April 2026 Resolutions – Church of All Worlds

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Preamble

Strategic Imperative — Why These Resolutions, Why Now

The Church of All Worlds stands at a pivotal threshold. The legal, political, and ecological landscape of 2026 presents both unprecedented risks and extraordinary opportunities for Earth-centric religious institutions. Three converging realities make the adoption of these resolutions not merely advisable but strategically essential.

Bones and DNA — The Foundational Distinction

The Church of All Worlds was founded in the living spirit of Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein (1961). That work — and the Waterkin culture, grokking practice, and tribal intimacy it inspired — constitutes the founding bones of CAW: the structural and cultural skeleton upon which the living body of the Church was first built and has grown for over sixty years.

GaeaGenesis (ISBN-13: 979-8985320473) — formerly known as Thea Genesis and The Gaea Hypothesis — is the eco-Spiritual DNA of CAW: the generative nucleus from which CAW’s theological identity, ministerial expression, and institutional coherence grow and are perpetually renewed.

These two are not in competition. Bones provide structure and form; DNA provides the living generative code. Stranger in a Strange Land gave CAW its shape and its soul-language. GaeaGenesis names and deepens the eco-Spiritual genotype that has always animated that shape. Together they describe what CAW is, where it came from, and what it is called to become. No adoption of GaeaGenesis as eco-Spiritual DNA diminishes, replaces, or supersedes the foundational importance of Stranger in a Strange Land to CAW’s heritage and identity.

Why Now

Legal: Religious organizations without clearly codified theology, governance structures, and ecclesiastical lineage are increasingly vulnerable to regulatory challenge, judicial skepticism, and civil litigation. The IRS has tightened scrutiny of organizations claiming religious exemptions. Courts are applying more demanding standards for the ministerial exception. RLUIPA protections depend on demonstrable centrality of land use to religious practice.

Political: The political environment of 2026 is one of intense polarization around environmental, ecological, and climate issues. CAW’s integrity — and its legal safety — depends on its ability to articulate its ecological convictions as genuinely religious rather than politically derivative. GaeaGenesis as eco-Spiritual DNA provides exactly that foundation.

Spiritual: CAW has carried for sixty years a vision of immanent divinity, Earth-reverence, and tribal community that is more urgently needed now than at any prior moment in its history. Adopting GaeaGenesis as CAW’s eco-Spiritual DNA is an act of spiritual fidelity.

These resolutions are not edicts. They are not purity tests. They do not diminish the autonomy of any Nest, Waterkin, or individual member. They are a formal and loving act of clarity — naming what we have always been, in language adequate to protect and advance that identity in the legal, political, and cultural realities of our time.

— Grey Sage, Vice President, March 21, 2026

Plain Language

CAW loves Earth. We see Earth — Gaia — as a single living being: a whole body made of land, air, water, plants, animals, and humans all together. We are not outside of Earth; we are one part of Her living body. GaeaGenesis says this clearly and fits what CAW has believed for many years.

We also honor our roots. The book Stranger in a Strange Land gave CAW its first shape and soul-language. Think of it as our bones. GaeaGenesis is our DNA. Bones give the body shape. DNA gives the life-code. We are keeping both.

We are making these decisions now because laws and politics are getting harder for small churches. Clear words help protect our church, our land, and our way of worship.

Resolution · I

Resolution of Synthesis — GaeaGenesis as eco-Spiritual DNA

A Resolution to adopt the GaeaGenesis corpus as the eco-Spiritual DNA of the Church of All Worlds.

Whereas

The historic mission of the Church of All Worlds is “to evolve a network of information, mythology and experience that provides a context and stimulus for reawakening Gaia and reuniting Her children through tribal community dedicated to responsible stewardship and the evolution of consciousness”; and CAW’s shared values include immanent divinity (“Thou art God/dess”), self-knowledge and personal responsibility, deep friendship and tribal intimacy, positive sexuality, living in harmony with the natural world, and appreciation of the diverse nature of human beings;

The ecological, legal, and political realities of 2026 and beyond require CAW to present a clearly articulated, legally recognizable, and spiritually authentic cosmology in order to protect its religious liberty, its 501(c)(3) status, and its right to practice Earth-centric worship, teaching, and community life;

GaeaGenesis (ISBN-13: 979-8985320473) offers a definitive eco-Spiritual articulation of CAW’s long-standing ethos, recognizing Earth as a living biosphere and deity, and Nature as a living corpus through which immanent divinity is revealed, and does not seek to replace or invalidate CAW’s 60-year cultural heritage, including the Waterkin identity, Nest traditions, and the Green Egg legacy;

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved

Adoption
The Board of Directors of the Church of All Worlds hereby formally adopts the GaeaGenesis corpus as the foundational ecclesiastical document of the Church of All Worlds, recognizing it as the enshrined eco-Spiritual DNA at the nucleus of the Church — the core genotype from which the diverse phenotypes of members’ localized practices and myths naturally grow.

Inherent Authority
This eco-Spiritual DNA is understood as inherent natural authority derived from Earth as a living biosphere and Nature as corpus. GaeaGenesis serves as the primary theological articulation of this inherent authority within CAW.

Not a Purity Test
This adoption is not a purity test for baseline membership or participation in CAW. It provides a shared cosmological nucleus that: (1) offers coherence and continuity for CAW’s rites, teachings, and sacraments; (2) strengthens CAW’s legal and ecclesiastical clarity in the face of evolving regulatory and cultural landscapes; and (3) affirms that Nests, Waterkin, and local communities remain free to develop diverse ritual and mythic phenotypes in harmony with this DNA.

Interpretive Role — Non-Infallibility
The Board affirms GaeaGenesis as an interpretive key and eco-Spiritual compass for CAW Clergy and future councils, while explicitly rejecting any claim of infallibility or absolute dogma, in keeping with CAW’s commitment to ongoing revelation, experimentation, and responsible spiritual evolution.

Theological Disclaimer
All references within CAW documents to “eco-Spiritual DNA,” “eco-Spiritual Trustees,” or “eco-Spiritual Trust” are theological and mythopoetic descriptors of CAW’s spiritual identity and responsibility — not civil trust instruments or transfers of legal title, which remain vested in Church of All Worlds, Inc., as governed by its Board of Directors.

Incorporation
The Board directs this Resolution of Synthesis be incorporated into CAW’s executive packets, Clergy formation materials, and public-facing descriptions of CAW’s mission.

Acknowledgment of the Primary P.O.E.T.

Immediately following adoption of Resolution I, the Board formally acknowledges:

The Resolution of Synthesis recognizes GaeaGenesis as the foundational eco-Spiritual DNA of the Church of All Worlds. Inseparable from that adoption is the formal acknowledgment of the author of GaeaGenesis as the Primary P.O.E.T. — Pathfinder of Earth Tides — the first and principal holder of this title, from whom the eco-Spiritual lineage of the honorific flows, and through whose inspired work all subsequent P.O.E.T. recognitions are made possible.

What It Is

The first and originating expression of the P.O.E.T. honorific within CAW
Held by Oberon Zell as author of GaeaGenesis
A guiding voice and facilitator of the P.O.E.T. Certification Council
Eco-Spiritual and symbolic in nature

What It Is Not

Not a grant of additional corporate office
Not additional fiduciary authority or signatory power beyond what Oberon Zell already holds as President and Primate
Not a unilateral veto over the P.O.E.T. Certification Council

The title of Pathfinder of Earth Tides originates as a CAW honorific. Fellow allied Pathfinders of Earth Tides subsequently recognized through the Protocol of Recognition need not be CAW-specific in their allyship — their recognition acknowledges that the work of navigating the eco-Spiritual tides of this age is a wider human calling, one that extends beyond the boundaries of any single institution, while the eco-Spiritual DNA of GaeaGenesis and the Church of All Worlds remains the originating nucleus from which all such recognition flows.

Action: Motion to adopt Resolution of Synthesis. Motion to formally acknowledge Oberon Zell as Primary P.O.E.T. — Pathfinder of Earth Tides upon adoption. Record vote or consensus outcome and date on Signature Page.

Plain Language

First Decision: GaeaGenesis as Our Spiritual DNA

This decision says:

CAW uses GaeaGenesis as our main book about what we believe about Earth and spirit.
It is like DNA at the center of CAW. It gives us a strong, shared core.

It does not:

Replace Stranger in a Strange Land.
Force every member to agree on every detail.
Take away the freedom of nests or Waterkin.

Nests and Waterkin can still have their own local ways, as long as they fit with loving Earth and loving each other as part of Gaia’s living body.

Primary P.O.E.T.

With this decision, the Board also names Oberon Zell as the Primary P.O.E.T. — Pathfinder of Earth Tides. This means:

He is the first holder of this Earth-pathfinder title.
The honor comes from his role in GaeaGenesis and CAW’s story.
It is a spiritual honor only. It does not give him extra power over money, land, or legal things beyond what he already has as President and Primate.

Resolution · II

Resolution of Stewardship — Bicameral Governance & 501(c)(3) Protection

A Resolution to recognize eco-Spiritual Stewardship, establish a bicameral governance map, and protect the Church of All Worlds’ religious liberty and tax-exempt standing in 2026 and beyond.

Bicameral Governance Map

Eco-Spiritual Trustees

Clergy & P.O.E.T. Council — Those ordained and recognized within CAW’s spiritual tradition whose vocation is to tend, interpret, and embody the eco-Spiritual DNA articulated in GaeaGenesis and the living heritage of the Waterkin.

Authority over rites, teaching, pastoral care, and eco-Spiritual discernment
Authority is inherent — recognized, not granted, by the Board
No legal signatory authority over bank accounts, real property, corporate entities, or binding contracts in their ecclesiastical capacity

Worldly Stewards

Board of Directors — The corporate and fiduciary stewards of Church of All Worlds, Inc., who hold legal title, manage finances and contracts, comply with civil regulations, and tend the institutional soil in which the eco-Spiritual DNA may safely flourish.

Legal title, finances, contracts, civil regulatory compliance
All legal ownership of assets and civil authority vested here
Defers to eco-Spiritual Trustees in matters of doctrine and ritual

The Jurisdictional Pact

Ecclesiastical Sovereignty
The eco-Spiritual Trustees hold inherent authority over eco-Spiritual teachings, liturgy, sacraments, and discernment of the eco-Spiritual DNA. This authority is recognized, not granted, by the Board.

Fiduciary Firewall
Eco-Spiritual Trustees shall hold no legal signatory authority over the Church’s bank accounts, real property, corporate entities, or binding contracts in their ecclesiastical capacity.

Mutual Deference
In matters of eco-Spiritual doctrine and ritual, the Board defers to the eco-Spiritual Trustees. In matters of law, finance, and regulatory compliance, the Trustees defer to the Board — provided that neither chamber compels the other to violate conscience or law.

Political Non-Partisanship Framework

To reduce the risk of political retaliation and preserve CAW’s tax-exempt status:

Eco-Spiritual Trustees and P.O.E.T.s may teach, write, and act on eco-Spiritual convictions concerning the living biosphere
They shall not, in their official CAW capacities, endorse or oppose specific political candidates or parties
The Board shall maintain and periodically update written guidelines on political activity and public advocacy
Nest and Waterkin autonomy is explicitly preserved

Rider — Clergy Council Continuity Provision

The Board endorses for submission to the Canon revision process the following pro tempore provision (Canon 18.2):

“In the absence of the Clergy Council, the Board of Directors shall act pro tempore in its stead, with authority to make clerical decisions ordinarily reserved to that Council. The Board shall make every reasonable effort to seek guidance or direction from the Clergy Council before, during, and after taking any such measure, and all such pro tempore measures shall be submitted to the Clergy Council for review and ratification at its earliest convening; provided, however, that if no Clergy Council has convened to consider a measure within a reasonable time, that measure shall stand as moved.”

Key operative principles:

The Board acts pro tempore in the stead of the Clergy Council — not above it or in place of it permanently
Every reasonable effort to seek Clergy Council guidance is required before, during, and after any pro tempore measure
All pro tempore measures are subject to Clergy Council ratification at its earliest convening
The ratification-by-silence provision ensures organizational decisions do not remain in perpetual suspension
The Primate, if present and available, retains ultimate ecclesiastical authority per Canon 5.1 even when this provision is invoked

Note for Canon revision: The Board recommends that “a reasonable time” be defined by a specific number of days or calendar cycles when this provision is incorporated into the Canons, to prevent ambiguity in application.

This pro tempore standing is strictly an emergency continuity measure. It does not permanently transfer clerical authority to the Board, does not supersede the Jurisdictional Pact once Clergy are available, and does not diminish the Clergy Council’s authority upon its reconvening.

Legal grounding: The IRS and California law both require that a 501(c)(3) religious organization demonstrate ongoing furtherance of its religious purposes (IRC §501(c)(3); Cal. Corp. Code §§9110 et seq.). A documented pro tempore continuity provision strengthens, not weakens, CAW’s religious and legal standing.

Action: Motion to adopt Resolution of Stewardship, including endorsement of the Clergy Council Continuity rider for submission to the Canon revision process. Record vote or consensus outcome and date on Signature Page.

Plain Language

Second Decision: Two Kinds of Leaders

This decision shows who does what in CAW:

Eco-Spiritual Trustees (Clergy and P.O.E.T. Council): Take care of the spirit. Lead rituals and worship. Help teach and protect the GaeaGenesis way of seeing Earth as one living being.
Worldly Stewards (Board of Directors): Take care of money, land, and legal papers. Sign contracts. Deal with the government and filings.

They make a promise to each other:

In spiritual things, the Board listens to the Clergy.
In money and legal things, the Clergy listens to the Board.
No one is forced to break their conscience or the law.

When there is no Clergy Council

Sometimes there may be no Clergy Council meeting. In that case:

The Board can act for a short time in the Clergy role, just to keep CAW moving.
The Board must do its best to ask Clergy for guidance before, during, and after these choices.
When the Clergy Council meets again, they can review and bless or change those choices.
If they do not meet within a set time, the choice stands.

This is an emergency bridge, not a power grab. When Clergy are active again, their spiritual role is fully restored.

The decision also says that, when speaking as CAW leaders, Clergy and P.O.E.T.s do not tell people how to vote or which party to pick. This keeps CAW safe as a non-profit church while still allowing clear Earth-spirit teaching.

Resolution · III

Resolution of Conference — The P.O.E.T. Honorific

A Resolution to extend the P.O.E.T. — Pathfinder of Earth Tides honorific beyond CAW’s institutional boundaries, and to establish the Protocol of Recognition governing all nominations, deliberations, and conferrals.

Authorization

The Board of Directors hereby authorizes the eco-Spiritual honorific P.O.E.T. — Pathfinder of Earth Tides as a title of merit recognizing individuals whose work exemplifies:

Deep, sustained service to the living biosphere
Alignment with the eco-Spiritual DNA articulated in GaeaGenesis and CAW’s mission to reawaken Gaia
A demonstrable pattern of ethical, life-affirming conduct consistent with CAW’s shared values

Scope and Limits of the Honorific

Symbolic Only
The P.O.E.T. honorific is an eco-Spiritual and symbolic recognition only. It confers no corporate office, employment, voting rights, or signatory authority within Church of All Worlds, Inc. It creates no agency relationship or fiduciary duty between CAW and the honoree.

Open to Non-Members
CAW may extend the P.O.E.T. honorific to individuals both within and outside CAW, recognizing that Earth-centric pathfinding transcends any single institution, while the eco-Spiritual DNA of GaeaGenesis remains the nucleus of CAW’s own identity.

Protocol of Recognition — P.O.E.T. Certification Council

A P.O.E.T. Certification Council is hereby recognized as a deliberative body composed primarily of CAW Clergy and eco-Spiritual Trustees appointed according to CAW’s ecclesiastical processes. Its mandate is to discern and certify candidates for the P.O.E.T. honorific. The Primary P.O.E.T. serves as guiding voice and facilitator within the Council but shall not act as sole gatekeeper or hold unilateral veto power.

Protocol of Recognition — Open Nomination (Manifest of Merit)

Any individual or community, internal or external to CAW, may nominate a candidate by submitting a Manifest of Merit to the P.O.E.T. Certification Council. The Manifest of Merit shall include:

Candidate’s name and contact information
Narrative description of the candidate’s Pathfinder work in relation to Earth tides, biosphere service, or eco-Spiritual ministry
Specific evidence of impact (projects, communities served, writings, rituals, teaching, or activism)
Explanation of how the candidate’s life and work resonate with the eco-Spiritual DNA of GaeaGenesis
An affirmation by the nominator attesting to the candidate’s integrity and service

Protocol of Recognition — Dual Review Process

Eco-Spiritual Review

P.O.E.T. Certification Council evaluates the candidate’s alignment with CAW’s eco-Spiritual DNA, mission, and shared values, considering both resonance with GaeaGenesis and fidelity to the living heritage of the Waterkin.

Board Vetting

The Board, or a designated committee thereof, conducts a pragmatic review to ensure that granting the honorific will not create undue legal, financial, or political risk to CAW. If either chamber identifies serious concerns, both chambers confer before a final determination.

Protocol of Recognition — Rite of Recognition

Upon a favorable recommendation from the P.O.E.T. Certification Council and non-objection from the Board, CAW may conduct a Rite of Recognition in an appropriate ritual or public setting. Suggested declaration:

“By the light of Gaia and by the eco-Spiritual DNA enshrined in GaeaGenesis, and with the blessing of the Church of All Worlds, we recognize the inherent authority enshrined in your work as a Pathfinder of Earth Tides. Thou art God/dess. Gaia is reawakening, and we honor you as one of Her awakening eyes.”

Recognition may be recorded in CAW’s official records and publicly announced at CAW’s discretion, with all announcements clearly reiterating the non-fiduciary, eco-Spiritual nature of the honorific.

Revocation

Recognition as a P.O.E.T. does not make the honoree a spokesperson for CAW on political or corporate matters. Should subsequent information reveal that a honoree’s actions materially contradict CAW’s eco-Spiritual DNA, shared values, or legal obligations, the P.O.E.T. Certification Council, in consultation with the Board, may withdraw the honorific through a documented process that respects due discernment and fairness.

Action: Motion to adopt Resolution of Conference. Motion to authorize the Protocol of Recognition as the governing procedure for all P.O.E.T. honorific nominations, deliberations, and conferrals. Record vote or consensus outcome and date on Signature Page.

Plain Language

Third Decision: Honoring Pathfinders of Earth

This decision is about honoring helpers of Earth, inside and outside CAW.

CAW can give a special title: P.O.E.T. — Pathfinder of Earth Tides.
This title is for people who help the living Earth in steady, real ways, and live in a way that fits the GaeaGenesis eco-spirit of Gaia as a single living organism.

The P.O.E.T. title:

Is a spiritual honor only.
Does not give power over CAW money, land, or legal choices.
Does not make the person a spokesperson for CAW on politics or business.

How someone becomes a P.O.E.T.

Anyone can suggest a person, with a short story of their Earth work.
A P.O.E.T. Council (mostly Clergy) checks: “Does this person’s life fit our Earth-spirit DNA and values?”
The Board checks: “Can we honor this person without causing legal or money problems for CAW?”
If both answers are yes, CAW may do a Rite of Recognition and announce the honor.

If later a person’s actions clearly go against CAW’s values or legal duties, the P.O.E.T. title can be taken back, with care and fairness.

Implementation

Transitional Provisions & Action Timeline

Upon formal adoption of all Resolutions and the Protocol of Recognition, the following implementation timeline is formally authorized. Directors are asked to confirm the transition liaison by name at this meeting.

Deadline	Action	Responsible
Within 60 days	Public statement on GaeaGenesis adoption prepared and released; statement to emphasize the DNA/nucleus framework, Nest and Waterkin autonomy, and the non-purity-test nature of the adoption	Terry Brussel-Rogers + Grey Sage
Within 90 days	File Resolutions as official CAW records; formally notify Clergy and provide copies of all three Resolutions and the Protocol of Recognition; designate transition liaison	Tim Emert, Secretary
Within 120 days	Formally constitute inaugural P.O.E.T. Certification Council; document Council membership, quorum requirements, and operating procedures and file with Board Secretary	eco-Spiritual Trustees / Clergy
Within 180 days	Update bylaws, Clergy handbook, and membership materials to reflect bicameral governance map and eco-Spiritual DNA language; incorporate theological disclaimer distinguishing eco-Spiritual Trust language from civil trust instruments in all updated governance documents	Tim Emert + designated liaison
Annually (Year 1+)	Joint annual review: implementation progress, political activity compliance, P.O.E.T. Certification Council operations	Board + eco-Spiritual Trustees

Action: Motion to authorize the Implementation and Transitional Provisions timeline. Assign transition liaison by name at this meeting. All Resolutions to be signed on the Signature Page by all present Directors and submitted to the Secretary for filing as official records of Church of All Worlds, Inc.

Plain Language

After the Board votes yes, here is what happens next:

Within 60 days: A public statement goes out about what we decided and why.
Within 90 days: The decisions are filed as official church records. Clergy are notified and receive copies. A transition liaison is named to help coordinate everything.
Within 120 days: The first P.O.E.T. Council is formed.
Within 180 days: The church’s official documents — bylaws, Clergy handbook, membership materials — are updated to reflect the new structure.
Each year going forward: The Board and Clergy do a joint check-in on how things are going.

Closing

What Stays the Same

CAW is still a tribe of friends who love Gaia
Nests and Waterkin still shape their own local ways — their autonomy is explicitly preserved by every Resolution
We still honor Stranger in a Strange Land as CAW’s founding bones and GaeaGenesis as our eco-Spiritual DNA
We still affirm “Thou art God/dess” and welcome the full diversity of phenotypic expression as parts of Gaia’s one living body
GaeaGenesis is a living corpus — not infallible canon — consistent with CAW’s commitment to ongoing revelation, experimentation, and responsible spiritual evolution
All legal and financial authority remains vested in Church of All Worlds, Inc., governed by the Board of Directors

These decisions give us clear words, steady roles, and a safe way to honor Earth-path leaders — so our Church can stay strong and alive in hard times. They are not edicts. They are a formal and loving act of clarity: naming what we have always been, in language adequate to protect and advance that identity.

“May You Never Thirst.”

Plain Language

Everything that made CAW what it is remains fully in place.

CAW is still a tribe of friends who love Gaia.
Nests and Waterkin still shape their own local ways.
We still honor Stranger in a Strange Land as a founding story and GaeaGenesis as our eco-spiritual DNA.
We still say, “Thou art God/dess,” and welcome many paths as parts of Gaia’s one living body.

These decisions give us clear words, steady roles, and a safe way to honor Earth-path leaders, so our Church can stay strong and alive in hard times.

◆ Adopted April 2026 · Church of All Worlds ◆