Foundational Essays

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LOVE FOR THE HOUSE OF LIFE: A VISION OF ECOLOGICAL CIVILIZATION

By Ann Loomis (April 5, 2018)

Editor’s Note: Ann Loomis is the author of “Celtic Cycles: Guidance from the Soul on the Spiritual Journey”

My vision for an ecological civilization is that we humans will connect with the trees, the creatures, and our own souls as we learn to perceive with Planetary Consciousness. It has been said that “You will protect what you love,” and in this emerging civilization, we will learn to love the House of Life that is Earth. “At this time of ecological crisis, there is a vital need for us to love Earth,” says author and soul worker Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee. “Earth is calling out to us for our help and healing.”

One way I have come to rekindle my love for Earth is through celebrating the Celtic seasonal cycles. We are now in the spring equinox cycle, a time when Earth is awakening all around us. Red, pink, and orange azaleas offer a colorful sight, while dogwood trees bring a splash of white. It is as though the Great Creator has taken up Her palette and paint brushes after a long winter’s night just for the sake of delight.

In an ecological civilization, we will primarily express our connection to the House of Life through art. We will all take up whatever artistic tools and talents we have for the sake of caring for our Mother Earth. Art takes us out of the left brain of logic and language into the right brain of images and holistic vision. We will balance the left brain’s need to explain things rationally with the right brain’s mystery and intuition.

While we can’t very easily return to the tribal ways of Indigenous Peoples, there are many things we can learn from them about transitioning to an ecological civilization. One of these is listening with “ears of the heart” rather than with our ego-minds. Another is connecting to the elements of air, fire, and water to come up with alternative energy sources. Solar and wind energy will help us break our addiction to fossil fuels. Even though our Western consciousness has grown past an indigenous way of life, we can learn to live in harmony with nature in whatever way suits our individual personalities.

To illustrate, I made a walking stick out of an oak tree branch. It is entwined with stars to symbolize Earth’s place in the Universe Story, and with butterflies to represent the soul’s transformative potential. There is an acorn on top to point to the inherent wholeness within creation. Whenever I go outside with my walking stick, I imagine that my soul is dancing among the stumps and the stars. It is a reminder of my interconnection and communication with all that enlivens Earth. In an ecological civilization, as we collectively shift to Planetary Consciousness, “The world becomes as a communion of subjects more than a collection of objects,” as Thomas Berry so wisely put it.

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