Unraveling the Disconnection from Ecological Reality
In our modern world, reconnecting with the soul of the Earth is a journey that requires effort and introspection. This process involves reweaving body and mind, confronting trauma, and finding alignment, as noted by various thought leaders.
The path towards reconnection can be a daunting one, offering the gift of being truly present in our existence. However, it is a path that many feel compelled to walk, as we grow numb to the destruction of our forests and oceans, reducing them to lumber and fish stocks.
Carl Jung, the renowned Swiss psychologist, described our modern condition as a "dissociation of consciousness," a fracture between reason and nature. This dissociation, a psychological term for feeling disconnected from one's body or surroundings, is a common experience in today's world.
Winona LaDuke, an environmental activist, emphasises the inextricable link between community, land, people, and culture. She believes that cultures can heal from this dissociation and return to a state of embodiment and alignment.
The author, who has spent much of their adult life working to undo dissociation, notes that this detachment among people is a growing concern in the era of ecocide. Dissociation may provide temporary relief, but it creates fractures in the long run.
Thomas Berry, a cultural historian, coined the term inscendence, referring to the shift from wanting to escape or transcend the world to wanting to enter its core and become part of it. This shift is a key step towards reconnecting with the Earth and overcoming dissociation.
James Hillman, another psychologist, lamented modern consciousness being cut off from the soul of the world. He believed that our species has fragmented itself, clinging to myths of separation from ourselves, one another, and the Earth.
The Anthropocene, a geological epoch marked by human activity, is characterised by a collective ecological dissociation due to industrialization, colonization, urbanization, and the enclosure of the commons. This dissociation has led to a forgetting of ancestral ways of reciprocity with the planet.
Joanna Macy refers to the current condition as "the work that reconnects." She encourages us to remember our interconnectedness with all of life and to take action towards healing our relationship with the Earth.
In our modern lives, dissociation can be described as watching someone become invisible, a common feeling in today's fast-paced world. Modern life has an increasing quality of unreality to it, leading to a sense of detachment.
Many ancestral ties to the land and community have been severed, but the path towards reconnection is within reach. By acknowledging and confronting our dissociation, we can begin to heal and find our way back to a state of embodiment and alignment with the Earth.
