First Small Group Discussion

I've posted a summary of a small group discussion on the topic of environment and spirituality I led at a Neo-Pagan gathering at the end of July over on my environment & spirit blog. Here's most of it:

I chose the small group discussion model out of what I learned in my Reflective Practicum coursework, that social change comes from people talking, looking at their lives, finding frustrations, and noticing gaps – and then people will want to change. I was hoping to plant some seeds that might lead to noticing gaps and help a movements towards social change in this area of environment and spirituality – but I was also really curious as to what a group of people attending a Pagan conference might have to say about their sense of connection to, or being part of, nature.

In addition to my understanding that Paganism is a nature religion, I know that Pagans also tend to believe that the Divine is immanent – i.e., right here, in us, in rocks and trees and rivers, in critters and clouds, here – as opposed to transcendent, or far away, distant, in heaven, in the sky, beyond the boundaries of the earth. In transcendence, the Divine is not part of the Earth; in immanence, the Divine is the Earth, and all that is on the Earth. I was curious to see if the current of immanence would mean that practicing Pagans had an understanding of humans and nature as being one and the same.

My first question to the group was whether they felt like they were part of nature or separate from it, and why. Now, in a group of 15 Pagans, you have at least 20 perspectives, so I certainly did not get the same response from everyone. I did hear some people describe nature as something they looked for but did not find in their urban setting – that a dandelion growing through a crack in the sidewalk was a small glimmer of nature in an otherwise natureless-setting. This reflects an American cultural pattern of a clear separation between humans and nature (Stewart and Bennett, 1991, p. 115).

On the other hand, I also heard people who described themselves as “a wave, not a particle” and “absolutely part of nature – my life is part of the web of life.” One person relayed that a feeling of separateness from nature was a motivation for them to strive for something different. We spent some time musing on a plastic bottle – how it was made from parts of the earth, how it was a feat of human intelligence and design, how it was part of our cycle now. How, we wondered, did the “sacredness of crappy plastic” fit in to everything?

My second question was how they defined themselves spiritually and how that influenced their sense of connection to nature. Some felt it was their experience of nature, or being in nature (note: use of the word “in,” not “part of”), that drives their spirituality. One person commented that it was an eye-opener for them when they learned that the word “religion” in other parts of the world means how you live every day of your life, because that hadn’t been her experience of religion up to that point. Many agreed that a sense of awareness, seeing little details or “Goddess moments,” recognizing that in nature you never see function without beauty or beauty without function, fed their spirituality.

At the end of our hour together, I felt that we had had a very good discussion and raised some good points with areas to explore further, but I’m not sure (yet) that I planted seeds that will lead to social change. I hope the conversation will continue – perhaps on this blog?

Stewart, E. & M. Bennett (1991). American cultural patterns: A cross-cultural perspective. Boston: Intercultural Press.

An Introduction

Have you ever sat on the edge of Crater Lake National Park in awe and admiration contemplating the vibrant blue of the water and wondered if all water should look this way, so clean and uncontaminated? Have you ever had the chance to visit the Natural Bridges National Monument, one of the least light polluted places in the country and sit in jaw dropping fascination as you gaze at the galaxy and marvel at the endless dance of shooting stars streaking across the night sky as coyotes serenade you? Have you ever hiked the Virgin River in Zion National Park leaving all the visitors behind to be greeted by the warm sun, narrowing canyon walls and the welcoming coolness of the river when your only companions are the ravens overhead? Have you felt the rush of solitude and eerie feeling of complete stillness while descending down into the lava tubes in Lava Beds National Monument with only your flashlight for comfort and company?
Why is it important to preserve these places? What makes them so special? I think it would be safe to say that anyone who has ever visited a national park has had some feeling of appreciation and sense of the grandeur and unspoiled beauty all around them. These are the places where it seems that time stands still, the land and animals seem free of human development and encroachment. They are the places that are still wild and free, that may look very similar to the way they did hundreds of years ago, especially if one ventures into the backcountry. Millions of people from all over the world visit the national parks every year for reasons that cannot be found anywhere else but in the parks. Our parks are abounding with a multitude of cultural, historical, biological, ecological, educational, recreational and inspirational experiences for all to enjoy. They are the last of the unspoiled places in the United States. They are home to some of the most diverse and rare species on the planet. They are wild and untamed. They are my passion, my love, my salvation, my inspiration, and my peace.

But who am I? My name is Laura and I am a student, an apartment manager, a hiker, a skier, a climber, a kayaker, and a nature lover. I am one person who cares about our country’s national parks. I have worked in two national parks and they allowed me to live and work in some of the most beautiful places in our country and to get to know the intricacies and connectedness that our parks share with the rest of our world. Most of my vacations or extended road trips will include destinations to the national parks for hiking, enlightenment, inspiration and enjoyment. I recently took a 4000 mile trip to Glacier, Yellowstone, Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges, Lava Beds and Crater Lake. Along the way I informally interviewed park personnel and asked many questions about climate change and its effects on the parks. Initially I got a lot of canned responses, very official and government like, referring me to park web sites and other links to their research and studies. Eventually I learned to ask the right questions. It was amazing and inspiring to see the eyes of the ranger at the visitors center light up once I asked about more than the usual questions of “What is good to see in the park?” and “How long does it take to drive through to see it all?” What I found were park service employees who were lively and passionate about their parks. They were willing to talk at length about the effects of climate change within the park and how it is affecting the fragile ecosystem. For instance, Skull Cave in Lava Beds National Monument is a short walk through a lava tube that culminates in very steep staircases leading you down into the earth to reach the bottom of the cave where ice is on the ground year round. The ice floor used to be open to visitors so they could stand on the ice in freezing temperatures when they came from above 90 degrees just moments ago. Years of visitors carrying dirt and sediment on their shoes has degraded the clarity of the ice and has consequently caused its depletion. Increasing average global temperatures has also lead to the depletion of the ice in Skull Cave, just one small example of the changes our national parks are facing with regards to climate change. Likewise at Glacier National Park in Montana, many of the glaciers are but a fraction of what they were just 50 years ago. Perhaps this park will need to be renamed in the near future. In short many of the reasons we initially preserved these places as national parks or monuments are because of the unique qualities found only in that specific ecosystem. Climate change has begun to affect the very reasons why we set aside these places as pristine or unique. If these unique qualities cease to exist and our parks change beyond recognition will we still value them? What if there were no more glaciers in Glacier NP? What if the bison were gone from Yellowstone and Old Faithful never erupted again? How would we feel if we could never again see the azure of the water at Crater Lake? I feel it is vitally important to understand and study the effects of climate change on our parks in hopes to help them defend themselves from this change. If unchecked, unstudied, and not understood, the parks are susceptible to species extinction, resource depletion, pollution, and catastrophic disease and insect infestation. I deeply believe that we can make a difference. I am only one person passionate about something, yet that is where change begins. Caring individually is a wonderful thing, but collectively caring about something is where social change blossoms and prospers. America’s Best Idea needs your help. Please support your National Parks by visiting them and voting for increased funding. Your children and I will thank you.