Rewilding the heart, rewilding the earth

I hadn't heard the term "rewilding" before listening to this episode. It's not hard to guess what it means!

We need to bring back the conditions for our natural environment to be "wild"; we need to stop raping the earth of the very spaces and resources it needs to thrive. It sounds so obvious - the earth is our home. There is nowhere else to move to. Yet somehow, gradually and collectively, we have become blind and careless. Over recent years I've heard myself saying more than once: "We're like frogs in water that is slowly getting to boiling point." You probably know that analogy. Apparently if a frog is dropped into a pan of boiling water it will frantically struggle to get out. But if it is placed in warm water on a low heat it will quite happily enjoy the warmth and sink into a tranquil slumber eventually allowing itself to be boiled to death. The analogy is much too close for comfort.

Fortunately there are many organisations and individuals who are sounding the alarm - and showing us how to take action. If you Google the word "rewilding" you will find, as I did, many links.

A challenging insight in this episode is that we won't succeed in rewilding the earth unless we also rewild our hearts. "You can't find nature sacred if there is no sense of the sacred within you." For some, "rewilding the heart" happens unexpectedly and even through trauma. Clare Dubois, in this episode recounts her experience. Here's an 8 minute clip of her story. I was particularly fascinated by Clare's story because several years ago I joined Tree Sisters. Through a monthly donation "my forest" now has 363 new trees. The total number of trees planted by Tree Sisters at the time of writing this is: 22,850,619! If you did listen to the YouTube clip you will know that Clare was/is a confirmed introvert who had no idea how to deal with her grief at the rape of the earth until the event described. Of course not everyone has to go through such a dramatic experience. Our call to action may be quiet and progressive. But one way or another we each have a part to play. And as two of the panel commented - we have to feel the pain of our planet before we truly show up and take action. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben is an inspiring read.

It's interesting that Covid is a disease of the lungs and trees are the lungs of the earth. A diagram of lungs shows that they even look like trees!

 "The whole fabric of creation is designed for peace, harmony and fullness of life," said one person. That echoes creation stories around the world and in many religions. For example: the creation story in Genesis 1. If you are interested in the mythology of trees in different cultures and religions this is an interesting site. Getting back to that "peace, harmony and fullness of life" is what this mutual rewilding of our hearts and our planet is about.

I've loved trees since I was a child. They seem so solid and rooted and dependable. They know how to weather storms and grow around obstacles. Their roots are strong enough to push up through concrete pathways. They stay put through the centuries often growing through cities now deserted and crumbling.

Take note of the last line: Our heritage is in our hands.

A final quote: "Trees are not insane.If you want to become sane go outside. Bow, listen, learn." 

Some links to those on this episode:

Catherine G Lucas: Founder of Co-creating Our Future, author and Birth the New Earth Host

Clare Dubois: founder of Tree Sisters

James Murray White: Filmmaker, Activist and Co-founder of XR Rewilding

Mick Collins: Occupational Therapist and Author of The Unselfish Spirit The Visionary Spirit and Birth the New Earth team member

Dark Night of the Globe

 

Calling our current environmental and pandemic crises a "dark night of the globe" may seem rather gloomy and daunting. However, this description holds a serious challenge and a wonderful hope.

Many of you will immediately think of the origin of the "dark night" language in the experience and writings of St John of the Cross (16th Century). John's experience included terrible external injustices and a deep personal spiritual crisis. It was a death/resurrection experience. Out of the trauma, the 'unknowing' and the surrender to what felt as if  his whole world was crumbling, John emerged into new life. He brought gifts of insight, poetry and writing we still draw on all these centuries later. It is significant that he is Saint John of the Cross. Yes. Jesus endured betrayal, abandonment and injustice culminating in a false trial and sentence. He entered the darkest night as he approached physical death on a cross. He begged to be delivered. He wished there was some other way, yet surrendered to going through with it: "Father, if it be possible take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42). That surrender to death was the doorway to resurrection.

The speakers in this summit conversation wanted to make clear that the global dark night terminology does not imply that "God caused this". Rather, it is the outcome of human behaviour, selfishness and greed. One panelist called the global dark night "savage grace" as it burns away our illusions and reveals the consequences of aligning with darkness. Darkness is often more 'thrilling' and intriguing. It provides a place to hide. (Sadly, it is also more newsworthy.) Light exposes and reveals the truth with nowhere to hide. Living in the light requires repeatedly dying to the ego and our illusions of separateness and control. 

But the dark night also invites us to recognise our creative capacity to co-operate in bringing about change. We have a part to play in Birthing the New Earth - that's what this summit is about.  As Quantam physics constantly reminds us: we live in a world of possibilities. Not just "nice ideas" but actual change brought about immediately by our attitudes, actions and choices.  (Remember the butterfly effect from the previous post.) 

One of my particular areas of interest is noticing how realities expressed in contemporary science are "hidden in plain sight" in spiritual texts. As a life-long Christian, of course I see this most clearly in the Bible.  Jesus puts "loving your neighbour as yourself" right up there with loving God (Mark 12:30-31). More and more I have come to see that loving my neighbour "as myself" doesn't just mean "as much as I love myself" although that's not a bad start! In a very real sense my neighbour actually is "myself".  What I do affects everyone else - directly or indirectly. The Buddhist image of Indra's net expresses this well. So does a spider web!

So our part in co-creating our future is to own our influence and express our creative potential. If we externalise the crisis as something happening to us we are pretending to be separate from it, denying any responsibility for contributing to change.  But each of us has potential to join in bringing about the light of a new era to follow this dark night.

This summit conversation was fiery and impassioned I felt quite breathless by the end of it! The urgency for "sacred activism" was evident. The facilitator, asked each person to ground it in a final practical word to those listening. The responses:

• What breaks your heart the most? Step up and do something about it - right now.
• What was I born for? I need to make every day a day I honour the truth.
• Words have power - watch how you speak. 
• The present moment is the portal for change.
• Don't get caught in pessimism - that is self perpetuating. In every moment there are infinite possibilities.

What strikes me in all of these responses is that they each bring the focus back to the present moment. It is easy to think it's all too big, too daunting, what could I possibly do that would change anything? There's the tempting escape route again! Both Jesus and quantam science say: "You can't get away with that. You are making a difference one way or another whether you are aware of it or not!" So even if we can't do "great things" let's make a habit of choosing to "do small things with great love" as Mother Teresa said not so long ago.

************************

Panelists in this conversation:

Catherine G Lucas: Founder of Co-creating Our Future; Author; Birth the New Earth Host.

Caroline Myss: Five time NYT best selling author and Internationally Renowned Speaker.

Andrew Harvey: Internationally acclaimed Writer, Poet, Translator and Mystical Teacher

Paul Levy: Author, Spiritual Emergence Pioneer and Birth the New Earth team member.