“It’s all a question of story. We are in trouble just now because we do not have a good story. We are in between stories. The old story, the account of how the world came to be and how we fit into it, is no longer effective. We have not learned the new story.” —Thomas Berry

“Change the Story, Change the World” —Findhorn Foundation

What is the New Story?

We believe that the process of evolution including the further evolution of the human species is on-going, that the next step is the further evolution of consciousness, and that this step is urgent and necessary for our survival as a species and for the survival of the planet.

We believe the Earth and all Creation are sacred. Knowing that we are deeply interconnected with all Creation, we urgently seek to be transformed and to be agents of transformation in response to the crises of our time. Recognizing this truth and continuing to be led by the Inner Light and wisdom traditions, we are committed to active participation in this emerging consciousness.

The New Story as explored by Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry, Joanna Macy, and others is a integration of a new cosmology, deep ecology, and a non-visible realm variously named God, “the aliveness,” the All-Nourishing Abyss, the Implicate Order, the Light. We also look to the old stories to discover the timeless truths of the wisdom traditions of our and other faiths. Within this framework we seek to answer questions such as:

  • In the context of the New Story, what is God? Light? Reality? Consciousness? The self?
  • What are the habitual patterns of thought and behavior that hold me/us back from experiencing connection to all life on Earth?
  • How do we become agents for the transformation of consciousness?
  • What is the special contribution of our faith traditions to the New Story?
  • What is the contribution of the New Story to our faith traditions?

For more information and meeting times write to New-Story@fmcquaker.org.

Publications

Meditations, etc.

Links

Next New Story Group meeting is January 27, 2025

No New Story Group meeting in December, 2024

Meeting November 25, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting October 28, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting September 23, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting August 26, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

  • Topic: “From Noosphere to Knowsphere” with Michael Mallary. Mike, who comes from Worcester Friends Meeting, is the author of Our Improbable Universe.
  • New Story News August 2024
  • “From Noosphere to Knowsphere” slides

Meeting July 22, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting June 24, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting June 4, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom (Our May meeting postponed)

  • Topic: “Living the New Story” which includes a personal story by R.E. Hogan and Dave Damm-Luhr who will lead a discussion on building community as part of living the new story.
  • New Story Newletter May 2024.

Meeting April 29, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

  • Topic: “Ashes to Ashes: meditations and practices of life lived like rich and healthy soil” presented by Wren Ribeiro, as we continue to draw inspiration from the film Regenerating Life “How to cool the planet, feed the world, and live happily ever after,” a documentary by John Feldman from Hummingbird Films.
  • New Story News April 2024
  • New Story contribution to the FMC State of Society report 2024.

Meeting March 25, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

  • Topic: “Soil, Air, and Water- Spiritual Elements.” The program will be led by Gwen Noyes, Sophie Quest, R.E. Hogan, and Wren Ribeiro. We will watch and discuss the first third of the documentary Regenerating Life by John Feldman, which is on water, soil, and air.
  • New Story News March 2024

Meeting February 26, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting January 22, 2024, at 7:00pm on Zoom

No meeting in December

Meeting November 27, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

      • “Science, Spirituality, and the Noosphere” Reports from the webinar with Matthew Fox and Brian Swimme produced by the Shift Network.
      • New Story Newsletter November 2023

Meeting October 23, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting September 25, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting August 28, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting July 24, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting June 26, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting May 22, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting April 24, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting March 27, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting February 27, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

      • What Does Indigenous Wisdom Offer the New Story? Excerpts from “RESTORING THE KINSHIP WORLDVIEW: Indigenous voices introduce 28 precepts for rebalancing life on planet earth” by Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows) and Darcia Narvaez, Ph.D. (North Atlantic Books, 2022)
      • New Story Newsletter February 2023

Meeting January 30, 2023, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting December 26 2022, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting November 28 2022, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting October 24, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting September 26, 7:00pm on Zoom

No meeting in August

Meeting July 25, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting June 27, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting May 23, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting April 25, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting March 28, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting February 28, 7:00pm on Zoom

Meeting January 24, 7:00pm on Zoom

The Depth of our Belonging: Mysticism, Physics, and Healing Book Group on Zoom

No New Story Meeting in December

Meeting November 22, 7:00pm on Zoom

October 25, 7:00pm on Zoom

September 27, 2021 on Zoom

August 30, 2021 on Zoom

July, 2021: No Meeting

June 28, 2021, on Zoom

May 24, 2021 on Zoom

April 26, 2021 on Zoom

March 22, 2021 on Zoom

February 22, 2021 on Zoom

January 25, 2021 on Zoom

December 28, 2020, NO MEETING

November 30, 2020, Virtual Meeting

October 26, 2020, Virtual Meeting

September 28, 2020, Virtual Meeting

August 24, 2020, Virtual Meeting

July 27, 2020, Virtual Meeting

June 22, 2020, Virtual Meeting

May 25, 2020, Virtual Meeting

April 27, 2020, Virtual Meeting

March 23, 2020, Virtual Meeting

February 24, 2020

December 23, 2019

          • NO MEETING

November 25, 2019

November 2, 2019

October 28, 2019

September 23, 2019

July 22, 2019

June 24, 2019

May 20, 2019

April 22, 2019

March 25, 2019

          • What is Consciousness?

February 25, 2019

          • Further discussion of the video by Barbara Marx Hubbard, “Emergence of a New Human Species”
          • Notes on Hubbard video

January 28, 2019

          • video by Barbara Marx Hubbard “Planetary Mission: Unique Self Symphony of Human Genius, Innovation & Synergy“

December–No meeting

Whirling Derivish Sema, November 4, 2018, 3:00pm

Reading for Meeting September 24, 2018


January 2018 to August 2018

Reading for Meeting August 27, 2018

          • Notes for Part II of Symbiotic Earth: How Lynn Margulis rocked the boat and started a scientific revolution.

Reading for Meeting July 23, 2018

          • Notes for Part I of Symbiotic Earth: How Lynn Margulis rocked the boat and started a scientific revolution.

Summer 2018 Newsletter

Report on the Retreat, June 15-17, 2018

Report on Meeting of May 28, 2018

Newsletter May 21, 2018

Report on Meeting of April 23, 2018

Drawdown

Reading for meeting on April 23, 2018

New Story Newsletter, April 14, 2018

Report on Meeting of March 27, 2018

Report on Meeting of February 26, 2018

Readings for meeting on February 26, 2018

Topic for January 22, 2018