Spiritual Ecology—The Sacredness of Nature

Have you ever walked through a dense forest alongside a stream? The water splashes and dances in the rays of the midday sun. As you get closer, you scare away a small trout that jumps like a spark to the other bank. You continue on to an untouched meadow — a green sea sprinkled with poppies, chamomile and cornflower. You stop, close your eyes and listen to nature's whispers. Time stands still.

This text is a translation from German of the author's feature article from issue 4/2021 of VISIONEN magazine.

Ecology and soul

The meaning of the term becomes clearer when the two words are considered separately. The word 'spiritual' comes from the Latin 'spiritus'. 'Spiritus' actually means 'breath of air', something that is barely perceptible yet still present. Metaphorically speaking, the word came to denote what we call 'Seele' (the soul) in German. In Western culture (whether as the spirit or the soul) they refer to the part of a person that does not die with the body. Note that this refers to a person because we consider souls (if we accept their existence at all) to be exclusively human. Spiritual ecology does not make this restriction. Like almost all other cultures, it views all life, including that of animals and plants, as not being limited to the physical body. Life itself is therefore spiritual.

The word 'ecology' comes from the Greek 'oikos', meaning 'home'. Therefore, ecology actually refers to knowledge about our home. Unfortunately, we have limited our understanding of home to the four walls of our brick-and-concrete buildings. However, our true home is nature. We can survive without a house, but not without clean air, clean water and uncontaminated food.

Spiritual ecology is therefore an attitude towards nature that recognises life as more than just the material world and does not view it as merely a resource for humans.

The shortest definition of spiritual ecology is seeing nature through the eyes of the soul.

The misery of materialism

The prevailing worldview in the West is strictly materialistic. Any beliefs or observations that could not be explained by physical or chemical processes were banished from science 300 years ago. According to this worldview, life arose from matter. The same applies to the mind, i.e. the ability to think and feel. In this worldview, God and the soul are fantasies. As science is considered infallible, spirituality has largely disappeared from social life in the 20th century. Christian churches now lead a life in parallel with society, having little influence on people's social, economic and practical life decisions. Separated strictly from the prevailing materialistic paradigm, spirituality is barely tolerated within the framework of freedom of expression. Try to bring it into scientific discussion or political reflection on our future, though, and you will quickly find yourself surrounded by silence. Most Christians also lead a kind of double life: they believe in God and the existence of the soul, yet their daily lives at work and at home are not guided by this belief.

Environmental protection alone cannot save nature. Instead, we must change the way we view the world.

The materialistic worldview has also led to the belief that humans and nature are separate entities. We view nature as separate from and alien to ourselves. We subordinate it to our own purposes and use it. As long as we only used nature to obtain food and shelter, and to develop culturally, everything was fine because it was intact and therefore strong enough. However, when we started using it as a free resource for industry, the balance was disrupted. The industrialization of our lives has further distanced us from intact nature.

This purely materialistic view is wrong, as evidenced by the destruction of nature and its consequences for biodiversity and the climate, the exploitation of the Earth's resources, selfishness in the economy, consumerism and the degradation of the notion of education. If we are to take ecology seriously and be good stewards of our small planet, we must put an end to materialistic dictates.

Why is a different approach to ecology necessary?

Traditional ecology carries the risk that we will not change our relationship with nature or our lifestyle. While it advocates limiting destruction, it does not question the idea of treating the Earth and life as resources. It addresses the symptoms of the problem rather than its causes. It will not enable us to coexist harmoniously with intact nature. We can only achieve a lasting balance with all life on the planet if we recognise that we are part of nature. Someone who considers nature their home would never pollute it or set fire to forests. This is why we need to respect all life and understand its sanctity. Today, our view of the world is selfish, and as always with selfishness, it turns against us.

We need to respect all life and understand its sanctity.

We need to change our attitude towards nature and consider how this affects our lifestyle. Our lifestyle reflects our values and self-image, and what we consider to be important and sacred. This is the domain of morality and spirituality, not science, economics or politics. Today, what is sacred to us is limited to two areas: human beings and, if we are religious, God. But what about the rest of creation? Other cultures view the world through completely different eyes.

Approaches to Spiritual Ecology

Let's use two worldviews from different cultures as examples: those of indigenous peoples and Vedanta.

Indigenous peoples have built their civilizations in harmony with their natural environment. To them, nature is a mother who nourishes them. She provides them with everything they need to survive, and they are grateful to her. This gratitude lies at the heart of all indigenous cultures. Indigenous peoples are grateful to the river for its water and fish, to the forest for its plants and animals, and to the field for its fruits and herbs. Because they live in nature, they directly perceive its beauty and wisdom. They feel connected to the Earth and all living things. They respect all life. They only take what they need and are careful not to disturb the natural balance of nature.

Indigenous peoples experience nature as a mystery. It is sacred. They treat it with respect and love. The sacred encompasses much more than what can be seen or touched. Indigenous peoples do not divide the world into mere matter and consciousness. To them, nature is not an object and therefore not a resource. It is alive and considered an equal. Everything in this world is intertwined and has its place in the eternal harmony of nature. The Earth is a mother, the Sun is a father, and the eagle is a brother. The whole world is held together by mutual respect and love.

The world of nature is built on harmony. It is held together by cooperation, mutual respect, and love.

This symbiosis with nature fosters a community that instills strength, appreciation, and responsibility. Indigenous peoples have never lost what we search for in vain—happiness. Spiritual ecology adopts their understanding that humans are not separate from nature. It learns from them the sanctity of nature, respect for all life, and gratitude.

The Vedas are the oldest writings in the world. The Vedanta section, in particular, provides an understanding of the world permeated by divine consciousness. When this consciousness becomes gross, it manifests as inanimate matter. In plants and animals, it awakens as a life force, then as emotions, and finally as thoughts. In humans, this consciousness can return to its original state of pure consciousness through conscious development, purification, and love.

It follows naturally that all life is divine and sacred. The Earth is regarded as a mother. Hindus consider the cow sacred because it symbolizes Mother Earth and life. When a devout Hindu wants to pick a flower or leaves from a tree, for example, he first asks the plant for permission. Food is only eaten after offering a prayer of thanksgiving. Gratitude and renunciation of excess are basic to this culture's attitudes. The morality of Hinduism and Buddhism is based on this worldview. Their first commandment is: "Do not destroy." This has also led to the traditional vegetarianism of the higher castes in India.

Gratitude and renunciation of excess are fundamental to Hinduism.

Because the divine is the common basis of all creation, everything in it is interconnected and has a fundamental right to exist. Human beings do not own the Earth. They are responsible for taking care of it. One way they fulfill this responsibility is by being content with what they have been given. Their most important endeavor takes place in their inner universe, where they work to purify their consciousness. There, and not in the world of objects and distractions, they find fulfillment. Spiritual ecology aligns with the Vedantic view of nature as divine and conscious. It also considers contentment a natural human attitude, as humans are embedded in a larger whole.

The practice of spiritual ecology

What does spiritual ecology do in practical terms? First, it fights soil contamination, deforestation, and plastic pollution in the oceans, just like traditional ecology. However, it has a more far-reaching rationale. Reducing CO2 emissions and slowing the destruction of biodiversity are good things. However, if we do not fundamentally change our attitude toward nature at the same time, these efforts will not be enough in the long run. It's possible that people will use renewable energy and keep rivers clean while continuing to exploit nature.

In order to end this exploitation and preserve the diversity of life on our planet, we must curb our consumerism and return space to nature. What grounds should we use to enforce this? As long as we view the Earth as a resource, as an object, people will prioritize their own desires. Environmental protection alone cannot end Western civilization's war on nature; it can only mitigate it.

Only when we consider nature sacred will we be able to transform our consumption- and greed-based civilization.

The problem lies within us, not out there. Our view of the world and humanity is the real problem because our consciousness determines our actions. There will be a chance for reversal only when we regard nature as our equal. The difference between a gray and a green planet is the difference between a purely materialistic and a spiritually based culture; between a world of human egoism and a world of unity with all life. Therefore, spiritual ecology also works to change our worldview.

Humility

Nature has evolved over millions of years. It follows its own path and pursues its own goals. It is subject to irrefutable and absolute laws. These are the laws of creation. Humankind is part of this plan and the result of these laws. If we submit to them, everything will be fine. However, if we continue to believe that we can impose our own laws and that nature will bow to our wishes and ideas, we will lose everything. Our materialistic, greedy civilization is heading for a deluge.

We are endowed with the unique ability to shape ourselves and the world through reason and love. Unfortunately, for the past 250 years, we have used this ability to remove ourselves from our natural environment and enrich ourselves at its expense. This arrogance is destroying not only nature but also our inner world. As a result, we feel increasingly unhappy and unfulfilled.

Nature is based on harmony and continuity. It is the domain of creation. Creation is an evolutionary process of the mind and soul that leads to perfection. We must recognize this and turn inward while simultaneously ending external destruction to become a harmonious part of the whole. In this sense, spirituality and ecology are together the path to fulfillment. We must replace our arrogance with humility. Spiritual ecology helps us do so.

Practical spirituality and spiritual ecology are the best strategies for ending the destruction of nature.

Alan P. Stern is a systems thinker and practical philosopher. Academically trained in both the natural sciences and in practical economic subjects, he worked as a manager and management consultant.

In 2019, his book “Redesigning Civilization; wie erschaffen wir die westliche Zivilisation neu?” (Redesigning Civilization; How Do We Reinvent Western Civilization?) was published.