(VII) Sacred Activism & Spiritual Ecology

The Study Programme Ecology and Sustainability will unveil the values and the relationship one is capable of having with the natural world. Drawing from philosophers, ecologists, eco-phycologists, anthropologists, storytellers, activists and poets we will reflect on how we perceive the environment today and how we can create environmental and social change.

Every week we will explore a new subject, you can join the full course or individual session, see complete schedule here. During the programme you will receive materials such as book chapters, articles, videos and online talks to support and enrich your investigation.

What does sustainability mean to you? Where does your connection with the Earth rest?

The sessions will be facilitated in a holistic and transformative learning format and will be recorded for your keeping. Subjects will be introduced by the facilitator with PPT support and discussed by the group through an inquiry method.

Is This For You

All are welcome to this study programme. We will have a small group to ensure participants get to know each other creating an intimate and safe space for conversation and learning. No background in ecology is required, simply the desire to deepen your thoughts around nature connection, ecological values and sustainability.

The programme aims to offer a space of reflection, learning and action stirring the critical thinking of participants. To guide us on this inquiry we will study and discuss different authors work such as Arne Naess, Joanna Macy, E. F. Schumacher, Stephan Harding, Aldo Leopold, Vandana Shiva, Murray Bookchin, Mathew Fox, Andrew Harvey, James Lovelock and more. You will be open to radical ecologists and thinkers while sharing your own perspective and rediscovering your own ecological values.

Session

The session explores the integration of spiritual values with practical action in activism and environmental work.  We will discuss the role of reverence for the earth into today’s ecological debate.To create a truly sustainable future should spirituality play a role? What would a future based on interconnectedness and honouring all life look like? How can activism and environmental action life generating instead of life burning? Join us to unravel new forms of seeing the world and being an activist.“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity—then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective.”

– David Suzuki