The Children’s Fire – A Dream for the Future

The Children’s Fire – A Dream for the Future
An Embercombe Debate

With Mac Macartney, Shruthi Vijayakuma, Skeena Rathor and David Smart-Knight

Is it possible for our species to live in balance with the rest of nature?

In the run-up to the G7 Summit in Cornwall, England, we talk about the dream of The Children’s Fire, an indigenous prayer that no actions are taken that could harm the children of all species. Where does this come from, what does it mean for us wherever we are and whatever tradition we belong to, and how can we possibly live by it?

Mac Macartney

In 1999 Mac founded Embercombe. In his work Mac endevours to  bring together an ancient world view that emphasises relationship, interdependence, and reverence for life with the huge challenges and equally huge opportunities of the 21st Century. Mac is author of two books the Children’s Fire – heart song of a people and Finding Earth, Finding Soul.  You can find out more about Mac’s work at MacMacartney.com

Shruthi Vijayakumar

Coach. Facilitator. Strategist. Cultivating conscious leaders and rethinking economic systems to create a world where we live in harmony with the Earth.

Skeena Rathor

Skeena Rathor is a Co-Leader, spokesperson and strategist of Extinction Rebellion and Co-Founder of the Guardianship and Visioning Team.

Skeena is at the heart of XR’s movement, helps co-create its strategy, and regularly speaks on mainstream media.

Skeena says, “In this age of multiple crisis, our power is most rooted in telling truth as an act of fierce love. We all need to look within and to each other to recognise our power and face what is happening together. To move beyond the human story of scarcity and separation. This movement as a moving towards togetherness and co-liberation is not about symbolic actions but about building the necessary resilient and regenerative culture that the world needs now.” She is also an Independent District Councillor for Stroud Central, and lives in Stroud, where she runs the Politics Kitchen and co-founded Compassionate Stroud.

Photo Credit: Ruth Davey

David Smart-Knight

During a career as an Environmental Educator, David devised and delivered a European-wide environmental education teacher training program, created and piloted a curriculum for secondary schools putting sustainability as the core context of all learning, and established two award-winning Environmental Education Centres.

Given the multiple crises currently facing the human presence on this planet, David describes himself as an Evolutionary Activist, constantly seeking to ask the question “what is the greatest possibility we can envisage right now, and how can we engineer a culture that draws that possibility towards probability?”

David is part of the ChildrensFire.Earth project who’s objectve is to bring the Children’s Fire to the heart of decision making at the G7 summit. You can get involved here.