Turning to Earth offers a
window into the heart of environmental change, moving beyond the
culture’s traditional reliance on policy reforms and technological
measures. It charts the course of "ecological conversion," a
dynamic inner process by which people come to ally themselves with
the natural world and speak out on its behalf. Stories by ecological
converts illuminate a critical realm long neglected by environmental
scholars and activists--how the terrain of spirit, psyche and conscience
shape our commitment to Earth.
This engaging exploration of "inner ecology" deftly
weaves together numerous autobiographical accounts with insights
from the fields of ecocriticism, ecopsychology, environmental
philosophy and environmental education. An opening portrait of
writer and activist Terry Tempest Williams traces her deepening
devotion to Earth. Each subsequent chapter explores a key element
of ecological conversion, drawing primarily on the personal testimony
of Williams and five other pioneering writers--Rachel Carson,
Alice Walker, Edward Abbey, Scott Russell Sanders and N. Scott
Momaday. Turning to Earth extends the parameters of
contemporary environmental discussion by illustrating how substantive
change
hinges not just on political and institutional reforms but on
profound inner transformation. The compelling life narratives
of ecological converts provide inspiration and direction for
the growing number of activists, educators, scholars and citizens
who are committed to changing the world from the inside out.
Turning
to Earth will appeal to a wide range of readers, including
- scholars and students in religion, literature, philosophy,
psychology and environmental studies;
- general readers;
- environmental educators and activists;
- spiritual practitioners and faith communities;
- conservationists;
- and outdoor enthusiasts.
It is both a practical and inspirational text, offering ‘teaching
stories’ that can transform perception and practice. Turning
to Earth is well-suited for use in book discussion groups, undergraduate
and graduate courses, and church study/religious youth groups
(with high school age participants).
Table of Contents
Bedrock, the opening
chapter, explores the ecological conversion of writer Terry Tempest
Williams--demonstrating how key elements of the process manifest
in one individual's life story. A fifth-generation Mormon, Williams
is devoted to her extended family and her home terrain in Utah.
These bonds have shaped the path of her ecological turning through
childhood experiences outdoors; familial mentors; revelatory
encounters in the natural world; and a growing commitment to "re-story" the
land through narrative and defend it through local activism.
The detailed profile of Williams's turn sets the context for
subsequent chapters, each of which synthesizes material from
numerous writers around a unifying theme.
Remembrance, the
second chapter, cites commonalities in the formative experiences
of the primary writers – all of whom shared a strong affinity
for the natural world as children, found support for this bond
through mentors, and gained inspiration from the words and lives
of established nature writers. The marked parallels in their
experience suggest that contact with the natural world and with
mentors (both familial and literary) may set the stage for a
subsequent turn to Earth.
Reflection, the third
chapter, describes how periods of enforced introspection lead
converts to reassess their place in the ecological whole. Times
of psychic transformation can occur in response to experiences
of loss, illness, estrangement or despair, as well as deliberate
immersion in natural settings. While reflective periods can prove
emotionally taxing, they may awaken a sense of compassion that
deepens an ecological practice.
Revelation, the fourth
chapter, illustrates how converts experience moments of insight
that renew and reconstitute their lives. These profound glimpses
into a larger mystery often affirm their sense of belonging to
a sacred whole. Revelatory experiences can inspire fundamental
changes in ecological belief and practice.
Reciprocity, the
fifth chapter, demonstrates how converts consciously strengthen
their identification with other members of the ecological community.
Writers often cultivate empathic modes of relation, seeking to
counter the cultural taboos and engrained fears that separate
humans from the rest of nature. A recognition of reciprocity
often fosters a stronger commitment to the ecological whole.
Resistance, the sixth
chapter, discusses how ecological converts--motivated by their
deep affinity for the natural world--devote themselves to responsible
action on its behalf. Some bear witness to environmental degradation
primarily through writing; others take direct action through
ecological restoration, land conservation, or civil disobedience.
Their actions testify to a deepening bond with Earth.
Ritual, the seventh
chapter, portrays how creative and ritual arts support the conversion
process. Through writing and sharing narratives and performing
ceremonial rites, writers
often affirm their sense of belonging within nature. Imaginative
and sacred rituals become a means of simultaneously celebrating
and reinforcing connections within the ecological community.
Press
Interview, Inner
Tapestry, August/September 2003 (1.2 MB PDF
Book Review, published in The
Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener (a
quarterly publication of The Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners
Association), Dec. 2003-Feb. 2004: Like many Mainers, Marina Schauffler participated in coastal
cleanup days year after year...only to find the coast littered
again shortly after the cleanup. Like many, she adopted "earth-saving
tips" but found that they did not address the root causes
of environmental abuses. "Instead of advising people to
reduce their use of lawn chemicals and to keep their cars well
tuned, I wanted to suggest that they rethink grass monocultures
altogether and that they bicycle instead of driving," she
writes in Turning to Earth. This desire led her to investigate
the lives and writings of six people who have looked for and
responded to those root causes. "By drawing together personal
stories of ecological awakening, I hoped to uncover dynamics
of inner ecology that might help to renew the outer world," says
Schauffler. Probing those stories also helped Schauffler earn
her doctorate in ecological ethics and spiritual values.
Schauffler chose six 20th-century, U.S. "ecological writers"--Edward
Abbey, Rachel Carson, N. Scott Momaday, Scott Russell Sanders,
Alice Walker and Terry Tempest Williams--and looked for common
traits in their lives that encouraged them to write so deeply
and ardently about the earth. She found, for example, that all
six had parents who were concerned with the welfare of their
children, and freedom to explore untamed natural areas in their
youth. Churches may have influenced these writers when they were
young, as well, although they tended to move away from churches
ultimately.
The opening chapter of the book is based on the writings of
and personal interviews with Terry Tempest Williams, who was
raised in a strict Mormon family in Utah, whose family was exposed
to radioactive fallout from atomic bomb testing, who subsequently
lost many of her family members to cancer, and who has been told
by her oncologist, "It is not if you get cancer, but when." The
following chapters follow various themes, all starting with the
letter R: Remembrance (commonalities in formative experiences);
Reflection (periods of introspection); Revelation (moments of
insight); Reciprocity (strengthening ties with the ecological
community); Resistance (taking action on behalf of nature); and
Ritual (creative and ritual arts that support the conversion
process). Each of these "R" chapters ends with Schauffler’s
interesting introspections into her own life and how remembrance,
reflection, etc., have shaped her commitment to nature.
Turning to Earth is an intelligent, thoughtful, probing book
that serves as an excellent introduction to the emerging field
of ecopsychology. Schauffler tells how Williams "strives
to model her inner ecology after the desert ecosystem, letting
go of old habits and assumptions and attending carefully to what
she terms the ‘bedrock self.’" She notes Edward
Abbey’s conclusion that trees have a "conscious presence." The
author explains that society’s apparent incapacity to deal
with ecological problems may be due to what psychologists call "psychic
numbing" resulting from the magnitude of those problems.
She quotes Scott Russell Sanders’ observation that in trying
to live ecologically, "The choice is not between innocence
and guilt, the choice is between more and less complicity." She
says that art can help connect people to the ecological whole;
and that acts of civil disobedience, legislative actions, adopting
simple lifestyles, and advocating for animal welfare are among
the steps that people take to help save the natural world. She
notes the irony of environmental professionals who commute long
distances, fly to many meetings, and routinely use disposable
products--and tells how she chose a simpler, close-to-home lifestyle
to counter these problems. "This domestic approach to resistance
pales beside more dramatic and large-scale protests," writes
Schauffler, "yet I remain convinced of its importance. Ecology,
as its Greek roots confirm, begins in our households."
Reading a chapter of Turning to Earth each morning renewed my
ecological spirit and reinforced my belief that ecopsychology
defines the next, essential, big step that the environmental
movement has to take. The book left me with some weighty questions,
too. If the freedom to explore untamed wilderness during youth
is so important to one’s respect for nature, what will
become of the increasing number of children who are denied this
experience--and of the world in which they live? Do occasional,
structured class trips to environmental centers satisfy this
need? (My own children would answer with a firm "No.")
And if people like Edward Abbey and Rachel Carson are considered "converts," what
would it take to convert unethical politicians and heads of polluting
corporations? How can we get these people to revival meetings
of "born again pagans," as Alice Walker calls herself?
Scenes of eco-terrorism from Carl Hiaasen’s fictional Sick
Puppy (a fun, vicariously-pleasurable read, by the way) flash
to mind, but what about real life? Can ecopsychology go beyond
diagnosis and on to successful treatment? Reading Turning to
Earth could comprise the first sessions of this treatment.
Copyright 2003 by Jean English. Originally published in The
Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, Dec. 2003-Feb. 2004; a quarterly
publication of The Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association,
PO Box 170, Unity ME 04988; 207-568-4142; mofga@mofga.org; www.mofga.org.
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