Transcript Eco Spirituality PowerPoint

Eco spirituality
Yvonne Aburrow
Eco-spirituality: what is it?
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relating to your environment
a non-violent spirituality and spiritual
activism
deep ecology - not human-centric
sustainability
working with Nature
Nonviolent
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respect for life in all its manifestations, human, nonhuman, animal, vegetable and mineral
harmonious use of natural resources, with respect for
the natural order and cycles of the environment, and
development compatible with the ecosystem
listening to Nature, not dictating to it
Sustainability
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Caring for people
and the environment
Social and environmental
justice are linked
Deep
ecology
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Other species' right to exist is independent of
their value to human needs
The diversity of eco-systems is important
A deep ecological approach is needed for
sustainability
Eco-feminism
The idea that the
exploitation of the
Earth is
symbolically linked
to the domination
of women - talk of
conquest,
dominion etc. And
respect for the
Earth = respect for
women.
Working with Nature
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Bioregions
"Small is beautiful"
Think global, act local
Recycling
Carbon footprint
Nature spirituality
Conversations with spirit of place
Process theology
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becoming
unfolding
emergent
experiential
Unfolding Spacetime by suhurmash
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AN Whitehead
Charles Hartshorne
Gaia theology & Gaia theory
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Teilhard de Chardin
Oberon Zell
James Lovelock
Gaia, Rhea
activity 1: bioregion quiz
Please form groups of three and discuss these...
1) Point north.
2) What time is sunset today?
3) Trace the water you drink from rainfall to your tap.
4) When you flush, where do the solids go? What happens
to the waste water?
5) How many feet above sea level are you?
6) What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to
bloom here?
7) How far do you have to travel before you reach a
different watershed? Can you draw the boundaries of
yours?
bioregion quiz
8 ) Is the soil under your feet, more clay, sand, rock or silt?
9) Before your tribe lived here, what did the previous
inhabitants eat and how did they sustain themselves?
10) Name five native edible plants in your neighborhood
and the season(s) they are available.
11) From what direction do storms generally come?
12) Where does your garbage go?
13) How many people live in your watershed?
14) Who uses the paper/plastic you recycle from your
neighborhood?
15) Point to where the sun sets on the equinox. How about
sunrise on the summer solstice?
bioregion quiz
16) Where is the nearest earthquake fault? When did it last
move?
17) Right here, how deep do you have to drill before you
reach water?
18) Which (if any) geological features in your watershed
are, or were, especially respected by your community, or
considered sacred, now or in the past?
19) How many days is the growing season here (from frost
to frost)?
20) Name five birds that live here. Which are migratory and
which stay put?
21) What was the total rainfall here last year?
22) Where does the pollution in your air come from?
bioregion quiz
23) If you live near the ocean, when is high tide today?
24) What geological processes or events shaped the land?
25) Name three wild species that were not found here 500
years ago. Name one exotic species that has appeared in
the last 5 years.
26) What minerals are found in the ground here?
27) Where does your electric power come from and how is
it generated?
28) After the rain runs off your roof, where does it go?
29) Where is the nearest wilderness? When was the last
time a fire burned through it?
30) How many days till the moon is full?
http://connectedbynature.com/2010/01/happy-2010-where-you-at-abioregional-quiz/
Carbon footprint
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What is your personal
ecological impact?
How many Earths are
needed to sustain your
lifestyle?
Ethical and ecological audit
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Household
Personal
Food and drink
Transport
http://is.gd/eeaPagan
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Fair Trade
Sustainability
Recycling
Pollution
Spirit of place
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Sense of presence / immanence / immediacy
/ personality at a particular locale
This does not have to be a "traditional"
sacred space - could be your favourite place
in the landscape
Build a relationship with your special places
- commune with them, make art, write
poetry, do ritual there (ask the place first)
activity 2:
visualise your special place
• take a moment to think of
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your place
what do you love about it?
how does it smell, feel,
sound, look?
what emotions does it
evoke?
write down 5 words to
describe it
Tree of Life by Christy Freeman
The sit spot
Find a place outdoors and sit there everyday for at least 15
minutes.
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patterns in nature become apparent
"deepening sense of place" (Barry Patterson)
"subtle embodied communion with one chosen place
can pattern a sacred relationship to the world" (Adrian
Harris)
Wildness
Instinct
Intuition
Connection
Intimacy
Freedom
Solitude
Nature
The seasons
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celebrate seasonal festivals
keep a nature diary
grow plants outside
eat local seasonal fruit
and vegetables (better
for the environment)
Sacred landscape
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visit places, walk mindfully
find out about geology, history, wildlife,
place-names in your area
draw a map or mandala of your local land
forms (hills, rivers, woods, marshes, lakes)
activity 3: sacred geography
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sketch a mandala or map
of your local area
what elements (Earth,
Air, Fire, Water) would
you associate with special
places?
are there any sacred
springs, stone circles,
sacred groves, chalk
figures, etc in your area?
local flora and fauna?
Wildflowers landscape mandala,
Lindy Longhurst
Further reading
Barry Patterson, The Art of Conversation with the Genius Loci
Gordon Maclellan,
Talking to the Earth
Clarissa Pinkola Estés,
Women who run
with the wolves