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Environment, Mediation and Healing Garden proposal:
Request for support.
The Interfaith Forum of the ACT (IFFACT) has been working for the past 2 years to establish an environment meditation
and healing garden in the ACT on a portion of public land in Canberra.
The garden proposal came from the desire of IFFACT members to work on a project together, and at this pressing time of
global climate change to translate IFFACT’s commitment to respect and care for our environment and follow sustainable
lifestyles into a physical garden where people of all walks of life may come to get in touch with or meditate on their connection
with the environment.
An important aim of the garden is to recognise Indigenous Australian spirituality/ies as equal to those of the major
world religions and to welcome Indigenous people to use the garden for their own meditation and reflection on land. In this
way, we hope to contribute to the healing of relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and among all our
faith groups, at a spiritual level.
The site is also to be developed as a facility allowing patients from the Hospice to be seated in a natural environment,
and their visitors, for meditation. ACT Palliative Care Society Inc. is cooperating with IFFACT to help make this possible.
| Interfaith Forum of the ACT (IFFACT) |
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| Environment , mediation and healing Garden proposal |
Over some months IFFACT has been in dialogue with the ACT Hospice, ACT Palliative
Care Society Inc. and the ACT Government about the choice of site. We offered the final choice to the United Ngunnawal Elders
Council, who have affirmed their general support for the project and nominated the small area just east of the ACT Hospice
as first choice.
On behalf of IFFACT we are now proceeding to obtain a number of letters of support
for the project from the constituent Faith Groups of IFFACT and from community leaders of organizations who would like
to see this project come to fruition. We are meantime proceeding to get the last details of the design of the garden finalized.
IFFACT invites you to respond with a letter from yourself or your faith group,
expressing
- your faith group’s general awareness of and agreement with the project
- your agreement with the nomination of the site east of the Hospice as first choice
- and if appropriate, an expression of commitment of your group to participate actively
in the establishment and maintenance of the garden.
We believe this series of letters should help the ACT Government to give our request serious
and positive consideration.
We would be happy to receive your response in the form of an e-mail, either personally
or on behalf of your group, or a more formal letter from an office-bearer – as you see fit. We hope that such a letter
could be forthcoming sometime in the first 2 or 3 weeks of April.
We are happy to discuss or give any further information if you
need it. See Contacts page to submit support and to contact Vernon Bailey for more information or use the email link below:
Submit support for the IFFACT Interfaith Garden
IFF ACT is supported by members of Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian
Denominations, Muslim, Sikh, Baha'i, Sathya Sai, Brahma Kumaris, & Sukyo Mahikari communities.
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