Eco-Spirituality on the green fuse

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keywords: Eco-spirituality, Ecofeminism , Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Indigenous Nature Religions, Neo-Paganism, mysticism, Sacred Ecology, Starhawk

Eco-Spirituality

Those spiritual paths and religions with a strong environmental element share many central themes. That this common ground is held in by both modern and ancient traditions across the world suggests that they reveal some central human intuition. This notion is supported by archaeological evidence that spirituality was originally earth-based and centered on our experience of a oneness with nature.

It is arguable that while the exoteric form of religions differ widely, on an esoteric level they are all similar. I believe that the exoteric expression, which often refers to an existing ideology, has generally been formulated for mass appeal, and provides a simplified version of the inner truth revealed at the esoteric level.

We might say that (exoteric) religion is an ideology, and (exoteric) spirituality is a process.

Religions and spiritual beliefs that see the sacred as immanent are generally more environmentally sound.

With the current focus on environmental issues, many mainstream religions have been keen to emphasizes their eco-credentials. But historically most Western religions have paid little attention to the notion of a sacred Earth.

Many mainstream religions portray God as a transcendent being, somehow beyond this world. This is taken by many as the key to their lack of ecological awareness. A theology with a transcendent deity tends to be dualistic, making a sharp division between spirit and matter, with the material world seen as inferior. (See Eco-feminism on Patriarchal dualism).

Because of the vast quantity of information on eco-spirituality, this section, I have divided it into sub sections:

Topics:

Article:

I would be delighted to hear of how other spiritual paths relate to environmental issue. Please contact me.

related links: Ecofeminism , Buddhism, Christianity , Indigenous Nature Religions, Neo-Paganism, Eco-Paganism, mysticism, Sacred Ecology (background), embodied knowing
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