An essay from 1997 exploring the connections between ecopsychology, ecospirituality, deep ecology, and health. I am including this here mostly for archival reasons. It’s a shorter version of Outline of a Holistic Worldview – Ecospirituality, Sustainability, Ecopsychology & Deep Ecology from the same year.
Ecopsychology, Ecospirituality, Deep Ecology, and Health
Ecospirituality, a spiritual perspective on our relationship with the universe and the Earth, has many common features with, and is often connected to, fields such as systems theories, deep ecology, and ecopsychology.
Health — for the individual, society, and the Earth as a whole — is here seen as dependent on maintaining and becoming aware of the myriad connections between oneself, the larger wholes one is part of, and the sub-wholes within one’s mind and body.
Definitions
Ecospirituality is a spiritual perspective on our relationship with the Earth and the universe as a whole.
Spirituality has an experiential aspect and an action aspect. The experiential aspect refers to a numinous experience of the Earth and the universe. This can come through something as simple and everyday as an experience of awe and wonder at the Earth’s richness, beauty, and complexity — expressed through cloud formations, a flower, or an evening by the sea — or at the infinity of the universe, expressed through a clear night sky. The action aspect has to do with living from this experience, allowing it to permeate daily life and ordinary actions.
Ecopsychology is connected with, and complements, deep ecology. Both study how human health and well-being are intimately connected with the health and well-being of the Earth as a whole. Ecopsychology focuses on how the individual can experience deep healing and meaning through intimately experiencing themselves as part of this Earth — and living from this experience. Deep ecology sees the same as a precondition for the healing of the Earth: only by bringing into awareness the myriad connections between ourselves and the Earth as a whole can we open to spontaneously and effortlessly, though not without active effort, living in a way that is more beneficial for the Earth.
Cosmology
An important aspect of ecospirituality is studying how modern cosmology and science can place the history of the Earth and one’s own life into a deeply meaningful context. This is connected especially with the following aspects of modern cosmology: the astonishing history of the universe, which includes the history of this solar system, the Earth, human history, and the history of every being; the fact that all phenomena — all aspects of the universe — are part of one single system; and, more generally, that the universe expresses itself both through what individual creatures experience as “outer” — a mountain, the stars, another individual — and “inner” — experiences, thoughts, joys, and frustrations.
Over billions of years, the universe has unfolded its potentials in ever new, more complex, and always astonishing ways. The universe has reorganized itself from non-existence to existence, from energy to simple particles, from galaxies to solar systems and stars, from simple to more complex particles, from matter to life, from life to consciousness, and from consciousness to culture and science. All of this is part of one whole. Galaxies, experiences, a flower, a painting by Rembrandt, a fugue by Bach, the suffering of a child in Iraq, a city — all of this is part of, and an expression of, this universe.
We are the universe become conscious of itself. We — and the living Earth — are the local sensory and consciousness organ of the universe. As we experience the world through our senses, the universe experiences and explores itself through us.
Again, there is no division between what humans experience as “inner” — experiences, thoughts, emotions — and “outer” — the Milky Way, the starry sky, a mountain, a city. Everything is born of, and part of, the universe’s unfolded potentials. Human beings are the universe’s local sensory and consciousness organ, and culture, religion, and science are the universe’s way of organizing its exploration of itself. Through technology, the universe moves beyond biological limitations and can look deeper into itself, exploring itself in ways that go far beyond what was possible through biological senses alone.
“We — who are the universe’s local eyes and ears and thoughts and feelings — we have finally begun to explore our origin. We are star matter reflecting on the stars. We are organized collections of ten billion billion billion atoms, reflecting on the development of the universe, tracing the long journey that led to consciousness here on Earth and perhaps throughout the whole universe.”
— Carl Sagan
“The Earth, which once consisted of molten minerals, now sings opera.”
— Brian Swimme
Systems Theories
Another important inspiration for this perspective is systems theories. Through systems theories, we study the dynamic processes found in all types of systems, from the largest to the smallest: the universe as a whole, galaxies, solar systems, the Earth as a whole, societies, ecosystems, families, individuals, body, mind, organs, experiences, cells, particles, and energy. All of these systems are part of one single overarching system, and all phenomena are mutually dependent in a very direct and concrete way.
One of the central concepts in systems theories is holons and holarchies. Every phenomenon — grass, an ecosystem, a family, an organ — is a holon. All holons are part of larger holons and consist of smaller holons. All holons are part of a holarchy, a system of larger and smaller holons. An organ is part of a human body, the human body is part of an individual, the individual is part of a society and the Earth, and the Earth is part of a galaxy and the universe as a whole. The organ also contains smaller wholes, such as blood vessels, tissue, cells, DNA, molecules, atoms, and elementary particles. All of this is seen as holons within a holarchy.
From a systemic perspective, every holon participates in the processes and patterns of the larger holons it is part of. At the same time, it is a partially autonomous and self-regulating whole. There is therefore a polarity, with integration or unity as one pole, and differentiation or autonomy as the other. These are complementary and mutually dependent tendencies within one and the same polarity.
Self-organization is another important phenomenon studied in systems theories. Self-organization is a characteristic of all systems, from the universe as a whole down to molecules and atoms. All systems are self-organizing and participate both in the processes of larger systems and incorporate the processes of smaller systems through their self-organization. Self-organization appears in both non-living and living systems, and is dynamic, seen in processes as they unfold over time.
Living Systems
In living systems, and in some non-living ones, self-organization expresses itself through self-maintenance, self-renewal, self-transcendence, and self-healing. The specific forms these take are a result of the developmental history both of the system itself and of the larger systems.
Self-maintenance is found, for instance, in homeostasis — the tendency to maintain certain inner states that allow the system to function optimally. Both the Earth and a cat, for example, “know” how to maintain a relatively even inner temperature and chemical balance despite changing outer conditions. The sun has become 30 percent warmer since the Earth became alive, but the Earth’s temperature has changed by only a few degrees.
Self-renewal is found in the Earth as a whole, where its living parts are replaced through the birth and death of individual life forms. The same happens in an individual, where cells in most organs and tissues are replaced regularly.
Self-transcendence involves development and evolution. Systems develop new patterns and forms of organization that are at the same time different from, and include, earlier forms of organization. The process most often moves from simplicity toward complexity and involves both increased differentiation and integration. A human being develops from one cell, to two, to four, and organizes itself into organs, limbs, and consciousness. The universe has developed, or unfolded, from energy, through simple particles, to galaxies, solar systems, a living planet, symphonies, Michelangelo’s statue of David, and a child wondering at the enormity of the universe. In this way, the universe as a whole shows a development similar to that of its living subsystems.
Self-healing also appears in living systems, from the largest to the smallest. Living systems know how to restore balance after disturbances, as long as the conditions for this are present. I will say more about this later.
Some Consequences of a Systemic Perspective
Transduality
Systems theories, in their view of the universe as a whole as the largest system, focus on both whole and part, macrocosm and microcosm, non-life and life, culture and nature, matter and mind. They focus on the polarities as well as on the poles.
Let us look at one of these polarities: the one that embraces whole and part. One consequence of a systemic perspective is that every phenomenon must be understood both in terms of its parts and in terms of its role in a larger whole. Both poles must be explored. One cannot study and understand a leaf on a tree without studying its structure and parts, and also studying the tree as a whole and the entire ecosystem the tree is part of. One consequence of this, suggested above, is that humanity, as well as the individual, must be seen and understood in terms of its role and position as part of the Earth and the universe as a whole.
Integration of Different Perspectives
One consequence of this is the use and integration of insights, models, and techniques from many different scientific traditions, and also spiritual traditions — as long as they are mutually consistent. Cosmology, physics, chemistry, biology, history, social science, sociology, psychology, religion — all of these are necessary for understanding the development of this universe, and the Earth’s development and human history and psychology as part of the patterns and processes of the universe.
Mutual Dependence
As we see, one consequence of a systemic perspective is an understanding of mutual dependence. All systems are part of one overarching system, and — even though every system is partially autonomous — there are no absolute divisions between these subsystems. The structures and processes of every system depend on the structures and processes of the larger systems it is part of, all the subsystems within these larger systems, and its own subsystems.
The universe as a whole could not exist as it does without all its galaxies, solar systems, stars, supernovae, black holes, and planets. In the same way, every part of the universe depends on the developmental history and processes of the universe as a whole. Everything is mutually dependent and connected in a million ways.
Coevolution
If we apply this perspective to the evolution of the universe as a whole and the Earth as a whole, we see that wholes and parts develop — again — in mutual dependence. The processes of the Earth as a whole develop in interaction with the development of all its subsystems. In human beings today lies the history of the Earth as a whole — the conditions in which human ancestors developed — as well as the history of human ancestors in the narrower sense. Whole and part unfold in mutual dependence and influence.
A Closer Look at Mutual Dependence
Let us take a closer look at mutual dependence. Mutual dependence among all phenomena, all systems and subsystems, extends outward in both time and space. All aspects of this universe depend — for their own existence — both on the history and development of the universe and on the universe as a whole and its structures and processes.
Let us take the Earth and its subsystems as an example.
The Earth is a product of the developmental history of the universe, created from star matter, warmed by the sun, nourished by comets, dependent on the processes among superclusters of galaxies, within the Milky Way galaxy, and in this solar system. In the same way, every part of the Earth depends on the history of the Earth and also on the structures and processes of the Earth as a whole. The existence of an earthworm depends on conditions on Earth billions of years ago that allowed the formation of the first single-celled organisms, on the first collectives of single-celled organisms that functioned as one unit, on all the astonishing changes its ancestors have undergone, on the ecosystems that sustained all its ancestors, on the ecosystems that sustained the millions of different organisms that form the soil it lives in, and on the Earth as a whole today, which produces the air it depends on in order to live. It also depends on all its own subsystems, its digestive and movement systems, its organs and cells, and on all the complex molecules that make up these — formed in stars billions of years ago, from elementary particles the universe formed at the beginning of its existence, from energy patterns formed at the beginning of the universe.
In every system, the history of the universe and its structures and processes as they appear today are mirrored.
Health
From this insight into mutual dependence, it follows that the health of every living system depends on the condition of both the larger systems, the subsystems within these larger systems, and its own subsystems. If the larger systems do not function optimally, the subsystems cannot function optimally. If a subsystem does not function optimally, the larger systems cannot function optimally.
Health is therefore also dependent on maintaining a myriad of connections between oneself, the larger systems, and one’s subsystems. Put simply, the more and stronger connections a living system maintains both upward and downward in the holarchy, the more optimally and stably it functions.
A Systemic Perspective on the Human Being
Autonomy and Unity
I mentioned above that every holon is both part and whole. It is integrated in, and one with, a larger whole. At the same time, it is a partially autonomous whole in itself. This two-sided role is dynamically played out in every system.
For human beings, this process is also played out on a conscious level. We begin our lives with a purely biological and unconscious integration into a larger whole, and also with an unconscious differentiation and autonomy. During our lives, this polarity is actively explored and brought into awareness.
We explore this process, among other ways, by exploring what is “self” and “not-self,” how we are integrated into a family and into society, and how to balance our own needs and wishes with those of others. Our lives are, to a great extent, a dynamic, continuous, and active exploration and deepening of both poles in this polarity.
Ultimately, these two poles — a healthy autonomy and an experience of being part of and one with a larger whole — are mutually dependent. One cannot unfold without the other. A healthy and strong personality is necessary in order to see that it does not exist as an independent and isolated unit, and experiencing oneself as part of a larger whole is necessary in order to develop a healthy and strong personality.
In this text, I focus on developing an experience of being part of a larger whole, since this often lies in the “blind spot” for people in today’s Western/global culture.
Health
From systems theory, we know that illness and problems within any system arise primarily when the connection between larger and smaller systems has been broken or at least weakened. When this connection is restored and maintained, the self-healing forces inherent in every system can again come into effect. Every living being depends on a myriad of connections to a well-functioning larger system, socially and ecologically, and at the same time to its subsystems, such as organs and cells, in order to function well. The more of these connections that are broken, the more difficult it will be for this living being to maintain its functioning.
For us humans, this expresses itself on both a biological and a psychological level. Like every other being, we depend on maintaining a rich and well-functioning biological/material connection to a larger ecosystem and to our biological subsystems. We are also, like some other living beings, dependent on a rich and well-functioning connection on an experiential level to a larger social and ecological whole and to our inner world. I will describe this in more detail later.
Ecopsychology and Deep Ecology
Ecopsychology
All of this is connected with a field within psychology called ecopsychology. Within ecopsychology, human health and well-being are seen as dependent on a direct and naked experience of intimately belonging to and being part of the Earth and the universe as a whole. We are part of the Earth and the universe, and part of our role is to deeply experience this and live from it. If this is overlooked, it opens the way for an experience of emptiness, meaninglessness, frustration, and hopelessness. If we live up to this role, it opens the way for a deep experience of meaning, belonging, and being at home in the universe. To live an authentic life is to live from an insight into, and experience of, being an organic part of a larger whole.
Here is a quote by John Seed, the well-known rainforest activist, which sheds light on this: “The reason why modern psychology is often sterile and psychotherapy does not work is that the described ‘self’ one is trying to heal does not exist. It is a social fiction. (…) To truly experience our connection with the air and the water and the earth, our intimate belonging with them, is to create the conditions for a spontaneous healing of the mind.”
Since we are literally one with the Earth — there are no absolute divisions between any parts of the Earth — a psychotherapy that focuses only on the individual and the individual’s history will have limited effect and use.
The old worldview was mechanistic and reductionist, and also influenced the early forms of psychotherapy. The focus was on the individual’s parts — thoughts, emotions, complexes, and so on — while the larger whole of which the individual was part was overlooked, sometimes with the exception of the smallest social system: the family. The larger whole — society, the Earth as a whole, and the universe — was overlooked. Honorable exceptions were Jung and some existentialist and humanistic approaches, which focused on both poles of the polarity: both the parts and the larger spiritual/existential perspective.
Deep Ecology
Deep ecology is closely connected with ecopsychology. Both see health as dependent on a conscious experience of these myriad connections. For ecopsychology, the focus is the health of the individual; for deep ecology, the focus is the health of the Earth. An important premise of deep ecology is that a life beneficial to the larger whole cannot come through a purely intellectual understanding, laws and regulations, or moral commands. It can only come — and come spontaneously and effortlessly — through a direct and naked experience that the Earth is one whole. That there is only one body.
“If the Rhine, the Yellow River, and the Mississippi are poisoned, then the rivers in the trees, in the birds, and in human beings are poisoned at the same time. There is only one river on this Earth, and it has many riverbeds. Many of these run through the veins of living beings.”
— Thomas Berry
“If we truly experience ourselves, not as isolated, separate, skin-encapsulated egos, but as part of the Earth’s larger body, then defending the Earth is simply self-defense, and it does not require a refined moral effort.”
— John Seed
Myriad Connections
I mentioned that a myriad of connections to larger and smaller wholes is necessary for an individual’s health and well-being. On a purely physical and biological level, this is necessary for its existence and health. On an experiential and existential/spiritual level, it is necessary for its well-being, its optimal functioning, and for the unfolding of the potentials inherent in every individual. These connections are, as suggested, on a biological or physical level and on an experiential or existential level, and they are directed both outward and inward.
Let us look more closely at these connections.
Biological/Physical and Outward
We depend on information, matter, and conditions from our surroundings in order to survive. We depend on sensing our surroundings, on the right temperature and chemical conditions, on air, food, and water. And all of this, in turn, depends on a local and global social and ecological system, which in turn depends on the universe as a whole — its history and processes.
Biological/Physical and Inward
In the same way, we depend on all our biological and physical subsystems. We depend on a collective of organs and cells that function as one whole, and on the condition of every part of this unimaginably complex system. We are here as the result of billions of years of development of the universe and the Earth, as a direct consequence of life arising from matter and single-celled organisms joining together in collectives. We are here as a direct consequence of many generations of beings stretching back millions of years and including the first single-celled organisms, the first collectives, amphibians, land animals, mammals, and the earliest human-like creatures. In our cells lies the history of the universe, the Earth, and millions of beings from single-celled organisms to humans.
As mentioned earlier, there are no absolute divisions between any phenomena or systems. Everything is part of one whole, of one single system. In us lies the history of the universe. Our existence depends on the universe as a whole.
Let us now look at the experiential or existential level. It is obvious that some sensing of both the inner and outer whole is necessary for our survival. What may be less obvious is that our own health and well-being, and the future of humanity and the Earth, are intimately connected with our experience of the inner and outer whole. In what way can this be the case?
Experience and Health
Bringing these myriad connections into awareness is a continuous and endless process, and it can have several consequences. On the individual level, it opens to a deep experience of meaning and belonging. One is at home in the universe — in all its forms. One is familiar with the ecosystem, the social system, one’s mind, and oneself as a biological being. All phenomena are met — not with fear as something “other” — but with curiosity, as an old friend, as something that is part of the same as oneself. This applies to all phenomena, whether they are experienced as pleasant or not. There is also a recognition — in an intimate way — that one’s own health and condition are mutually dependent on the health and condition of the larger whole and all its subsystems, including one’s own. This opens to care for the larger whole, and to awareness of the long-term and far-reaching consequences of one’s own actions on that larger whole. One’s self-interest and the interest of the larger whole coincide. One moves beyond the artificial division between “altruism” and “egoism.”
When these connections are not experienced so directly, when there is a break on the experiential level in these connections, this opens to an experience of meaninglessness, hopelessness, isolation, and apathy. One does not feel at home in the universe, the ecosystem, society, the mind, and/or the body. For the individual, this will often lead to weakened health, expressed through both body and mind. This experience of isolation can further lead to weakened health for the larger social and ecological whole. Socially, this can happen through indifference toward the suffering of others, or a lack of meaningful interaction and community with others. Ecologically, it can happen through indifference toward the long-term and far-reaching consequences of one’s actions on the local and global ecosystem. One has an illusion of isolation, and therefore of being isolated from the condition of the larger whole and from the consequences of one’s actions.
A lack of conscious and intimate experience of the myriad connections between oneself and the larger whole, as well as between oneself and one’s subsystems, opens to weakened health on all levels — from subsystem, through the individual as a whole, to society and the Earth as a whole. A conscious experience and recognition of all these connections likewise opens to more optimal functioning on all levels.
Examples — Experience and Health
A more intimate relationship with oneself as a biological being, through for example dance, yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, or Feldenkrais, leads to an experience of deep well-being, to a more conscious consideration of one’s biological possibilities and limitations, for instance in movement and performance, to tasting and choosing food with the whole body and not just the tongue, and to a deep experience of not only “belonging in the body” but being body. All of this can lead to better physical health and well-being.
A more intimate relationship with oneself as an experiencing being leads to a wiser and healthier relationship with the mind’s patterns and movements. One can open to experiencing and accepting all the qualities of the mind — as natural phenomena, as expressions of the universe’s local processes — like clouds moving across the sky, water flowing through a streambed, a hurricane tearing up trees and houses, rain nourishing and freshening the air. A more intimate and conscious relationship with the processes of the mind also opens to healthier and wiser interaction with other human beings.
A more intimate relationship with the local and global ecosystem leads to awareness of the long-term and far-reaching effects of one’s daily actions on these systems. One will be moved by a spontaneous need to organize and live one’s life in a way that does not harm the larger ecological whole.
A more intimate relationship with the local and global social system opens to spontaneous care for all beings, and to a wish, if possible, to contribute to their well-being and health in a way that respects their integrity.
All of this springs from an insight into, and intimate experience of, the fact that the functioning and health of all this — oneself as body and mind and the global ecological and social system — are directly and mutually dependent. There is only one system — only one body: the Earth as a whole.
To live an authentic life, one must live from a recognition that everything really is intimately connected and mutually dependent. This involves social engagement, a lived ecological awareness in everyday life, an awareness of oneself as body, and an exploration of the mind and its processes.
Tools
Opening to an intimate experience of being an integrated part of society, the Earth, and the universe opens to a deeper healing than what can happen when one focuses mainly on the individual and the individual’s history. This is the insight behind much Asian philosophy and Western approaches such as humanistic, Jungian, and transpersonal psychology. It is supported by the personal experiences of thousands, and perhaps millions, of people throughout human history, and is the foundation for healing rituals in many cultures. Very powerful and effective tools and methods have been developed within the traditions mentioned above — and many others — to help individuals and societies restore and maintain these connections to both the larger and the smaller whole. Here are some examples.
To work on more intimately experiencing the myriad connections to oneself as a biological being, we have: yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, Feldenkrais, walking meditation, and not least awareness of the senses and of oneself as a biological being through daily activity.
To become intimate with oneself as an experiencing being, we have: meditation, yoga, Jungian therapy, Process-Oriented Psychology, developed by Arnold Mindell, and to some extent other Western psychotherapy — although traditional psychotherapy tends to see the processes of the mind from a limited perspective.
To experience oneself as one whole — including, but beyond, body and mind — we have all the methods mentioned above. By becoming more intimate with oneself as body, mind, and one whole, one also opens to becoming more intimate with the larger whole one is part of — and to seeing that oneself and the larger systems are one whole.
To experience the myriad connections to the local and global social system, we have: sociology, social psychology, political science, contemplation of mutual dependence, and perhaps most importantly: social engagement.
To experience the myriad connections to the local and global ecological system, we have: ecology, nature-oriented spirituality, deep-ecology methods, contemplation of dependence, and ecological engagement.
To work in a truly intimate way with seeing that there are no absolute divisions between oneself and a larger whole, we have prayer and meditation. Prayer is an active opening to, and connection with, the larger whole, a transcending of the division between self and the larger whole. Meditation, through studying the processes of the mind, leads one to an experience that one does not exist as an isolated unit but as part of a larger whole — and here too to a transcending of the division between self and the larger whole.
Some Concluding Thoughts
One’s self-interest coincides with the interest of the Earth as a whole. It goes beyond the artificial division between “altruism” and “egoism.”
To live an authentic life means living up to our role as the “consciousness organ” of the universe: exploring and bringing into awareness the universe in its myriad manifestations — in a creative and playful way.
We are literally one with this Earth — and our own health and well-being are, in a million ways, intimately connected with the condition of the Earth and all its parts. To work for improved health is to work for improved health on all levels — from the individual, to society, to the planet as a whole. This work opens to a stronger experience of belonging and of being an active participant in the development of the astonishing and rich creature this living planet is. It also opens to a stronger experience of meaning, which is an important part of any deep healing for the individual and society, and which can play a role in the healing of this planet as a whole.
“Heaven is my father and Earth is my mother, and even such a small creature as I find an intimate place in their midst. What extends through the universe I regard as my body, and what governs the universe as my nature. All beings are my sisters and brothers, and all phenomena are my companions.”
The administrator Chang Tsai lived in 11th-century China. He inscribed this on the western wall of his office, above his desk.