Spiritual Ecology: towards living a life of
sacredness, non-judgementalism, harmony & selflessness
Freedom and love. Two essential forces that focus our lives. The lack of either imbalances our sense of well-being. Much of our development, personally and that of humankind's through history, is more keenly understood in the light of the development of these two forces in our personal lives (or lack thereof) and in society (or lack thereof). A philosophy that seeks to both encourage and balance individual freedoms and love, that supports equally the need for access (freedoms) and the compassion for others (no abuses of access), which in the end is a form of real love - is truly an advanced paradigm of personal, social, political and spiritual living. How do we get there? Would not war and famine stop if we truly lived a life of balancing access and excess? A life of respecting freedoms with a loving watch over the needs of all life?
Sounds lofty. How do we make such things our own, authentic concerns?
In searching for an authentic philosophy of my own, I have noted that this is no easy task. I have canvassed my mind and experience, examined and studied the philosophies of our time and previous ages. I have reflected on my own experiences and those of others in light of religion and history - and most of all made every effort to sense the truth - not my truth - but simply truth in life as best as I could. After all, we all assume on some level, that which is living is true. I have no claim at knowing this truth in life, but only to slowly, hopefully sensing it. Coming close to it. It has, I believe, to do with living values that are good for all life. I have, of course, often failed at living my own values completely. This, I have also learned, is what happens to most of us. Character builds in getting up again, after one has fallen down, and learn from our mistakes and try again to live in harmony with one's values. But, how does one arrive at "good" values to live, to aspire to? Appropriate values? Values one can actually, practically live?
Over
the years, many individuals have had a huge impact on my thinking and practice - from my parents to my teachers in practical farming and in academia, to those
I read and studied about from books, film and internet. Nature herself has taught
me more than I can recount. My own life as it unfolded taught me much as well. My children were perhaps the greatest personal influence of all. ... To synthesize and simplify, I
have brought together a few principles that are at the core of my own evolving philosophy –
both personal and professional.
As you can tell, I have been influenced most strongly by Rudolf Steiner, but also by such individuals as Arne Naess, Liberty Hyde Bailey, Luther Burbank, George Washington Carver, Henry Wallace, Rachel Carson, Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, Lili Kolisko, Rudolf Hauschka and Gerhard Schmidt - to name the more ecology, agriculture and nutrition folks. There are several others, such as those in the history of ecology and science generally, some mentioned already, but also in philosophy, especially Epicurus, Aristotle, Sibiuda, Lessing, Emerson, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and Albert Schweitzer. And from the East: Patanjali, Vivekanda, and Gandhi. Native Americans such as Chief Seattle and others quoted on my website, have left me very moved and deeply inspired.
My learning and observation is simply that the greatest problem facing our industrial, technological and corporate age is the mental separation between self (one can also say
spirit or spiritual ecology) and ecology (specifically the natural ecology). This separation leads to the excesses that the environmental movement has sought to remediate. In reality, the
spiritual and natural ecologies are one. The separation is purely in our mode
of thinking. A change of perspective in our mode of thinking about the spiritual and natural ecology can lead to a renewal of our relationship to nature and to our practices.
Some of my initial thoughts on both the natural and spiritual ecologies:
Four Principles of Natural Ecology
1. The wholeness (oneness, togetherness, interconnectedness) of all things and beings;
2. All things and beings are in a process of development;
3. All things and beings come from, seek to be in or seek to return into a system of integrity;
4. The search for harmonious, dynamic and integrated balance is the fundamental aspect of systems of integrity including the immune systems of all beings and ecological systems.
Four Principles of Spiritual Ecology
1. An ever-present awareness of the sacredness of all things and beings;
2. Non-Judgementalism towards all things and beings;
3. The search for real harmony within one's self and with all things and beings;
4. The ongoing effort towards an authentic, practical selflessness with all things and beings.
Some further thoughts on spiritual ecology...
Sacredness
Sacredness,
as a philosophy, leads to a life dedicated to peace, dignity and healing.
All
things, all creatures, all beings are in fact sacred, as they make up a part of
this miracle of life on Earth.
Being
mindful of sacredness requires no particular philosophy or religion, but is at
the same time compatible with all philosophies and religions. Indeed,
sacredness is compatible with science, if the scientist is mindful of the
real sacredness of all things. Mindfulness
of the sacred and of sacredness as an experience of life, even more than just as a philosophy - requires a new relation to one’s own body, soul and spirit – and to
that of every being, every part of the universe. It requires a new look, a new orientation.
Non-Judgementalism
Judging
others (and one’s self) is probably the single greatest hindrance to a
philosophy of sacredness. Finding the good in all things, in all beings, is not
a relinquishing of the curious or critical mind, but a foundation for seeing
the sacred present even in the middle of chaotic conditions. Sacredness is not
a state of perfection, but a state of value. Judgementalism is an unnecessary
devaluation of being. Exercising non-judgementalism offers peace of mind,
dignity for all and the basis for healing.
Non-judgementalism
leads to a deeper appreciation of the real conditions in our surrounding and to
a healthy evaluation. Non-judgementalism is the very precondition for accurate
evaluations and accurate evaluations are the basis of accurate diagnosis and successful therapies for all sorts of conditions in nature and in humans, even for human society.
Harmony
Life
is not always harmonious. This is basic human experience. It is also basic
experience that perfect harmony is hard to achieve, perhaps not even always
necessary. However, health and happiness, productivity and resilience all
depend to a high degree on harmony. Harmony is the balance of all things,
energies and consciousness. Studying, sensing, manifesting harmony is the
foundation of non-judgemenatlism and sacredness.
Selflessness
Selflessness
is the scent of the sacred. The more we achieve real selflessness - not
pretending to be holy, but letting go of all that is not necessary for honoring
the sacred, being non-judgemental and living in harmony - the more we also fulfill the process of
maturation and individualization. Indeed, this paradox – relinquishing the “personal” self in favor of the “individual” self – is at the very heart of a culture of peace,
dignity and healing. The personal self is the selfish part of us that is all (sometimes only) about our own needs and gain. The individual self is the part of us that has matured beyond the merely personal to a focus on serving others. One cannot serve, if one is not whole and healthy, but serving only the personal self is egotism and in the end leads to unhealthy, self-destructive and generally destructive behaviors. Overcoming the personal self and striving to be a fully conscious, free individual means, by definition a focus on service beyond our personal needs.
In terms of agriculture and
farming…
Finding
a personal relationship to a philosophy of sacredness, non-judgementalism,
harmony and selflessness – leads to a wish to serve the earth and all its
creatures, to serve our fellow humans. Agriculture and producing products is no longer only about us, no longer only about making a living or enjoying the fruits of the land, but it is about healing and helping, about serving a healthy future and creating conditions of ecological and spiritual wealth for generations to come.