shadow and the ecological self

Is it wrong to eat a half a pint of Hagen Dazs Chocolate Ice Cream for lunch? Or can I pass it off as medicine needed?

Sometimes the medicine needed is chocolate ice cream.

I’ve been thinking about shadow and the ecological self.

This notion of the ecological self which refers to our interconnectedness with the more than human world, our connection with the web of life, our realization that we aren’t really as independent as we sometimes think we are…

Such a grand noble idea to aspire to with volumes written in deep ecology, ecopsychology, environmental philosophy of this inspiring premise that we can cultivate a more regenerative culture if we foster and cultivate this ecological self.

So many volumes written on the spiritual, psychological, physical, mental benefits of spending time in nature, nurturing this ecological side of ourselves.

Not so much literature on the shadow side of the ecological self. Joanna Macy has written about the need for expressing our despair at what is happening in the world, but most of the literature in ecopsychology focuses on the positive aspects, the benefits of connecting with the natural world, personally and collectively.

Is there any question why we may numb out on things like shopping and other shallow short-sighted soothing behaviors that may not serve us in the long run?

The shadow side of the ecological self in my view is the overwhelm that can arrive at feeling too much of the world.

Maybe ecopsychology and deep ecology texts should come with a warning: proceed with caution.

This is where non-dual psychospiritual teachings are essential in my view to be enjoined with ecopsychology.

I’ll speak for myself. I came back from a transformational week at the Kauai Writers Conference with high blood pressure. I needed to go to the doctor. I arrived at the doctors office the same time a woman and I presume a woman who was her mother were taking a baby maybe a year old to the hospital. The baby was clearly in respiratory distress, and they were having a hard time navigating the confusing directions to get to the actual hospital which shares a parking lot with the doctors’ professional offices. It was all I could do that day to stop from crying the entire day.  Children suffering was a particularly acute awareness that week with me.  It was all I could do to pray that baby was going to be ok and for all the children suffering with the RSV and other flu prevalent right now.

If we are willing to open to the ecological self, we need methods to fortify and be okay even while witnessing and feeling the deep pain of this world.

This is where the Marriage of Spirit work is necessary. Leslie would invite us to hold a witness state of non-attachment and do a square exercise on the desire to open to the ecological self, the fear of opening to the ecological self, versus the desire to not open to the ecological self and the fear of not opening to the ecological self.

Briefly, the desire to open to the ecological self could be the desire to know our deep connection, our oneness with nature, to feel the belonging and the bliss of unity consciousness, the desire to contribute to a better world and contribute to a culture of equality, justice for all life, peace and equanimity.  The fear of opening to the ecological self could be to not want to feel deeply into the suffering so present, to just live a life that is good and free and to not have to engage too deeply with big issues that are beyond the control of one person.  Similar to what could be fleshed out in the side of the square that is the opposite, the desire to not open to the ecological self.  Nothing wrong with not opening to the ecological self, that’s just some term made up by some people who may or may not know anything about what the real world is like for people just trying to make a living and provide for their families.  The other side of that in the square process being the fear of not opening to the ecological self which could include the fear of feeling like maybe we didn’t do enough to shift culture towards the ecologically sustainable so many of us vision for the future.

The most important part of the square process being the part where we offer it all up to the Universe, to Spirit:

Dear Universe,

I hereby offer up all the desires and fears around cultivating the ecological self. I ask for clearing that I may come into impeccability and integrity and know my part in this unfolding adventure on planet Earth. I give thanks as I know it will be done. 

And then just sit.

Being willing to feel the opposites in these charged issues is difficult work.

Not working the shadow won’t get us very far though.

Wait.

Give it some time.

There’s nothing else to do at this point.

A shift will come.

On the bright side, Venus is rising out her underworld journey this week. With clear skies she should be visible on the western horizon after sunset from about December 1st.  Our Evening Star is returning. May she bring us some light for the season.

“Rainbow Honu” Kathy Stanley