?
How many of us are willing to believe in The Fifth Sacred Thing?
The first one was taken in Muir Woods in California. I am a big fan of John Muir and quote his writings quite frequently on my own blogs. I didn’t get to spend nearly as much time exploring Muir Woods as I would’ve liked (it was a whirlwind tour of the area, trying to fit as much in as possible). I hope to go back. The redwood trees are awe-inspiring and walking into a redwood forest is, to me, like walking into a cathedral or other sacred ground. The amount of time some of the trees have experienced being on Mother Earth boggles my mind. I’m originally from the east coast of the U.S. and have spent the majority of my life and times east of the Mississippi River. Sights such as the redwoods and Yosemite are beyond anything we have on this side of the country. Not that we don’t have some great stuff. We do. But the redwoods! Wow. I think I spent most of our time in Muir Woods with my eyes wide in wonder and my mouth hanging open in awe.
The second photo was taken from Point Reyes, California. It rained and rained and rained for almost the entire trip (a few sunny spells here and there, including the day we went to Muir Woods). It was raining on our way out to Point Reyes. But by the time we got there the rain stopped. The clouds were doing some amazing things as they cleared out, and every now and again the sun would peek out from behind them, turning the Pacific Ocean shades of blue, silver, and even gold at times. I liked this view of the sea as seen through the V of Mother Earth.
The third photo is of a green frog, one of the many that hang out near our pond. I know that my hostess is Deaf and there are many deaf readers here so please pardon me as I describe the frogs a bit through their sound. They make a sort of “ponging” sound that’s similar to someone twanging on a banjo. At the height of their mating season, the sound is overwhelming at night, making it difficult to sleep. The bullfrogs generally join in the clamor and it’s like there’s a party going on out there. Once the pond is covered with frog eggs, the sounds start to die down a bit. The green frog is known for having a prominent tympanum (that big round thing you see just to the right and under its eye), and they are not always green. They lay 1000-7000 eggs. The great thing about having them around is that the tadpoles eat algae and water plants, keeping the pond relatively clean. In fact, we’ve found that most of the wildlife in and around the pond keep the pond in great shape, everyone doing their part so to speak. Green frogs are not particularly shy so photographing them is easy except that they do blend in quite well with their surroundings making it difficult to spot them at times. They’ll also eat anything they can fit in their mouths including smaller frogs, small birds, small snakes, and even their own cast off skin.
The next photo is of Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright house located just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Honestly, this photo looks like just about every other photo you find of Fallingwater. There’s a reason for that. There’s a spot set aside with this view of the house and it’s the best outside view you can find on the property where the public is permitted to go. Osh and I thought this fit in well with the idea of living in harmony with the land. It’s worth touring as it’s quite interesting to see how Mr. Wright positioned it over the waterfall and incorporated the land around it (including large rock structures) into the house. Ceilings in the rooms were intentionally built low so as to direct the eye towards the outside to look at the beautiful surroundings.
The last photo was taken from the top of Mount Tamalpais in California and the curvaceousness of it seemed appropriate for this spot as representing Mother Earth. One of the great things about all that rain that fell while we were in the San Francisco area of California was that the land was very green. The green, the curves, and the hill and mountains reminded me of the Highlands of Scotland. On an even more personal note, I couldn’t resist doing a 
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
