The two ‘laws’ symbolised by the Children’s Fire
The phrase ‘life first’ is actually derived from two nature-aligned laws, which are neither a call to litigation in the conventional sense that we understand law, nor are they religious. They are a high measure and were/are held sacred by an indigenous wisdom tradition of the Americas: a tradition that not only informs and inspires the Children’s Fire Movement but also (via the ‘Circle of Law’ – a structure of true democracy) inspired the original constitution of the USA! The two laws are…
‘All things are born of woman’
and…
‘No law shall be passed that will harm the children’.
Maybe you see now why we use the simple phrase ‘Life First’ to promote this contemporary movement. The first law may seem a little wacky and of no worldly relevance to our 21st century techno-dream, but, from our perspective both laws are not only key to understanding the depths of Life First but are also vitally important as to how (or whether) humanity progresses on this beautiful planet Earth.
They can both be understood in their literal sense – and, they are so much more….
1. All things are born of woman
This may literally be a mother’s womb, or it could be an organisational structure from which an action or project is birthed. You can even look at our consciousness as the birthing ground of our thoughts! The latter example is very pertinent when we look around at the state of our environment – the quality of our thoughts, which in turn may become actions in the world, are determined by our mental state and the structures of mind that we have created (and society has created) since birth.
2. No law shall be passed that will harm the children
Using the above examples: by children we do on one level mean human children, and, it is not limited to this. It could also be a project that is birthed or a thought, word, or action! The word ‘harm’ may relate to physical harm and also more subtle forms of harm such as judgement – how often do we judge, push away and then isolate both ‘guilty’ thoughts and people? And where do harmful actions come from? – often from a form of judgement! Both can have destructive consequences in the external world we inhabit.
As mentioned above, this isn’t a call for litigation – these are natural laws that describe how Life evolves. If the above two laws are understood, and honoured, life is able to do it’s thing – unimpeded, unharmed. When things go pear-shaped, whether in our minds, in our societies or environmentally, it’s very often the case that humanity has ignored these laws, got involved with judgement and confused the process somehow. These laws helps us to work with life and co-create with it in a more life-enriching way.
