The Cry of the Earth
Edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
The Golden Sufi Center
The concept of spiritual ecology has been around for several decades it seems, but as the crisis on the earth literally heats up, more people are discovering this fringe topic and it could very well awaken humankind. The collection of essays, Spiritual Ecology (The Cry of the Earth) edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee provides us with hope in the form of connecting to the natural world to solve the myriad of problems we face. But not only that, by reconnecting with Mother Earth or Gaia (as she’s called in the essays), inspires us to live more sustainably.
We see the earth through the gaze of elders, Zen Buddhist, Sufis, Hindus, Native Americans, farmers, scientists, philosophers, friars and nuns as they each urge readers to endure the Dark Night of the Soul that occurs upon awakening to the earth’s cries. While most of the essays bring hope by providing readers with ways to connect spiritually to the earth, the essayists also mention too many details about the problems that the earth faces. Since they are preaching to the choir, from the pulpit of environmentalism and spirituality, I’m not sure how they will awaken the mass majority of humankind. But this often seems to be the case with these types of books.
However, if the mission is to get the environmentalists on board with the spiritualists and vise verse, then this book could provide that bridge. And for those of us already singing in the spiritual ecological choir, we are treated to well-articulated essays and poems by Wendell Berry, Vandana Shiva, Sandra Ingerman, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joanna Macy and others. To read all these ecological luminaries in one place has the power to inspire thus making a deeper connection to the natural world.
http://www.goldensufi.org