"Earth is home to the soul" - John Seeds

As corny as it may seem, the content of the Smith article on the ecological unconscious leapt out at me.  I took what was for me the key paragraphs on human displacement and created a Worldle, below:

I love how the words layer interconnectedly in continuous forms of grey. Of course, the largest and darkest terms, one, just, land, heart’s ease spoke easily, but the terms on the periphery, removed, continue, unrecognized, unsettled, communities, changed also spoke, but quite uneasily.

We think, as humans, that our experiences are based on our ability to manipulate that which surrounds us.  We forget, usually purposefully, that we are changed by those experiences, that those surroundings change us as well.  We try and dominate nature, yet the struggle is futile and peace can be found when we realize that, instead, we must commune.  One fiction author that weaves this theme well is Barbara Kingsolver – several of her novels remark on how the environment shapes her characters: this theme dominates The Poisonwood Bible, The Prodigal Summer, and her newest, Flight Behavior. 

Reading Smith also brought to mind the Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku or forest bathing.  Many may think that the Japanese are so focused on technology and modernization, yet its religion, Shinto, is naturalist, as is its most famous form of poetry, the haiku. Yet nature is such an important part of Japanese life; it is more than getting away from it all or getting back to nature – the Japanese see nature as being integral to well-being: 

This Globe and Mail article refers to a study which hypothesizes that the essential oils given off by cedars and other coniferous trees native to Japan (and the NA pacific coast) improve human mindfulness.  This video describes more fully the thereputic benefits of shinrin-yoku. I like how this production utilizes pop-ups to reinforce some of the concepts and provides live links to the sources mentioned, too. 

And finally, for anyone wishing to pursue the study of Interpersonal Ecopsychology, you might want to join the good folks at Colorado's Naropa University (shades of Allan Ginsburg!) - there's actually some cool stuff here, (including the title quote of this blog) especially for those of us who are Whole Foodies:

In the meantime, I have the sudden urge to plan a Sunday trip out to Elk Island National Park, just east of where I live.  Anyone interested in joining me? 

REFERENCE

Smith, D. (2010, January 27). Is there an ecological unconscious [blog post]? Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/magazine/31ecopsych-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0