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Deep Ecology: Inspirations in Winter

Writer's picture: Shannon GorresShannon Gorres
people having fun rafting on a summers day

(Photo: logo of the Emerald podcast)

We need wellness within, and wellness beyond.

Wellness needs "we". Just an "I" makes "Illness." 


Sometimes in winter we connect less with nature... and need the inspiration of ecological artists (those who speak of, dream of, and relate creatively with ecology) to help us stay connected.


Are you enjoying the “winter weather”? 

In Kansas we go from 17 to 57 to 31, and each day offers a new adventure. This January has been below freezing for the first week. You COULD go outside in the chill for more than a walk to the car, if you’re able to layer enough for the cold. Have you seen my video on warm layering?  


AND sometimes it's tougher to get outdoors in the cold, or we just want to stay in. I totally hear ya. At 17 degrees, I tend to stay cuddled up by my wood burning stove. If you find yourself staying in more, and turning inward, I have compiled some radically loving resources of deep ecology where you could soak up the inspiration of nature artists. 


Below are the Podcasts, Books, Music, and a recorded talk I was excited to find and share! As always, take what you like and leave the rest. Feel free to have a different opinion. This isn't about same-ness, it's about exploration, dialogue and energy passing. 


If you have tried meditation and it feels too hard, or, if you’re in love with how nature makes you feel and you want to tie it together, you might really love this podcast!!! In short, it explains why westernized mindfulness isn't enough, and why we need the ultimate vibrance of nature to bring us into relationality. I found this podcast INSPIRATIONAL. 


Its description starts with:  “In recent years, the practice of 'mindfulness' has become ubiquitous. Mindfulness has outgrown its traditional Buddhist roots and now permeates modern wellness and optimization culture, finding its way into corporate boardrooms, therapist's toolkits, and an ever-increasing number of calmness apps...


The forest ecology from which mindfulness grew was animate and alive, and what we call mindfulness practices formed only a part of a rich tapestry that included rituals of ancestor worship, enacted connection to ecology, spirit mediumship, healing, and esoteric somatic practices. Modern adoptions of mindfulness tend to view the solitary meditative aspects of practice to be the 'essential' part, whereas the ritual and animist elements are seen as expendable. The reasons for this are deeply tied in with colonial history, and with the western legacy of body-mind divide.”   


BOOKS

I picked out two books from the suggestions on Wildgoosefestival.org (a yearly August festival in NC based in Spirit, Justice, Music, Arts): 


The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating By Elisabeth Tova Bailey

"The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a serene masterpiece that immerses readers in the symbiotic dance of nature and human existence. Elisabeth Tova Bailey’s eloquent prose transforms a seemingly mundane snail into a profound metaphor, weaving a contemplative narrative that resonates long after the last page.” 


Think Indigenous By Doug Good Feather

“This beautifully written, concise book provides an excellent entry into basic indigenous wisdom that I found to be mighty inspiring! I have benefited greatly by incorporating some of the general practices/concepts into my own daily practice and my respect for the beauty and deep wisdom of our Native American forebears has increased exponentially. I highly recommend this book!”  


MUSIC

The Resilient Activist team created a playlist of uplifting songs to support you in times of exhaustion or hopelessness about the Earth’s current struggles. 

  1. Resilient by Rising Appalachia | Added by Sami Aaron

  2. It’s a good day (to fight the system) by Shungudzo | Added by Michelle Merrill

  3. Shake it Out by Florence and The Machine | Added by Vic Poland, Climate Café Attendee

  4. FREEDOM by Jon Baptiste | Added by Phoebe Pinkner

  5. I am willing by Holly Near | Added by folks from Climate Psychiatry listserve

  6. The seed by AURORA | Added by Phoebe Pinkner

  7. The lost words blessing by Spell Songs | Added by folks from Climate Psychiatry listserve

  8. The waves we give by Beautiful Chorus | Added by Phoebe Pinkner

  9. Tomorrow by Miner | Added by Sarah Mayerhofer

  10. My Silver Lining by First Aid Kit | Added by Briana Anderson

  11. Workin’ On A World by Iris DeMent | Added by Linda Chubbuck, Climate Café Attendee

  12. This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie | Added by Fawn Palmer, Climate Café Attendee

  13. Joe Hill by Joan Baez | Added by Maria Pinto, Climate Café Attendee

  14. Talkin’ about a revolution by Tracy Chaplin | Added by Phoebe Pinkner

  15. Giovanni by Jamila Woods | Added by Phoebe Pinkner

  16. I need a forest fire by James Blake and Bon Iver | Added by Sarah Mayerhofer

It goes on to 32 songs! 




Haskell Professor Dr. Dan Wildcat's talk

Several powerful passages in italics below that he shared from his new book continue to reverberate in me. I wrote my thoughts beneath them.


I wonder how they land for you:

 

  1.  

“See nature as relatives, not resources.”


My truth? I see nature as relatives, but also as resources. I grew up with an anthropocentric (human-centered, humans-on-top) ideology. It’s been decades of unlearning, and it’s still in my consciousness.


What I could authentically share at this point: See nature as relatives, not just as resources.


 

  1.  

“Hope that consciousness emerges amidst violent chaos.”


From his poem “Stand Down.”


In what do you hope?


 

  1.  

“Indigenous voices may be the most important voices for us to listen to on the planet…”


Wildcat says that “The recognition that the complex problems of the world cannot be solved today through controlled experiments, the growing recognition of complexity science, and the emergence of inter and transdisciplinary research activities all suggest-

We may have reached the point where learned scholars, scientists, and the general public are willing to listen to peoples who never thought in boxes…”


How often am I listening? How am I responding?


  1.  

“The emphasis on Human Rights is understandable, but what about Inalienable Responsibilities?” (paraphrased).


Yes. Let’s talk about them.


4. 

“No one knows it all. All of what we know is incomplete... The cosmic mystery is less an idea than a sense-a feeling.”


Again, valuing our feelings and senses are part of the holistic path toward individual and collective healing. We are more than our minds, more than our intellect, more than our thoughts. They are important, and usually need whole-self integration to align in health. Our cosmos is so much bigger than we can imagine.



  1. "Why are we so set on sustaining?”

 I want to start asking: “What do you mean by sustainable?” The vast majority of our current life practices are not sustainable. For example, the Nature Conservancy says, “The average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tons, one of the highest rates in the world. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons.” -Nature.org 


I wonder what we can do within our imbalanced, oppressive lifestyles to not only “save the planet” from carbon climate change, but save our oppressed minds from the individualist, consumerist trap we were trained in?  


Wildcat says that community “Growth” could be understood in terms of wellness and belonging. Not economic. He says to listen for mature and life-enhancing perspectives of humility.  


My reflection after Dr. Dan’s talk: 

If we need to de-colonize from the mindsets of neoliberal capitalism and hyper-individualism that seeks greed over collective wellbeing...then we may need to re-colonize with something else, because we need some philosophical lens from which to understand the world and orient our lives. 


What spiritualities or philosophies help you feel generous, courageous, kind, and connected?


What makes you feel healthy and whole?


May you be inspired this winter by all sorts of forest ecology artists, and by your own nature connections!


🌷 I'D LOVE TO INCLUDE ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS. PLEASE WRITE ME. :)


© Shannon Gorres, 2024. Written by human, not AI or chatGPT. Please contact me to request permission before sharing. I will give you permission to share sections of it when you include "by Shannon Gorres, www.DivineNatureTherapy.com"

 


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