Spiritual Ecology
Spiritual Ecology recognises that our present ecological, social, economic and political crises all share a root cause: they come from a fundamental disconnection to life. A disconnection to the regenerating force of life, the sacredness it naturally holds. There is a growing awareness that these crises are not only ‘outside’ of us, but that they might be rooted in an inner crisis. If we want to respond adequately and wisely to what life asks of us, questioning our fundamental assumptions and worldview is a good place to start. What is it we value as individuals and society and how can we translate that into the systems we are part of? How can we come back into a right relationship, with ourselves, each other and the Earth? What values, belief systems, practices and rituals might support that?
Spiritual Ecology is not based on any single religion or spiritual path, but invites us to think about what spiritual values might support us in finding a way forward.
In the words of Barbara Sargent, founder of the Kalliopeia Foundation, Spiritual Ecology “seeks to heal unspeakable wounds and tries to rebuild the fabric of our lives together with the Earth”.
Spiritual Ecology identifies the Scientific Revolution and the Industrial Revolution as creating a massive shift in our relationship with the Earth. Instead of seeing nature as a living system we are a part of and depend on, we have grown to perceiving nature as a means to an end – mere resources we can use for our own benefit. To be able to face the mess we are in (to paraphrase Joanna Macy), we need to shift this perspective. For that, inner work is needed just as much as outer work. Spiritual Ecology invites us to do both and to integrate them.
For more information:
Books:
Spiritual Ecology – the Cry of the Earth, edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Authors such as Thomas Berry, Charles Eisenstein, Joanna Macy, Thich
Nhat Hanh, Bill Plotkin.
www.emergencemagazine.org
www.stethelburgas.org
www.kalliopeia.org