Harmony Fit For a King

 

   Our philosophy

‘Harmony’ is a universal expression for the order, connection and balance found in nature. 

The Harmony philosophy sees everything in nature as interconnected, including ourselves. This means taking a holistic approach to the challenges facing our planet, and looking to solve these challenges by working with nature, rather than against her.  King's Foundation 

Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Last evening Ruth and I agreed to watch the first few minutes of the new documentary. Finding Harmony: A King's Vision, narrated by Kate Winslet.  We weren't holding out much hope that this would be much more than a vanity piece for King Charles III -- how much would the monarch want to reveal about himself when the role requires a certain distance to create the image of royalty? We live in a day when royal families have limited power and are more inclined to ribbon cutting that "off with their heads!". 

Our skepticism seemed to be confirmed at the outset as Charles' regal entourage rolled up to a stately country home and he was greeted like a scene from Downton Abbey. This was Dumfries House, a historic estate purchased and restored by Charles as the home for the King's Foundation, https://kings-foundation.org/finding-harmony-a-kings-vision/ an organization dedicated to seeking environmental and relational harmony in Britain and around the world. Children and seniors come to Dumfries House to enjoy the grounds and to learn about small scale agriculture.

We discovered that the Foundation is involved in a rain forest preservation project in Guyana and an educational program in Afghanistan that has been allowed to continue under the Taliban. 

We got to see clips of  comments made by Charles going back more than half a century in which he called for the reduction of the use of pesticides and the promotion of organic growing. He was described as a kook in the media in often  bold headlines. 

                                              King Charles with his subjects at Cluckingham Palace 

At Highgrove, Charles' home since the 1980s, he has been involved in habitat restoration for biodiversity and saving heirloom plant species, including various vegetables. He keeps chickens in a coop with the cute title of Cluckingham Palace and we see him feeding them and gathering eggs. 

Charles has also hosted Indigenous elders and leaders from around the world at Highgrove, as part of his conviction that Indigenous approaches to the harmony of nature, including humanity, is essential. Near Highgrove there is a community created by the King in which all the homes have ready access to green spaces. 

                                                    Highgrove private chapel for King Charles

I know that Charles is a person of Christian faith with an expansive and respectful perspective on interfaith dialogue. I would have enjoyed learning more about how his faith influences his outlook on harmony in Creation. 

We did see the chapel he built on the estate for individual contemplation -- don't we all have one? -- with an inscription from Evening Prayer in the  venerable Book of Common Prayer, "Lighten our darkness we beseech thee", appropriate given that he is the "Defender of the Faith" for the Church of England. 

The documentary includes home movie footage of Charles outdoors as a child. He speaks of the influence of the Queen Mother, his grandmother, in learning to love nature. 

As you can gather, we watched to the end and felt that Finding Harmony was worthwhile and inspiring. That opening scene of the royal entourage does remind me of the immense personal wealth of the King. Can we achieve harmony on our planet when there is such a gap between rich and poor? 

You might want to seek out the documentary and draw your own conclusions.