What is Green Spirituality?

By Marian Van Eyk McCain

This is the introductory volume in an inspiring series of ebooks about green spirituality, a type of spirituality that fits into no particular category of religion or spiritual belief system and yet is fully compatible with - and draws millions of adherents from - almost all of them.

Green spirituality is based on a love of the Earth, the intrinsic value of all life forms, and a deep respect for the integrity of ecosystems and for the importance of biodiversity. It includes a belief in the total interconnectedness of the cosmos and offers a sense of identity rooted in being part of - and interdependent with - 'all that is.' It regards Nature as a great teacher and as a revelation of the divine and holds ideals of peace, social justice, ecological justice, low-impact living and sustainability

The book describes and illustrates, through the well-blended voices of thirteen writers, the basic concepts and expressions of this rapidly growing kind of spiritual attitude in today's world - what it is, where it comes from, who practises it and how and why. It covers a wide range of subject matter, from personal stories of spiritual awakening to scientific facts about the composition of soil and includes philosophical musings, practical suggestions, inspirational essays and poetry. It is edited, with commentaries, by Marian Van Eyk McCain, author of seven books who also edited the anthology GreenSpirit: Path to a New Consciousness (Earth Books, 2010) containing chapters by such well-known figures as theologian Matthew Fox, lawyer Cormac Cullinan, economist David Korten and Resurgence Magazine editor Satish Kumar.

As human beings, our spirituality - whether consciously acknowledged or not - helps to shape our attitude to life, and this attitude deeply affects our behaviour, both as individuals and as members of society. It is only when we approach problems with the right attitude that solutions start to appear.

The green spiritual attitude is the one that holds out to us the best hope of finding ways to solve our current planetary dilemmas and social and ecological crises, since it is the only one that can put us, perhaps for the first time in thousands of years, in complete harmony with the planet's ecosystems instead of in conflict with them.

Subsequent ebooks in this series deal with the application of these green spiritual ideas to various aspects of our lives and society such as education, politics, economics, psychology, law, food and farming, travel, lifestyle, art & culture, social welfare, health and healing, crafts and music, science and technology, ecology, religion, celebration and ceremony.

• Language: English
• Publisher: GreenSpirit Ebooks
• Release date: Aug 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9780955215759

Book preview

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