The great mother goddess is manifest as the planet earth. Her parts are the natural components that form the earth. The oceans, rivers, forests, mountains, deserts, sky, and all resources such as coal,oil, and metals are aspects of her. It is a fact that to take action in the spirit of environmental ecodefense is to perform devotional service. One may consider it to be a spiritual duty to defend the earth.

Global warming has melted away glaciers. In India, the Gangotri glacier is a source for the Ganges River, which is intimately intertwined with spiritual traditions dating back to the time of the Rishis, composers of the Vedas. Ecodefense is recognized on the subcontinent as spiritual work. Writers Vandana Shiva and Arundhati Roy offer many examples.

In addition to mountain top removal to extract coal, and the constant pumping out of global oil reserves, a water crisis is looming on earth. Indian farmers, for example, pumped out water nationwide using bore wells. Insufficient holding tanks resulted in wasted monsoon rainwater, and areas dried up after short term profits were made. Water scarcity for villagers resulted. In Delhi, armed guards protect water tanks at suburban gated residences. The worsening global ecological condition is a direct result of the failure to realize that the planet earth is the great mother goddess manifest!

There is no place to go when the water runs out. There is no place to go when the oil runs out. There is no place to go when the last mountain top is removed to dig out the last bit of coal. There is no place to go when forests are clearcut, when uranium mining tailings wash into streams, when copper mining pollution causes acid rain thousands of miles away, and when ice melts out and the sun's rays can no longer be reflected.

The permafrost is melting, releasing methane gas underneath, which accelerates global warming. Climatologists have adjusted their computer simulations in view of this discovery, and are now predicting an ecological tipping point approximate to the 2012 date prophesised in ancient calendars. There is no place to go if the oceanic conveyor belt of northward bound warm water slows down, and the thermohaline staircase stops regulating northern climates. The U.S. military has been studying various possible disaster scenarios at the Pentagon, using their computer simulations, and is strategizing future foreign policy in consideration of the possible effects of climate destabilization.

According to the vedic calendar, we are in the midst of the Kali yuga, described as the "age of conflict". The goddess Kali defeats the demonic armies in battle, sword raised, wearing a necklace of severed demon heads, while simultaneously blessing and showing her benevolent side to her devotees. In India, environmentally focused direct action is recognized as being a form of devotional service to the great mother goddess. The Shakta tradition, in particular, values this form of activism. Devotional service leads to the Nirlipta state, which is a spiritually unified internal condition. It is sometimes referred to as the fourth dimension, beyond both time and space. The Mahanirvana Tantra details this spiritual path, which is vibrant and popular today in India, and is increasingly attracting adherents in other parts of the world who are participating in radical environmental frontline campaigns.

Craig Louis Stehr is presently interested in co-creating a film documentary to tell the story of the emerging climate justice movement. Footage is needed in New Orleans, Appalachia (coal country), Washington D.C., and at the U.N. sponsored "greenwashed" climate conference beginning November 30th in Copenhagen, Denmark. Please send money here: Craig Stehr, 8390 East Road, Redwood Valley, CA 95470-9413 Cellphone:707-485-4189 Email:craigstehr@hushmail.com