Reconnecting with Earth
A six-session course addressing core values and how they affect the way we view and treat the Earth.
In this course, participants will:
- Clarify values through discussions about our relationship to Earth.
- Discover how personal beliefs and values affect the way we view and treat the earth.
- Explore what it means to take personal responsibility for Earth.
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe” - John Muir
If you are interested in starting this discussion course in your community, download the Reconnecting with Earth Course Flyer here.
Topics
Wild Nature
An experience of awe and wonder in nature can lead to a deeper sense of connection to the Earth. How do these experiences shape our relationship to the Earth?
Shifting Paradigms
Human beings are one of many species, everything is interconnected, and sustainability should replace economic growth as our long-term goal. How do these underlying assumptions differ from current assumptions of our society?
Nature and Spirit
Religion and spirituality can play a significant role in shaping ecological values and ethics. What insight and inspiration for taking responsibility for Earth do they offer?
The Universe Story
Scientific discoveries in physics, biology and cosmology are challenging our assumptions about how the world works. How might these insights change our relationship to the Earth?
Ecopsychology
Modern life tends to cut us off from our bond to the natural world. Could restoration of that bond help to heal both individuals and the planet?
Bringing it Down to Earth
Modern, postindustrial society reflects an outdated worldview. How can we build a society that reflects a new understanding of our place on Earth? How can we as individuals, live a more Earth-centered lifestyle?
Readings
| “The Real World Around Us” by Rachel Carson “The Tuolumne Camp” by John Muir “The Judgement of the Birds” by Loren Eiseley “Seeing” by Annie Dillard “The Phosphorescent Soul” by Terry Tempest Williams “The Moral Equivalent of Wildness” by Kathleen Dean Moore “Thinking Like a Mountain” by Aldo Leopold From The Web of Life by Fritjof Capra “The Eight Principles of Deep Ecology” by Naess and Sessions “Deep Ecology and Lifestyle” by Arne Naess “The Gaia Hypothesis” by Mother Earth editors From Seeing the Whole at the Center by F. Marina Schauffler “The Greening of the World’s Religions” by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim “The Gospel of J. Matthew” by David Roberts “First Do No Harm” by Stepanie Kaza “Sharing One Skin” by Jeanette Armstrong “Cosmology: The Largest Context” by Michael Dowd |
“Comprehensive Compassion: An Interview with Brian Swimme” by Susan Bridle “The Universe Is Our University” by Thomas Berry “Living the New Story: An Interview with Sister Miriam MacGillis” by Alan AtKisson “Ecopsychology” by John Seed “When the Earth Hurts, Who Responds?” by Sarah A. Conn “Restoring Nature, Restoring Yourself” by Francesca Lyman “Interview with Bill Plotkin” (unknown) “Imagination: Creating a New Reality” by Laura Sewall “The Learning Curve” by David Orr “The Genius of Nature” by Jeanine Benyus “Developing Bonds to Place” by Starhawk “The Pleasures of Eating” by Wendell Berry “The Night of the Razor-Clam Tide” by Kathleen Dean Moore |
