EcoSpirituality Presentation

An outline: ..., 1998

Part I: EcoSpirituality
- Introduction and Overview

part I sections: definitions | sources and traditions | contemporary perspectives | dimensions | common views and effects | who is it for? | why now?

One's real, most intimate self pervades the universe and all other beings. The mountains, the sea and the stars are part of one's body.

- Willis Harmon



Definitions

EcoSpirituality

A spiritual view on and context for our relationship with the Earth and the Universe

Spirituality

A spiritual view on and context for our relationship with the Earth and the Universe Experience aspect The direct experience of/communion with the Spirit/Absolute/God A sense of the sacred Praxis aspect Living from this experience, letting it transform everyday life Note: Spirituality is different from religion, which is spirituality institutionalized. Also, spirituality can include, but does not necessarily require, a concept of "God"

Sources and traditions

EcoSpirituality is found in segments of all major (and most minor) spiritual traditions, including the following:

• Theistic
  • Judaism
  • Christianity
  • Islam
    
    
• Nontheistic
  • Taoism
  • Buddhism
  • Hinduism
    
    
• Early/Shamanic traditions
  • Native American
  • Inuit
  • Sami
  • Others on all continents

Contemporary perspectives

Contemporary sources for EcoSpirituality include the following::

• Existing spiritual traditions, sometimes in a revised context
• Transpersonal psychology: using a scientific approach to study spiritual experiences
• And there are several a-spiritual sources
  • Ecology
  • Cosmology
  • Systems theories
  • Ecofilosophy
  • Deep ecology
  • Ecofeminism
  • Ecopsychology

Dimensions

The following are some of the commonly found dimensions of EcoSpirituality:

• Theism-nontheism
  • Theism
    • Notion of a creator; creator-creation dualism
  • Nontheism
    • All phenomena self-created
    • Born from the Absolute
      

• Presence of Spirit/Absolute/God
  • Explicit/objective existence
    • Explicitly referred to
  • Phenomenological approach
    • Not referred to or referred to in a poetic fashion
    • Spiritual dimension from an experience of awe, of the sacred or numinous - in front of the beauty and richness of the Earth and the immensity and mysteries of the Universe
      
      
• Spirit/Absolute/God vs. the Universe
  • Beyond the Universe
    • "Outside" of and separate from the Universe (not commonly found in ecospirituality)
    • Encompassing and more than the Universe
  • Equal to the Universe
    • The Universe=Spirit/Absolute/God (pantheism)
    • God as the "Sacred Whole" of the Universe
    • God as the "mind" of the Universe
      
      
• Traditional vs. Evolving
  • Traditional
    • Theology as divinely inspired and reflecting a (near) absolute and perennial truth
    • Do not encourage innovation and change
    • Segments of most theistic traditions and some non-theistic
  • Evolving
    • Similar to scientific methodology
      • The models and maps of spiritual traditions are tools only, to describe and aid a direct experience of Spirit/Absolute/God
      • They do not reflect or constitute an "absolute truth"
      • They evolve according to new needs, experiences and insights
      • Encourage exploration and testing
    • Found in segments of all main spiritual traditions, for instance in Buddhism, Ecumenical Protestantism and Creation Spirituality

Common Views & Effects

Some of the common views and effects found in EcoSpirituality:

• The Universe seen as a revelation of the divine/Absolute, or seen as a source of a numinous experience, an experience of the sacred
• Deep sense of belonging to the Earth and the Universe
• Deep sense of meaning, in being born from, part of and sustained by a larger organic whole
• Deep trust in the wisdom and self-healing processes of the Earth and its subsystems
• Experience of nourishment from ones connection with the Earth and the Universe
• Care for the larger social and ecological whole, as an expression of the divine
• Not as a moral imperative but arising spontaneously and naturally from a sense of belonging and interconnectedness
• Natural sense of responsibility for the effects of ones actions for the larger whole
• Often explicitly not anthropocentric, humans are not the center or pinnacle of creation
• Often a view of spirituality - as well as religions - as evolving and changing
• All phenomena, met as "old friends" - openness to all experiences, even those that are unpleasant

Who is it for?

EcoSpirituality can be of interest for people from many backgrounds:

• Anybody who seeks a way to...
  • Bring science and spirituality together in a coherent and meaningful way
  • More fully live according to ones sense of the sacred in all existence
  • Find deeper nourishment from ones connection with the Earth/Universe
  • Find deeper meaning in ones participation in the unfoldment of the Universe, in the context of the evolution and activities of the Universe as a whole
    
    
• Religious
  • People with a background from a spiritual tradition/religion who...
    • Experience a need to include their relationship with the Earth in their spiritual practice/view
    • Wants to unify their worldview, bringing science and spirituality together
      
      
• Environmentalists
  • People who are concerned about the state of the Earth who...
    • Experience a need to give a context to and space for their sense of the sacred of all existence
    • Want to explore ways to find a deeper sense of belonging to and nourishment from their connection to the Earth/Universe

Why now?

Some reasons explaining why there is an increased interest in EcoSpirituality today:

• Spirituality aspect
  • A need for bringing science and spirituality together in a coherent way
  • Modern science is often consistent with insights from many spiritual traditions
  • A wish to bring spirituality into daily life in a way beneficial to the larger whole
  • There has been split between science and spirituality - and there is a natural urge to bring these together again
    
    
• Ecology aspect
  • Realization of the environmental crisis as a crisis of perception
    • The environmental crisis is due to a fragmented worldview, of not seeing the interdependence and interconnectedness among all aspects of the Earth
    • A need for a more unifying and unified worldview

• Science
  • As an interface to spirituality
    • Systems theories
    • Quantum physics
  • As a tool for spiritual experiences
    • A not uncommon experience for astronauts and cosmonauts, especially for those that saw the Earth from a distance, is a deep sense of the Earth and the Universe as sacred. This can be a life-transforming experience, causing them to devote their life to working for the benefit of society and the Earth

• Perception of the Earth as one whole
  • Technology aspect
    • Views from space - the "pale blue dot" phenomena
    • Communication - rapid spread of ideas, bringing people together
  • Science aspect
    • Web of life views
    • Systems theories
  • Potential for mass destruction
    • Diminished and threatened ecosystems on regional and global level
    • Weapons of mass destruction - biological, chemical and nuclear
    • Culture seen as dependent on healthy ecosystems on a regional and global level
      
      
    
    

On the return trip home, gazing towards the stars and the planet from which I had come, I suddenly experienced the universe as intelligent, loving, harmonious.

- Edgar D. Mitchell, astronaut

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Part II: Contemporary A-Spiritual Sources
- Science and Ecosophy

part II sections: ecology | cosmology | systems theories | gaia model | ecofilosophy


Ecology

Exploring how all aspects of the Earth are interconnected.

If the Rhine, the Yellow, the Mississippi rivers are changed to poison, so too are the rivers in the trees, in the birds, and in the humans changed to poison, almost simultaneously. There is only one river on the planet Earth, and it has multiple tributaries, many of which flow through the veins of sentient creatures.

- Thomas Berry, in The Dream of the Earth

Cosmology

The history of the Universe, as presented from modern science, gives a potentially deeply meaningful context for human life. From this perspective, we can see humans as the local sensory and awareness organs for the Universe. We are the Universe becoming aware of itself.

We, who embody the local eyes and ears and thoughts and feelings of the cosmos, we have begun, at last, to wonder at our origins. Starstuff contemplating the stars. Organized collections of ten billion billion billion atoms, contemplating the evolution of matter, tracing that long path by which it arrived at consciousness here on the planet Earth and perhaps throughout the cosmos.

- Carl Sagan, in Cosmos

Systems theories

Some aspects of systems theories that relate to EcoSpirituality:

• Whole-parts
  • Focus on the whole as well as the parts
  • The Universe seen as one whole - one single system - encompassing all polarities
  • Humans must be understood in the context of the Universe as a whole - its evolution and processes
    
    
• Holons
  • All phenomena...
    • Are simultaneously wholes and parts
      • Self-regulating and partly autonomous wholes
      • Embedded in and taking part in the self-regulating processes of a larger whole
    • Are interconnected and interdependent
    • Co-evolve
      • Interdependence of macro- and microevolution
        
        
• Interdisciplinary approach
  • Brings together models and insights from a variety of sciences - as long as they are mutually consistent
  • Brings together science and models and insights from spiritual traditions - again - as long as they are mutually consistent
    
    
• Consistent with and can provide an interface to spiritual traditions
  • Universe as one whole - separation and separate existence is illusion
  • Everything in continuous flux - nothing is fixed

God is not the creator, but the mind of the universe.

- Erich Jantsch, in The Self-Organizing Universe

Gaia

Some characteristics of the Gaia view:

• The Earth seen as a living organic whole
  • Self-regulating
    • Feedback loops to maintain stability (ex. temperature)
      
  • Self-transcending
    • Evolving, organizing itself in ways that goes beyond previous organizations
      
  • Encompasses nature and culture
    • Has evolved life, awareness, culture and science
    • Nature and culture, cities and forests, experiences and oceans, all part of and evolved from the evolution of the Earth as a whole
      
  • Will continue to evolve
    • Develop new and amazing ways to organize itself, as it has done repeatedly in the past
      
• The Earth not easily perceived as a living whole because of...
  • Our space/time experience
    • Live out our lives on a much smaller size and time scale than the planet as a whole
  • Our previous world-views
    • Reductionism: Focus on parts more than the wholes they are parts of
    • Mechanistic views: Self-organization not assumed
  
  

The Gaian organism has evolved to do what it needs to do in order to preserve itself as naturally as we do and with no more purpose than we find in our own bodies.

- Elisabeth Sahtouris



Viewed from the distance of the moon, the astonishing thing about the Earth, catching the breath, is that it is alive.

- Lewis Thomas, in The Lives of a Cell

Ecofilosophy

Several streams within ecofilosophy are closely linked to EcoSpirituality:

• Ecofeminism
  • Cooperation rather than competition
  • Web of life rather than hierarchy
    
    
• Ecopsychology
  • Healing for individuals as primarily coming through a more intimate experience of belonging to the Earth

The reason why psychology is sterile and therapy doesn't work is that the "self" that psychology describes and purports to heal doesn't exist. It is a social fiction. (...) to truly acknowledge our interconnectedness with the air and the water and the soil, indeed our identity with them, is to create the conditions for the spontaneous healing of the psyche to take place.

- John Seed, paper to the Australian Psychological Society's annual conference, February 1994

• Deep ecology
  • Through a more intimate experience of belonging to the Earth, a sense of care and compassion for the Earth arises spontaneously and effortlessly.
  • Ecopsychology and deep ecology are thus complementary approaches: From a more intimate sense of belonging to the Earth, there is healing for individuals (ecopsychology) and for the Earth (deep ecology)

If we have the experience of ourselves not as isolated, separate, skin encapsuled egoes but as part of the larger body of the Earth, then the defense of nature becomes merely self-defense and this does not require highly elevated moral stature.

- John Seed, paper to the Australian Psychological Society's annual conference, February 1994

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Part III: Main Spiritual Traditions
- Theistic, nontheistic, shamanic and mystic

part III sections: theistic | nontheistic | native/shamanic | mysticim

EcoSpirituality streams are found in all the major spiritual traditions of the world, whether they are theistic, nontheistic, shamanic or mystical.

Theistic

Judaism

Mercy [is] not only shown to ones fellow man, be he Jew or Gentile, but to all living beings: the beast of the field, the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. We are taught not to harm a single living being, not a fly or an ant, not even a spider. For they too are Gods creature. And these suffer when they are hurt (...) Animals as well as humans are Gods creatures, and towards all Gods creatures we are taught to show mercy.

- Rabbi Dressner

Christianity

• Traditional
  • The creation as a reflection of God
  • Stewardship model
  • Saints and mystics
    • St. Francis
      Canticle to brother sun
    • Meister Eckhart
      God in all phenomena
      
      
  • Contemporary trends
    • Evolving
      • Christianity seen as evolving and changing
    • Creation oriented
      • Honoring the beauty and sacredness of the natural world
    • Mysticism
      • Experience of oneness with all phenomena possible for all humans
      • Informs and inspires ones daily life
        
        
• Contemporary trends within Christianity - examples
  • Ecumenical Protestantism
    • The Sacred Whole
      • God is the sacred whole of the Universe
      • God, through the Universe as its body, shares in the joys and sufferings of each being in the Universe
      • The aim of the Sacred Whole for its body is healing and wholeness
        
    • Sources
      • Experience, reason, scripture and tradition
      • Seen as dialogue partners, not absolute authorities
      • Openness to truth, goodness and beauty, wherever they are found
        
    • Evolving
      • Christianity seen as an ongoing social movement, capable of growth and change
      • Includes Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalian, Unitarian, Lutheran and Presbyterian (and Catholic).
        
        
  • Creation Spirituality (Catholic based)
    • Cosmic mysticism
      • Returning to the Cosmic mysticism of Christ
      • Experiencing oneness with the Universe
        
    • Creation oriented
      • Rejoicing in the beauties and wonders of all creation
        
    • Inspired by science
      • Science and spirituality seen as complementary ways of mapping and exploring reality
        
    • A-anthropocentric
      • The spirit of the Lord fills the whole Universe and holds everything together
      • Humans has no privileged role
        
    • Three main focal points
      • Knowledge also through science
      • Mysticism - experience of unity with all creation
      • Expression of awe of the beauty of all creations through art and daily life
        
        

The Universe is the primary revelation of the divine, the primary scripture, the primary locus of divine-human communion.

- Father Thomas Berry

Islam

• Sufism (most pronounced ecospiritual view)
  • God encompasses and permeates nature
  • Nature seen as the "Cosmic Quaran", a divine revelation
  • To remember God is to see God everywhere, encompassing all phenomena
  • The visible world is like the area lit by a campfire
    • A manifestation of a vastly greater world which transcends it and from which it issues

To God belongs all things in heaven and on earth, and He it is who encompasses all things

- Quaran (IV:126)

Wherever you turn, there is the face of God

- Quaran (II:115)


Assuredly the creation
Of the Heavens
And the Earth
Is greater
Than the creation of humankind;
Yet most people understand not

- Quaran (XL:57)

Nontheistic

Taoism

• The Universe
  • A self-generating organic whole in a continuos process of becoming
  • All phenomena are interdependent and part of the "Great Transformation" (ta-hua).
  • Chi, the force behind and in all phenomena, encompassing Spirit and matter
    
• Human life
  • True happiness comes from studying and living according to the Tao, the natural processes of all phenomena
    
    

Buddhism

• Impermanence
  • All phenomena are in continuos flux, nothing is permanent
  • All phenomena continually die as what they were and is reborn as something else
  • All existence is fresh at every moment
    
• Interdependent arising of all phenomena
  • All phenomena interdependent and co-evolving
  • The Universe as a self-creating, self-maintaining, evolving organic whole
    
• Emptiness
  • No phenomena has a permanent self or can exist by themselves
  • All phenomena are empty of fixed characteristics and isolated existence
  • Ultimate reality is beyond all dualities, - of existence and non-existence, mind and matter, good and evil.
    
• Beyond duality
  • Directly experiencing the lack of independent existence of all phenomena...
    • Opens up for deep gratitude, compassion and a wish to relieve the suffering of all beings
    • Opens up for flexibility and actions more appropriate to the situation

To study the Buddha way is to study the self,
To study the self is to forget the self,
To forget the self is to be enlightened
by the ten thousand things

- Zen Master Dogen Zenji

Hinduism

• All phenomena interdependent and part of a unified whole
• The Universe (and the multitude of Gods), a manifestation of Brahman, ultimate reality
• The Earth as the universal mother, nurturing humanity

Native/Shamanic

The Spirit is in all phenomena.

All creatures are my relatives, even a tiny bug.

The spirit is everywhere. Sometimes it is shows itself through an animal, a bird, some trees and hills. Sometimes it speaks from the Badlands, a stone or even the water.

- Lame Deer, in Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions

Mysticism

There are mystical traditions within all the major spiritual traditions, all very similar to each other.

• All phenomena are part of and expressions of the Absolute
• Direct experience of...
  • The oneness of all phenomena
  • God/Absolute
• The Universe has experienced itself as one whole through mystics from all traditions

If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature -
even a caterpillar -
I would never have to prepare a sermon. So full of God
is every creature

- Meister Eckhart

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Part IV: Tools and Degrees
- Tools for a shift in perception

part IV sections: tools | degrees of realization

Tools

• Certain tools are developed within all spiritual traditions for facilitating...
  • An intellectual understanding of interconnectedness
  • An experience of oneness/communion with the Universe and the Absolute/God
  • To help people live more fully from this experience
    
    
• Main and common tools
  • Contemplation/studies
    • Examining the interconnectedness and interdependence of all phenomena
    • Examining the described experiences of mystics
      
  • Prayer/meditative practice
  • Complementary practices for opening up for an experience of the Absolute
    • Meditation - dissolving the illusion of separation and thus opening up for an experience of oneness with all
    • Prayer - actively connecting with the larger whole and thus dissolving the illusion of separation
      
  • Guidelines for living
    • Ethical behavior, living as if one already had the experience of the Absolute, of being intimately connected with the Universe
      
      
• Examples of specific tools
  • Buddhism
    • The eightfold path (ethical living, studies, meditation, etc.).
      
  • Taoism
    • Living according to Tao, yoga (Tai Chi, Chi Gong)
      
  • Judaism, Christianity, Islam
    • Ethical living, studies, prayer (in words and wordless)
      
  • Native/Shamanic traditions
    • Rituals, visions etc.
      
  • Transpersonal psychology

    • All and any of the above, as appropriate for ones specific inner and outer situation.

Degrees of realization

• There are degrees of realization on each of the three levels mentioned above
  
• The saints and great teachers of all spiritual traditions are often examples of a deep realization on all of the three levels
  • Their experiences - although very similar to each other - is often cloaked in the language of their culture, times and specific spiritual tradition
    
• There is no "absolute truth" that can be expressed - only an experience of/communion with the Absolute

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Part v: Transpersonal Psychology
- Studies of Spiritual Experiences

part V sections: main focus | studies of spiritual experiences

Main focus

• Transition from a dualistic to a trans-dualistc experience of the world
  • Examines the transition as described by mystics from all spiritual traditions and others
  • Looks for deep structures/common patterns
  • Maps the phases
  • Explores the tools for aiding the shift

Studies spiritual experiences and tools with scientific methodology

• Examines the experience of the Absolute
  • As described by mystics from all spiritual traditions
  • As experienced by people today
    
    
• Explores and systematizes the maps and tools of spiritual traditions
  • Maps of the mind
  • Tools for opening up for an experience of the Absolute
    
    
• Brings the mystical experience into the laboratory
  • Tests for detecting measurable effects of spiritual practice (changes in the brain, personality etc)
    
    
• Uses systems theories as an interface between science and spirituality
  • Holons
  • Interconnectedness and interdependence
  • Phase transitions - from dualistic to non-dualistic perception, and other changes
  • Attractor states - various states of mind
    

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Part VI: A Fragmented Worldview
- The Source of the Trouble

sections: the source of trouble | symptoms

The source of trouble

A fragmented world view is seen by most ecospiritual approaches as the main source of the existential and ecological troubles of contemporary civilization. This fragmented worldview can be healed through various practices and activities, ranging from meditation and prayer (helping us to open up for a more non-dual experience) to yoga, tai chi, and - maybe most importantly - engagement in the world.

Symptoms

A fragmented worldview can lead to some of the following experiences and consequences:

• Experience of...
  • Alienation from society and nature, disconnected from the larger whole
  • Meaninglessness
  • Ones own daily life and actions disconnected from the state of the larger whole
    
    
• Leads to...
  • One a personal level
    • Little concern (in daily actions) for the welfare of the larger whole
    • Feeling of hopelessness, powerlessness in making a change that will have a beneficial impact on the larger whole
    • Blind attractions, aversions and indifference
      • Attractions - consumerism, pursue of short lived mindless pleasures
      • Aversions - hostility, suspicion.
      • Indifference - for the state of the Earth, for the suffering of living beings
        
        
  • On a social level
    • Destruction of regional and global ecosystems
    • Social inequalities - enormous gap between rich and poor on a regional and global scale
    • Consumerism - the world as commodity
    • Drug use
      • To escape hopelessness, disconnectedness
      • To experience other - possibly less disconnected - states of mind

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Part VII: Statements
- For Challenge and Reflection

part VII sections: the absolute | the universe | the earth | humans | culture, science and technology | sensory and awareness organs | authentic life | continued evolution

The Absolute

• All phenomena are born from, sustained by and merges back into the Absolute
• Beyond all dualities of existence and nonexistence, mind and matter, life and nonlife, etc.
  

The Universe

• As one whole
• Beyond and embracing all dualities, all polarities, beyond perfection and imperfection.
• The Universe as a self-organizing system
• The Universe as mind, expressed in self-organization
• The Universe involved in a process of exploring itself, continuously unfolding its potentials in new ways
  

The Earth

• The Universe bringing itself to life through the Earth
• Earth as a living system
• The Earth, a local focal point for the self-awareness of the Universe
  

Humans

• The Universe has organized itself into awareness in humans
• We are the Universe becoming aware of itself
  

Culture, science and technology

• Culture as a way for the Universe to organize its exploration of itself
• Technology as a way to go beyond the biological limitations of humans as sensory organs
  

Sensory and awareness organs

• The Earth and humans as local sensory and awareness organs of the Universe
• The Universe bringing itself, its history, complexity and processes into awareness through the Earth and humans
  

Authentic life

• Humans, actively and consciously take on the role of an awareness organ of the Earth and the Universe, bringing meaning and healing for ourselves and the Earth (and the Universe)
  

Continued evolution

• The Universe is in a process of continued evolution
• The Earth and humans as expressed now, belongs to only one phase of this evolution
• Future possibilities
  • Possibly in the area of awareness
    • Global mind? (Sri Aurobindo)
    • Omega Point? (Teilhard de Chardin)

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Part VIII: Sustainability
- EcoSpirituality and Sustainability

part VIII sections: context | guidelines for living | trust | motivation | intention and action

Context - not instructions

Ecospirituality motivates and gives a context for sustainability. It does not give instructions for which specific actions to take.

Guidelines for living

Main effects of ecospirituality:

• An experienced need for exploring ways of re-organizing our lives on a personal and social level that is more coherent with the ecospiritual view and experiences
  • Inspires people to explore ways of living that will minimize the harm for the larger whole
  • Organize society in a way that will be beneficial to, or at least not harmful, to the Earth as a whole
    
    
• Focus on quality of life as primary. The quantity of material resources seen as secondary (are there to provide a basis for quality of life)
  • Ecovillages, renewable energy, organic farming, holistic approach to health and education, reducing consumption, reorganizing our economical system in a way that is sustainable and reduces the gap between rich and poor etc.
    

Trust

Trust in the self-healing powers of the Earth

• The Earth is a self-organizing and self-healing system
• Our role is mostly to "get out of the way" - allowing these self-healing dynamics to function optimally

Motivation

The following can be some of the motivations for engaging in this effort:

• Experience of converging interests
  • One's self-interest and the interest of the larger whole converge and are ultimately one and the same
  • The health of the Earth as a whole is interdependent with the health of its subsystems (including each of us)
    
    
• Sense of...
  • Interconnectedness and interdependence
    • The well-being of the Earth as a whole - global, regional and local eco- and social systems - are ultimately connected
      
  • Gratitude
    • For being part of a rich and beautiful whole
    • For being born from and sustained by the whole Universe and Earth
      
  • Compassion for and protection of all forms of life - from the largest to the smallest systems (Gaia, forests, earthworms)
    • We all seek to live and to avoid suffering
    • We are all born from and part of the same whole
    • We are not separate from each other's suffering
      
  • Despair over the destruction of the Earth
    • Experienced more openly and deeply
    • Seek to channel into actions that will alleviate suffering and be of benefit to the larger whole
      
  
  

From intention to action

EcoSpirituality is experiential...

• A lived whole body-mind experience
• Includes, but goes beyond an intellectual understanding
• Can be opened up for, sustained and deepened through tools and techniques...
  • From spiritual traditions
  • And developed today
    • Ex. Council of All Beings

The essence of EcoSpirituality is experiential, including but beyond an intellectual understanding. It is potentially a whole body-mind experience, which makes it not only flow more easily into action, but makes it almost impossible for it not to flow into action. If we see Earth as one whole, we have to live fully according to that realization to be authentic. We have no choice but to let it seep into every action in our everyday life.

Heaven is my father and Earth is my mother and even such a small creature as I finds an intimate place in its midst. That which extends throughout the universe, I regard as my body and that which directs the universe, I regard as my nature. All people are my brothers and sisters and all things are my companions.

- The Western Inscription, Chang Tsai, 11th century, China.
Inscribed by the administrative official Chang Tsai on the western wall of his office

EcoPsychology, EcoSpirituality, Deep Ecology and Health

[a letter from 1997, translated into english]

Summary

Ecospirituality, a spiritual view on our relationship with the Universe and Earth, is connected with approaches such as systems theories, deep ecology and ecopsychology.

Health - for individuals, society and the Earth as a whole - is here seen as dependent on maintaining and become aware of the myriad of connections between oneself, the larger wholes we are a part of, and the parts in our minds and bodies.


Definitions

Ecospirituality is a spiritual perspective on our relationship to the Earth and the Universe as a whole.

Spirituality has an experience and an action aspect. The experience aspect refers to a numinous experience of the Earth and the Universe. This can occur through something as simple and everyday as an experience of awe for the richness, beauty and complexity of the Earth - expressed through cloud formations, a flower or an evening by the ocean, or for the immensity of the Universe expressed through a clear night sky. The action aspect refers to bringing this experience into life, to let it unfold through daily life and daily life actions.

Ecopsychology is related to and complements deep ecology. Both fields study how human health and well-being is intimately connected with the health and well-being of the Earth as a whole. Ecopsychology focuses on how the individual can experience a deep healing and sense of meaning through intimately experience itself as a part of the Earth and live from this experience. Deep ecology sees the same as a prerequisite for healing of the Earth: Only when we bring the myriad connections between ourselves and the Earth into our awareness will we open for spontaneously and effortlessly (but not without intention) living in a way more beneficial for the Earth.


Cosmology

An important aspect of Ecospirituality is to study how modern cosmology and science can place the history of the Earth and one's own life into a deeply meaningful context. This is connected with especially the following aspects of modern cosmology: The astonishing history of the Universe, which includes the history of this solar system, the Earth, the history of humanity and the history of every living being. That all phenomenon - all aspects of the Universe - is a part of one seamless system. And - more generally - that the Universe expresses itself through both what individual beings experience as "outer" (a mountain, the stars, another individual) and "inner" (experiences, thoughts, happiness, frustrations).

The Universe has, through billions of years, unfolded its potentials in always new, more complex and always astonishing new ways. The Universe has reorganized itself from non-existence to existence, from energy to simple particles, from galaxies to solar systems and stars, from simple to more complex particles, from matter to life, from life to consciousness, and from consciousness to culture and science. Everything are parts of one whole. Galaxies, experiences, a fugue of Bach, the suffering of a child in Iraq, a city, are all a part of and an expression of this universe.

We are the Universe becoming aware of itself. We - and the living Earth - are the local sensory and awareness organs of the Universe. As we experience the world through our senses, the Universe experiences and explores itself through us.

Again, there is no separation between what humans experience as "inner" (experiences, thoughts, emotions) and "outer" (the milky way, the night sky, a mountain, a city). Everything is born from and is a part of the unfolded potentials of the Universe. Humans are the local sensory and awareness organ of the Universe, and culture, religion and science are the ways the Universe organizes its exploration of itself. Through technology, the Universe goes beyond its biological limitations and can peer deeper into itself, explore itself in a way that goes far beyond what was possible through only the biological senses.

[…]


Systems Theories

Another important inspiration for this perspective is systems theories. Through systems theories, we can explore the dynamic processes found in every type of system - from the large to the small: The Universe as a whole, galaxies, solar systems, the Earth as a whole, society, ecosystems, families, individuals, body, mind, organs, experiences, cells, particles and energy. All these systems are embedded in one single larger system, and all phenomena are in a very concrete and direct way mutually dependent.

A central term in systems theories is holons and holarchies. Any phenomenon - a blade of grass, an ecosystem, a family, an organ - is a holon. All holons are embedded in larger holons, and consist of smaller holons. All holons are part of a holarchy, a system of larger and smaller holons. An organ is part of the human body, the individual is part of society and the Earth, the Earth is part of the galaxy and the Universe as a whole. The organ also contains smaller units, as blood vessels, tissue, cells, DNA, molecules, atoms and sub-atomic particles. All these are considered holons in a holarchy.

From a systems view, any holon is embedded in the processes and patterns of the larger holons it is a part of. At the same time, it is a partly autonomous and self-regulation whole. There is thus a polarity, with integration or unity as the one pole, and differentiation or autonomy as the other. These are complimentary and mutually dependent tendencies within one polarity.

Self-organization is another important phenomenon explored through systems theories. Self-organization is a characteristic of all systems, from the Universe as a whole down to molecules and atoms. All systems are self-organizing and are embedded in the processes of the larger systems and incorporate the processes of smaller systems through their own self-organization. Self-organization occurs both in living and non-living systems, is dynamic and can be seen through processes unfolding over time.


Living Systems

In living systems (and some non-living), self-organization is expressed through self-maintenance, self-renewal, self-transcendence, and self-healing. The specific form these take is dependent on the evolution of the system itself and the larger systems.

Self-maintenance is expressed in for instance homeostasis - the tendency to maintain specific internal conditions that helps the system to function optimally. For instance, both the Earth and a cat "know" how to maintain a relatively stable internal temperature and chemical balance in spite of changing external conditions (the sun has increased its temperature 30% since the Earth became alive, but the Earth's temperature has only changed a few degrees).

Self-renewal is expressed in the Earth as a whole, where the living parts are changed through the birth and death of individual living organisms. The same occurs in an individual where cells in most organs and tissue are exchanged daily.

Self-transcendence is expressed through development and evolution. Systems develop new patterns and ways of organizing which simultaneously are different than and incorporates earlier ways of organization. The process usually goes from simple to complex and means both increased differentiation and integration. A human being develops from one cell, to two, to four, and organizes itself into organs, limbs, awareness. The Universe has evolved (or unfolded) itself from energy, through simple particles, to galaxies, solar systems, a living planet, symphonies, Michelangelo's statue of David, a child in wonder of the immensity of the Universe. In this way, the Universe as a whole expresses a development similar to its sub-systems.

Self-healing is also expressed in living systems, from the largest to the smallest. Living systems knows how to restore balance after a perturbation, as long as the required conditions are present. I will return to this later.


Some Consequences of a Systems View

Systems theories focus on both the whole and parts, macrocosm and microcosm, life and non-life, culture and nature, matter and mind. It focuses on the polarities as well as the poles.

Let's take a look at one of these polarities: the one embracing wholes and parts. A consequence of a systems view is that each phenomenon must be understood both through its parts and through its role in a larger whole. Both poles must be explored. We cannot explore and understand a leaf without exploring its structure and parts, and also explore the tree as a whole and the ecosystem the tree is a part of. A consequence of this, as implied above, is that humanity as well as human individuals must be understood from its role as part of the Earth and the Universe as a whole.


Integration of Views

A consequence of this is use and integration of insights, models and techniques from a wide range of different scientific traditions and also spiritual traditions - as long as they are mutually consistent. Cosmology, physics, chemistry, biology, history, sociology, psychology, religion - all these are necessary to understand the evolution of this Universe - and also the evolution of Earth and humanity as part of the patterns and processes of the Universe.


Mutual Dependence

As we see, a consequence of a systems view is an understanding of mutual dependence. All systems are embedded in a larger system, and - although each system is partly autonomous, there is no absolute separation among these sub-systems. The structures and processes of each system is dependent on the structures and processes of the larger systems they are embedded in, each sub-system in this larger system, and its own sub-systems.

The Universe as a whole could not exists as it does without all its galaxies, solar systems, stars, supernovas, black holes and planets. In the same way is any part of the Universe dependent on the evolution and processes of the Universe as a whole. Everything is mutually dependent and tied in a million ways.


Co-Evolution

If we apply this view on the evolution of the Universe as a whole and the Earth as a whole, we - again - see that wholes and parts evolve in mutual dependence. The processes of the Earth as a whole evolve in partnership with the evolution of all its sub-systems. In human beings today is embedded the history of the Earth as a whole - reflecting the conditions human ancestors and humans evolved in. Whole and part unfold in mutual dependence and influence.


A Closer Look at Mutual Dependence

Let's take a closer look at mutual dependence. Mutual dependence among all phenomena, all systems and sub-systems, reach out in time and space. All aspects of this Universe are dependent - for their own existence - on the history and evolution of the Universe and on the Universe as a whole and its structures and processes.

Let's take the Earth and its sub-systems as an example:

The Earth is a product of the evolution of the Universe, created from star matter, warmed by the sun, nourished by comets, dependent on the processes between super groups of galaxies, and processes within the milky way galaxy and this solar system. In the same way, each part of the Earth is dependent on the history of the Earth and also on the structures and processes of the Earth as a whole. An earthworm's existence is dependent on the conditions on the Earth billions of years ago, which allowed the formation of the first one-celled organisms, of the first collectives of one-celled organisms which functions as a whole, on all the astonishing changes which all its ancestors have gone through, on ecosystems which has supported all its ancestors, on ecosystems which support the millions of organisms which make up the soil it lives in, on the Earth as a whole today which produce the air it is dependent on to exist. It is also dependent on all its own sub-systems, its digestion and movement systems, its organs and cells, and all the complex molecules which make up these - in turn formed in stars billions of years ago, from elementary particles and energy patterns formed in the early history of the Universe.

In each systems is reflected the history of the Universe, as well its the structures and processes as they are expressed today.

Health

From this insight into mutual dependence, we see that the health of each living system is dependent on the larger system, the sub-systems of this larger system, and its own sub-systems. If the larger systems do not function optimally, the sub-systems cannot function optimally. If a sub-system does not function optimally, the larger systems cannot function optimally.

Health, then, is dependent on the maintenance of a myriad of relationships between oneself, the larger systems, and one's sub-systems. Simplified, we can say that living systems function more stably and optimally the more and stronger connections it maintains both up and down in the holarchy.


A Systems View on Humans

Autonomy and Unity

I mentioned above that each holon is both a whole and part. It is integrated and one with a larger whole. At the same time, it is a partly autonomous whole in itself. This dual role is dynamically expressed in every system.

For humans, this process is unfolded on the conscious level. We begin our lives with a biological and unaware integration into a larger whole, as well as an unaware differentiation and autonomy. During our lives, this polarity is actively explored and brought into awareness.

We explore this process through, among other things, exploring what is "self" and "not self", how we are integrated in a family and society, and how to balance ones own needs with that of others. Our lives are, for a large part, a dynamic, continuous and active exploration and deepening of both poles of this polarity.

Ultimately, these two poles - an healthy autonomy and an experience of being embedded in and one with the larger whole - mutually dependent. One cannot unfold without the other. An healthy and strong personality is necessary for us to realize that we do not exist as an independent and isolated unit, and an experience of being part of a larger whole is necessary for unfolding an healthy and strong personality.

In this text, I'll focus on the unfolding of an experience of being part of a larger whole as this is in the blind spot for humans in contemporary western/global culture.


Health

From systems theories, we know that illness and problems within each system mainly arises when connections between larger and smaller systems is severed or weakened. When this connection is restored and maintained, the self-healing processes in every living system can again unfold. Any living being is dependent on a myriad of connections to a well functioning larger system (social and ecological) as well as to its sub-systems (as organs and cells) to itself function well. The more of these connections broken, the more difficult it is for a living being to maintain its function.

For us humans, this is expressed on both a biological and psychological level. We are - as any other being - dependent on maintaining a rich and well-functioning relationship with a larger ecosystem and our own biological sub-systems. We are also - as some other living beings - dependent on a rich and well-functioning relationship on an experiential level to a larger social and ecological whole and our inner world. I will later describe this more in detail.


EcoPsychology and Deep Ecology

EcoPsychology

This is all related to a field within psychology called ecopsychology. Within ecopsychology, human health and well-being is seen as dependent upon a direct and naked experience of intimately belong to and being part of the Earth and Universe as a whole. We are a part of the Earth and Universe, and our role is to deeply experience and live from that view. If this is overlooked, it opens for an experience of emptiness, meaninglessness, frustration and hopelessness. If we live up to this role, it opens for an experience of deep meaning and of belonging to and being at home in the Universe. To live an authentic life is to live from an insight and experience of being an organic part of a larger whole.

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Since we literally are one with the Earth - there are no absolute separation between any parts of the Earth - a psychotherapy that only focuses on the individual and the history of the individual, have a limited effect and use.

The old worldview was mechanistic and reductionistic, and influenced also the early forms of psychotherapy. We focused on the parts of the individual - thoughts, emotions, complexes etc. and overlooked the larger whole the individual was embedded in - sometimes with the exception of the smallest social unit, the family. The larger whole - society, the Earth as a whole and the Universe - was overlooked. Exceptions to this include Jung and some existentialistic and humanistic approaches that focused on both poles in the polarity: both the parts and the larger spiritual/existential view.

Deep Ecology

Deep ecology is closely tied to ecopsychology. Both see health as dependent on a conscious experience of these myriads of connections. Ecopsychology focus on the health of the individual, and deep ecology on the health of the Earth. An important principle in deep ecology is that a life lived to the benefit of the larger whole cannot come through a purely intellectual understanding, laws, regulations or ethical guidelines, but can only come - and come spontaneously and effortlessly - through a direct and naked experience of the Earth as one seamless whole. That there is only one body.

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Myriad Connections

I mentioned that a myriad of connections with larger and smaller wholes is necessary for the health and well-being for an individual. On a physical and biological level, it is necessary for our existence and health. On an experiential and existential/spiritual level, it is necessary for our well-being, our optimal functioning and for unfolding of the potentials in every individual. These connections are - as mentioned - on a biological/physical level and an experiential/existential level, and directed outward and inward.

Let's take a closer look at these connections.

Biological/Physical and Outward

We are dependent on information, matter and certain conditions from our surroundings to survive. We are dependent on sensing our surrounding, right temperature and chemical conditions, air, food, water. And all these are in turn dependent on a local and global social and ecological system, in turn dependent on the Universe as a whole: its history and processes.


Biological/Physical and Inward

We are similarly dependent on all our biological and physical subsystems. On a collective of organs and cells functioning as a whole, and on the conditions of each part of this immensely complex system. We are here as a result of billions of years development of the Universe and Earth, and as a direct descendant of numerous generations of beings going back millions of years in time and including the first one celled organisms, the first collectives, amphibians, land creatures, mammals and the first humanoids. In our cells is embedded the history of the Universe, the Earth and millions of beings from one celled organisms to humans.


As mentioned earlier - there is no absolute separation among any phenomena or systems, everything is part of one whole, one seamless system. I ourselves is embedded the history of the Universe. Our existence is dependent on the Universe as a whole.

Let's take a look at the experiential or existential level. It is clear that a certain sensing of both the inner and outer whole is necessary for our survival. It may be less obvious that our own health and well-being, and the future of humanity and the Earth, is intimately dependent on our experience of the inner and outer whole. How can that be the case?


Experiences and Health

Bringing these myriads of connections into awareness is a continuous process, and may have several consequences: On the individual level, it opens for an experience of deep meaning and connection. We are at home in the Universe, in all its forms. We are intimate with ecosystems, the social system, our mind and ourselves as biological organisms. All phenomena are met - not with fear or as something "other" - but with curiosity and as an old friend, as something part of the same as oneself. This regards all phenomena, whether they are experienced as comfortable or not. There is also a recognition - in an intimate way - of one's own health and condition being mutually dependent on the health and condition of the larger whole and all its parts, including one's own. This opens up for a concern for the larger whole, and an awareness of the long term and far reaching consequences of one's own actions for the larger whole. One's concern for self and the for the larger whole are aligned. We go beyond the artificial division between "altruism and "egotism".

When these connections are not experienced directly, when there is a break on the experiential level of these connections, then it opens for an experience of meaninglessness, hopelessness, isolation and apathy. Of not belonging to the universe, ecosystem, society, mind and/or body. For the individual, this will often lead to weakened health - which in turn will express itself through body and mind. This experience of isolation can further lead to a weakened health for the larger social and ecological whole. Socially, it can be expressed through indifference to other's suffering, or lack of meaningful interactions and relations with others. Ecologically, it can be expressed through indifference to the long term and far reaching consequences of one's actions for the local and global ecosystem. We have an illusion of separation, and thus of being isolated from the condition of the larger whole and the consequences of ones actions [for this larger whole].

A lack of conscious and intimate experience of the myriad connections between oneself and the larger whole, and oneself and one's subsystems, opens for a weakened health on all levels - from subsystems, to the individual as a whole, and to the society and earth as a whole. A conscious experience and awareness of all these connections similarly opens for a more optimal functioning on all these levels.


Examples - Experience and Health

A more intimate relationship to oneself as a biological being (through for example dance, yoga, tai chi, Feldenkrais) leads to an experience of deep well being, a more conscious relationship to ones biological potentials and limitations (in for instance movement and capacity), to tasting and choosing food with the whole body and not just the tongue, and to a deep experience of not only "being at home in the body" but being body. All this can lead to increased physical health and well being.

A more intimate relationship to oneself as an experiencing being leads to a more wise and healthy relationship to the patterns and movements of the mind. We can open for experiencing and accepting all the qualities of the mind - as natural phenomena, as expressions of the local processes of the universe - just as the clouds moving through the sky, water streaming through a creek, a hurricane which tears up trees and buildings, rain that gives nourishment and freshens the air. A more intimate and conscious relationship with the processes of the mind also opens for a more healthy and wise interaction with other humans.

A more intimate relationship to the local and global ecosystems leads to awareness of the long term and far reaching consequences on these of one's daily activities. We are driven by a spontaneous need to organize and live our life in a way that is not harmful to the larger ecological whole.

A more intimate relationship with the local and global social systems opens for a spontaneous care for all beings, for a whish to contribute to their well being and health in a way that respects their integrity.

All this comes from an intimate experience of that the function and health of all these aspects - oneself as body and mind and the largerglobal ecological and social systems - are directly and mutually dependent. There is only one system - only one body: the Earth as a whole.

To live an authentic life we must live from a realization that everything really is intimately connection and mutually dependent. This includes social engagement, a lived ecological awareness in daily life, an awareness of oneself as body, and an explorations of the mind and its processes.

Tools

To open for an intimate experience of being an integrated part of society, Earth and the Universe opens for a deeper healing than what can occur when we mainly focus on the individual and its personal story. This is the insight expressed in many Asian philosophies and Western traditions, such as humanistic, Jungian and transpersonal psychology. This is supported by the experiences of thousands and possibly millions of people through the history of humanity, and is the basis of healing rituals in many cultures. Powerful and effective tools and methods have been developed in the traditions mentioned above - and many other - to help us as individuals and society to regain and maintain these connections to the larger and smaller whole. Here are some examples:

To allow for a more intimate experience of the myriad connections to ourselves as a biological being, there is: Yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, Feldenkrais, walking meditation, and awareness of the senses and of ourselves as a biological being through our everyday activities.

To find intimacy with ourselves as an experiencing being, there is: Meditation, yoga, Jungian therapy, process oriented psychology (Arnold Mindell), and to a certain extent western psychotherapy - although conventional psychotherapy has a tendency to view the processes of the mind from a quite limited perspective.

To experience ourselves as a whole - including and beyond body and mind, we have all of the approaches above. Through finding intimacy with ourselves as body, mind and a whole, we also open for finding intimacy with the larger whole we are a part of - and for seeing that we and the larger systems are one whole.

To experience the myriad of connections with the local and global social system, we find: Sociology, social psychology, political science, contemplation of mutual dependency, and maybe most importantly - social engagement.

To experience the myriad of connections with the local and global ecological system, we have: Ecology, eco-spirituality, deep ecology, contemplation of mutual dependency, and ecological engagement.

To work in an intimate way with realizing that there are no absolute separation between oneself and the larger whole, we have prayer and meditation. Prayer, which is an active opening up for a connection with the larger whole, a transcendence of the separation between oneself and the larger whole. And meditation, which through an exploration of the processes of the mind leads to a realization of not existing as a separate part, but as a aspect of a larger whole - and also here to a transcendence of the separation between oneself and the larger whole.

Ending Thoughts

Our self-interest is aligned with the interest of the Earth as a whole, going beyond the artificial separation of altruism and egotism.

To live an authentic life means to live up to our role as an awareness-organ for the universe. To explore and bring into awareness the universe in all its myriad of manifestations - in a creative and playful way.

We are - literally - one with this planet, and our health and well-being is intimately connected with the condition of the earth and all its aspects. Working to improve health means to work to improve health at all levels, including individual, social and the planet as a whole. This opens for a deepening experience of belonging to and being an active participant in the unfolding and evolution of this wonderful and rich planet. It also opens for a deepening experience of meaning, which is an important part of any deeper healing for us as individuals and society, and which can play an important role in the healing of this planet as a whole.

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