A SACRED PLACE TO DWELL:

Living with Reverence upon the Earth:

Ecological Spirituality and its Practical Consequences

Vivienne Elanta 12021131

Critical Thinking Essay

S 206 Aidan Davison

Henryk Skolimowski suggests that we urgently need an ecological spirituality, one of “Living with Reverence upon the Earth”(1993, frontespiece). He invites us to challenge our current mechanistic view of the world, replacing it with a more ancient “idea of the world as a sanctuary”(Ibid p6), “a sacred place to dwell in”(Ibid p6). He says, ”to make peace with the planet Earth we must change the dominant consciousness which is greedy, parasitic and materialistic into caring, compassionate and participatory consciousness”. He emphasises, ”that healing the planet and healing ourselves is spiritual work”(p8). He says, “To act in the world as if it were a sanctuary is to make it reverential and sacred; and is to make yourself elevated and meaningful”(Ibid p15).

In support of his argument, Skolimowski suggests that, “one of the causes of our half-blind economic pursuits is a total lack of reverence”(Ibid p5), which derives from a longstanding practice of treating the world like a machine. He says that the old religions with its contemplative attitudes are in its present form inadequate to address the current ecological problems. Only “an active one, an ecological one”(Ibid p12) can guide us in living with reverence upon the earth.

The importance he places on spirituality is a major strength in his argument. He says that, “The withering of spirituality in many present societies, and in particular individuals, is tantamount to a withering of humanity in us”(Ibid p2). Most humans in western society are lost in a world of consumerism, which makes their lives empty and meaningless, making them less than human. Skolimowski insists that we have to stop treating our world as a machine, and instead “treat it with love and care and it becomes a loving and caring place”(Ibid p6).

A weakness in his argument is the whole concept of transcendence, which strongly suggests a hierarchical and dualistic mode of thinking, which lies at the foundation of a number of traditional spiritualities. This is in direct contradiction to his call for an embodied ecological spirituality for our current times. It merely offers a reformist approach, that of giving nature a better place within a hierarchical paradigm of a transcended God, above and outside of the material world.

Hendryk Skolimowski fails to engage me beyond the intellect. He offers the reader the “what”, but not the “how”, in building this new spirituality. Mary Oliver, in “Home” (1999) on the other hand gives the reader a true sense and understanding of the meaning of dwelling in a Sacred Place. I am deeply touched and moved to tears by the simplicity and poetic beauty of her words: “Daily I walk out across my landscape, the same fields, the same woods, and the same pale beaches…”(Ibid p22). Unlike Hendryk Skolimowski, Mary Oliver leads me to the practice of an ecological spirituality, not through transcendence, but through an immersion experience of a very ordinary, simple, but deeply profound and transformative nature.

In conclusion, Henryk Skolimowski offers sound reasons as to why we need an ecological spirituality. This spiritual work in my view does not entail saving or healing the planet, as Skolimowski suggests, because the planet can heal itself. What is called for is a practise in deep caring and reverence for all living beings. Such a practice holds a promise of restoring our integrity as a species within the web of life.

REFERENCE:

Skolimowski, Henryk (1993) ‘Ecological Spirituality and its Practical Consequences’ from Skolimowski, Hendryk, A Sacred Place to Dwell: Living with Reverance Upon the Earth, Rockpot, MA: Element

Oliver, Mary (1999) ‘Home’, Aperture 150:22-25