Marian Green - Introduction to Spiritual Ecology: The Magic of Nature

First published in 2022 by Robert Hale, an imprint of
The Crowood Press Ltd
Ramsbury, Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2022

Marian Green 2022

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

The right of Marian Green to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN 978 0 7198 3155 3

Cover design: Blue Sunflower Creative

DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I dedicate this work to Mother Nature who has sustained me throughout my life.

I would like to thank my friends who have been such a support during the last seventeen months, especially Bee, Mo and Kim. I thank Fawziyah for her leaf drawings, and my many friends and relatives, far and wide, who have always been there at the end of a phone for me.

I would also like to thank The Crowood Press for their patience and encouragement during this drawn-out process.

May the Holy Ones bless you all.

Marian Green, Bristol, Lammas 2021

PREFACE

Our world is undergoing many changes; some on a small, local level, others on a planet-wide scale. Over the years many of these have been positive and controlled, and have brought benefits to health, quality of our food and safety of the world around us. Now, however, there are powerful forces for transformation that seem to be bringing chaos and disruption to many. When a situation occurs beyond our control, and beyond our wildest nightmares, many of the certainties by which we live our lives get swept away. From the ruins of our previous normal existence we will have to lay new foundations, arrange new plans and rethink many aspects of what we are doing and where we want to go. The viral infection called Covid 19 that swept through the world in 2020 irrevocably changed people, especially those affected by the millions of deaths around the planet. Continuing ripples of ill-health may continue into the future until effective and widespread vaccination and other remedies are available.

Everywhere people realized they could work remotely, at home, saving time and money on draining commutes to their places of work, or perhaps change what they did for a living. Some were inclined to move house to have more space for a home office, or a garden to cultivate. Of course many suffered, being forced to stay in, spend more time with family members or those who depended on them, not always to their benefit. Some people who lived alone, or were isolated from loved ones, friends or colleagues, were greatly affected by this. A proportion of those who caught this infection also suffered long-term complications although the newly developed vaccines and new therapies have restored freedom to many.

As well experiencing separation and upheaval, many people began to re-examine what really mattered to them. When shops were closed it was necessary to use what was already at hand, and the continual chore of buying more things became less important. This need to possess more, have new items or accrue extra clothes and so on may have caused some people to reconsider the whole matter of owning less. Some people did all their shopping on-line and found returning to physical shops in person quite strange, and have continued to get groceries and other necessities delivered to their doors.

Among these shifts of perception is the growing need that humans should reconnect with Nature. By ignoring the state of the Earth beneath our feet and all the countless living things around us, we have allowed the transformation of the land, the waters, and the use of precious resources to be over-used. Now many are waking up to this situation, or being shaken by the drastic change in weather patterns, animal extinctions and pollution that are caused by us. Everything is connected, the Earth, the many life forms, from microbes to huge elephants and whales, from plants to people. We are all parts of the web of existence and if one part is damaged everything, animal, mineral and plant, is affected.

We are created from star-stuff, evolved and changed by time. Evolution has given us many gifts, but it also gave humanity free will, and some of our activities are now known to be destructive, harmful and polluting. In the twenty-first century we are reaping some of the dark harvest our species has sown.

Spiritual Ecology

Spiritual Ecology is a concept that has evolved from a wide array of different streams of experience and so is difficult to define. It is based on an individuals relationship with the natural world and so is unique to them. It is connected to so many threads of human life and experience history, Nature, science, religion and some aspects of actual magical practice. Many people are involved in it in one way or another. The definition came about when someone asked me how I described myself. I said, I am a Spiritual Ecologist. And the concept stuck.

For many years I have worked with real magic, the power of Nature, the traditions of the past and the wisdom of countryfolk. I feel connected to legendary and fictional wizards like Merlin, Gandalf and J.K. Rowlings Professor Sprout. All these characters were well-read and learned, yet practised what they had learned. Nature is magical, and magic is natural, a series of skills that can be mastered.

Today the wise dont have to battle dragons so much as unseen adversaries or bureaucracy. It is essential for everyone to have less screen-time and more green-time. We have become Nature-deprived and lost our inherent magic. We cant google the taste of strawberries or read how the wind in our hair feels; we have to actually experience these things, explore and learn.

This book is intended to be a ramble through many vast subjects, for the power of Nature is felt everywhere from the minutest living thing to the wide extent of the cosmos. All are part of the whole, and each entity can influence the others. Many things can only be touched on briefly here because the list is endless; it is timeless, eternal and infinite. Each seeker will have to find their own meandering path while following their individual quest. This process is not easy, it is not fast, but it is utterly fascinating and life-enhancing. An aspect of our lives that has recently been transformed is the realization that no one is impervious to the effects of Covid 19, severe weather and natural disasters. For some people, this has awoken a new spiritual awareness. Spirituality is a path of choice, the individual searching for our souls path and a personal revelation of the meaning of life. It has few of the limits of an organized religion, introduces no priesthood, no book of rules between the Creator and creation. We can move forward on our own paths, bound by common goodwill, and ethical behaviour. We do not need to see the stars in a picture in a frame; we can see the stars with our own eyes in the night sky, so they can inspire and guide us. So it should be with Nature a personal experience for us and especially our children, bringing connection and fulfilment. Through direct contact with the natural world, our spiritual path will bring us closer to health, happiness and contentment.