Seeing Differently

Book review on

Greenspirit - Path to a New Consciousness

by Edited by Marian Van Eyk McCain (2010)

Reviewed by David Lorimer, 2010 published in Network Review No 103

'The Miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.' This quotation from Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that our very existence is miraculous but we do not often realise this because we get stuck in our normal perception of reality. And it is this perception, on a large scale, that constitutes an element of our worldview. Philip Sherrard reminds us that our image of the human and of the world correspond: if we see the world in a dehumanised, mechanistic fashion, then we will understand ourselves in a similar way and behave accordingly. The need for a new worldview is a refrain of this Review, of the Network as a whole and of our New Renaissance volume in particular. This book contains multiple perspectives on green spirituality as a key to 21st century consciousness and is appropriately introduced by Satish Kumar, whose meditation and prayer is walking in Nature, drawing lessons of transformation and deep connectedness to the sacred through Nature.

The editor shares this understanding, recounting her own first experience of skiving from church and spending Sunday morning sitting under a tree; being of the Earth rather than just on it. GreenSpirit is a network of individuals who believe that human life has both an ecological and a spiritual dimension, with a vision bringing together 'the rigour of science, the creativity of artistic expression, the passion for social justice and the core wisdom of spiritual traditions.' It draws on a number of strands and thinkers representing Cosmology (Thomas Berry, Brian Swimme), Creation Spirituality (Matthew Fox), Deep Ecology (Arne Naess), Gaia Theory (James Lovelock, Lynn Margulis and Stephan Harding) and Ecopsychology (Theodore Roszak). The four parts cover understanding ourselves, spiritual pathways, greening our culture and walking our talk. Essays vary from a couple of pages to 20.

Brian Swimme reminds us that the universe is not just a place, but a development, a story, an unfolding process of which we are all a part. He adds, as a poignant reminder, that 'because you are aware of the limits of life, you are compelled to bring forth what is within you; this is the only time you have to show yourself. You can't hold back or hide in a cave....the drama of the Cosmic story won't allow it. The supreme insistence of life is that you enter the adventure of creating yourself.' This passage is quoted in the context of an explanation of Fox's four ways, the via positiva, via negativa, via creativa and via transformativa. The last is our imperative, embracing justice, compassion and wisdom and moving from tourist to pilgrim, observer to participant, consumer to partaker, from master to co-creator. The section on spiritual pathways includes Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Sufism and Paganism.

The third part on greening our culture addresses health, education, economics, the law and agriculture. Each is currently imbued with a mechanistic or utilitarian view that prioritises analysis over intuition and creativity, the left over the right hemisphere and neglects the importance of the body. As Matthew Fox states, echoing David Orr: 'if you have only educated the left side of your brain, you are a dangerous person.' David Korten writes about living economies and draws out lessons from life in terms of self-organisation, adaptation to place, permeable borders, sharing, diversity and creativity. I liked his phrase 'mindful markets' and his aspiration to create economies that nurtures life and restores money to its rightful place.

The final part on walking the talk gives more detail about GreenSpirit itself and its activities. There are meetings and retreats of various kinds, publications, pilgrimages and educational work. After reading comes living; and we are living through a major transition involving a degree of breakdown and/or breakthrough. The editor leaves us with some useful guidance received nearly 20 years ago from the Basque shaman and cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien. She discovered four archetypal patterns and paths:

  • The Way of the Warrior - show up, choose to be present
  • The Way of the Healer - pay attention to what has heart and meaning
  • The Way of the Visionary - tell the truth without blame or judgement
  • The Way of the Teacher - be open, rather than attached, to the outcome

Good advice in any event.

(order this book from amazon.co.uk)