Spiritual Biocentrism ~ The earth and its life processes are sacred - but Western religion & philosophy foster anthropocentrism that leads to an. . . Spiritual Biocentrism ~ The earth and its life processes are sacred - but Western religion & philosophy foster anthropocentrism that leads to an. . . the greed of corporations and . . . Corrupt Governments which refuse or otherwise fail to arrest these extinctions
Good GoodForaging (small-scale organic horticultural) societiesAnimistic, Pantheistic, Goddess-Matriarchal, or Eastern Religions Biocentrism/Ecocentrism (promotes conservation)Intuition
Good GoodHolistic WorldviewsDecentralism Primitive Technology Regional Self-SufficiencyAnarchism/ParticipatoryDemocracyRadicalism
Agricultures destroy or force the conversion of indigenous peoples living in harmony with nature Agricultures destroy or force the conversion of indigenous peoples living in harmony with natureAgricultures replace foraging societies and their place-based gods and nature spirits and ethics of kinship toward all life forms, with sky-gods.
The Arts The Arts - poetry, prose, music, dance, visual art can evoke proper spiritual perception
Ritualizing - recovering and re-inventing green religion
Ethical Action- defending the earthen spiritualities of surviving indigenous nations
Radical Environmentalists: Radical Environmentalists:Engage the Destroyers – Resist!!!
Dave Foreman – Prophet of Radical Environmentalism Dave Foreman – Prophet of Radical Environmentalism Monkeywrenching or “ecotage” is “a form of worship toward the earth. It’s really a very spiritual thing to go out and do . . . You are a religious warrior for the Earth.”
Premise: those who live in a place can better learn its and nature spirits and sustainable lifeways than people far away Premise: those who live in a place can better learn its and nature spirits and sustainable lifeways than people far away Hope: overturning nation-states in favor of decentralized, regional, community self-rule.
Promote regional identity and activism through: Promote regional identity and activism through:- bioregional congresses and local groups
- Permaculture and Organic Agriculture
- pagan ritualizing
- Bioregionally-oriented wildlands advocacy
Could catastrophe be averted through human action? Could catastrophe be averted through human action?Can governments play a positive role?Does hope lie only after the collapse of industrial civilization and the destruction of modern technology?
They generally expect that industrial society will collapse, but are less sure this will occur dramatically and with great suffering - They generally expect that industrial society will collapse, but are less sure this will occur dramatically and with great suffering
- They retain some hope we can learn our way toward sustainability, rather than have it forced upon us by ecological collapse.
. . . the “the cultural underground” of Western Civilization including “all deviant belief-systems and their associated practices including heretical religion and deviant medicine and science.” . . . the “the cultural underground” of Western Civilization including “all deviant belief-systems and their associated practices including heretical religion and deviant medicine and science.”Cultic groups are generally tolerant and receptive to each other’s beliefs >> syncretism . . .they share a mystical tradition emphasizing that “unity with the divine can be attained by a diversity of paths”
Mountain epiphanies Mountain epiphaniesMuir and all of Deep Ecology’s developers and earliest proponents, were mountain climbers.Naess, estranged from people, found solace and connection in nature, and felt “love” from the mountains with which he identified.Deep ecology intellectuals are often drawn to Spinoza and pantheism.
“To do this we must spend time in mountains, or where ‘free nature,’ can stimulate a sense of oneness, wholeness, and identification with nature.” “To do this we must spend time in mountains, or where ‘free nature,’ can stimulate a sense of oneness, wholeness, and identification with nature.”
Sacred objects sometimes removedSweat Lodges become “sacred saunas”Activists turning to own heritages, as much as possible.Yet shared ritual is common, as with prayer and purification during litigation.
Battles between Indian and Non-Indian activists and Christians opposing their ‘paganism.’ Battles between Indian and Non-Indian activists and Christians opposing their ‘paganism.’Activists, sometimes clumsily, try to express solidarity with Native Americans (at least ones they believe are still connected to the land and its spirits).
The desert's austerity “distinguishes it, in spiritual appeal, from other forms of landscape,” and is more effective than mountains at overturning human arrogance. The desert's austerity “distinguishes it, in spiritual appeal, from other forms of landscape,” and is more effective than mountains at overturning human arrogance. Abbey called himself an “earth-ist” and was a pantheist who “saw the spirit in all things” (Loeffler) . . .And resonated with Daoism, considering it ancient nature-based spirituality, calling “the Tao te’ Ching is the best goddamned book ever written.”
“Decisive” or important impetus for some involved in dark green religion. “Decisive” or important impetus for some involved in dark green religion.Peyote “sets one up spiritually to understand the sacred quality of this planet . . . It puts one in direct contact with another wave-length with the universe and one immediately intuits that the entire planet is the living organism in which we are members” (Jack Loefler, “Ed Abbey’s best friend”) Only extended, solo camping provided equally powerful spiritual perceptiveness, according to many radical environmentalists.
Critically and increasingly influential, Critically and increasingly influential, ~ practitioners spread its ritual resources widely in green circles. ~ Drawing on putatively European sources, it is seen as less problematic than forms drawing on indigenous societies.
Wicca is often in co-production with neo-paganism, and incorporated into dark green spirituality Wicca is often in co-production with neo-paganism, and incorporated into dark green spirituality~ E.g., the Spiral Dance ritual spreads the metaphysics of interdependence.~ Songs and art challenge patriarchy within and outside of green subcultures.
From the ‘old and new left’, and anti-nuclear and anti-war movements . . . From the ‘old and new left’, and anti-nuclear and anti-war movements . . . To themes of “freedom” prevalent in the Western worldTo individualist, libertarian forms common in many Western states. . .
increasingly, anarchism, which . . . increasingly, anarchism, which . . . best fits the myth that a centralizing, totalitarian agriculture is destroying nature and everything spiritual.Legitimizes priority on local politicsDe-legitimizes centralized governments reinforcing Direct Action rationale
Radical Affinities Radical AffinitiesAlmost any radical perceived to be green and an opponent of a globalizing industrial civilization is honored. - Mumia abu Jamal, and Move, are looked to as an outbreaking of nature religion among Americans of African heritage.
- AIM activists
- Traditional Indians resisting development or displacement (e.g., the Hopi traditionalists)
- Wangari Mathai and the Kenyan Greenbelt movement, and . . .
What are the impacts of such countercultural spirituality and politics? What are the impacts of such countercultural spirituality and politics?There have been many specific successes we could point to that have been won by these movements.
It is altering the political and ecological landscape around the world It is altering the political and ecological landscape around the world.and entering the culture’s main streams.
intrinsic value of nonhuman nature intrinsic value of nonhuman nature‘organicism/animism’ ‘natural rights’ to a lesser extent ‘pantheism’
Native Plant Societies (wild ones) Native Plant Societies (wild ones)Butterfly gardenersBiodiversity defense and restoration groupsSeed Saving , community supported agriculture, sacred agriculture movements (to name just a few)
. . . increasingly articulate biocentric values and discuss positively the important “spiritual” value that nature has for Americans when defending new, forest protection policies . . . increasingly articulate biocentric values and discuss positively the important “spiritual” value that nature has for Americans when defending new, forest protection policies
“Nature-based spiritual beliefs are generic to all [forest] users, whether holders or nonholders of sectarian religious beliefs . . . diverse types of nature-based spirit-renewing benefits . . . are common across all types of users, whether a timber cutter, a hunter, a member of an environmental organization, a hiker, or a Native American. “Nature-based spiritual beliefs are generic to all [forest] users, whether holders or nonholders of sectarian religious beliefs . . . diverse types of nature-based spirit-renewing benefits . . . are common across all types of users, whether a timber cutter, a hunter, a member of an environmental organization, a hiker, or a Native American.
Dark Green Religion does have a radical branch and increasing impacts around the world. Dark Green Religion does have a radical branch and increasing impacts around the world. The question remains, what will the extent and timing of its future influences?
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