Earth and Spirituality

Earth and Spirituality

For many people, spirituality and ecology may be separate disciplines, spirituality being the realm of clergy and ecology the realm of scientists. But we are living in a time of both ecological and spiritual crisis, one in which we are loosing species at unprecedented rates and in which masses of people are desperately seeking some spiritual direction in life. It is possible that the only way to restore wholeness may be to rediscover the vital connection between the two crises: a spirituality centered in Creation.

Spirituality is a part of human existence which people have recognized as far back as we are able to discern, and yet it is a concept not easily defined in words. One way to define it may be to describe spirituality as the relationship between life and the spirit. The spirit is that part of ourselves which is at the core of our existence and of who we are as beings, that which extends beyond ourselves and gives life meaning beyond physical survival. Religion then is organized spirituality: the uplifting and nurturing of spirit by people uniting to go about the business of living. Throughout existence as we know it, religion has taken many forms, but as is the case with spirituality, it appears to be as ancient as human life itself.

History of Spirituality in connection with Earth

I will begin by discussing some of the history of spirituality as connected with Earth. So-called "primitive" religion, in what we are able to gather from cave drawings, fossils, and artifacts, centered around the interconnectedness of the human and non-human worlds, and also for many thousands of years, had a distinctly feminine or androgynous focus in its imagery. Integral to this spirituality were ritual a...

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