The Deep Ecology/Earth Spirituality Groupd is a forming group
that is meeting September 8, 15, 22 and 29.  They are meeting
weekly to study and discuss issues related to our relationship
to Mother Earth.  

Meetings are at 7 p.m. at the Inter-Cooperative Council 
Education Center, 1522 Hill St.  Actually, I believe
they are meeting out in back of the cneter.  For more infor-
mation call 971-6133 or 677-4518.

9 responses total.

I called the number and the woman I spoke with was very nice
and quite helpful.

Yes, I met the organizers at the last Crossroads.  I'll definitely
be stopping by for a meeting or two.  They're really neat people.

Well, uh, I don't live in Ann Arbor but I do know someone who used
to run a club there called the Blind Pig.  However I am IN LOVE
with the Earth.  From a codependent model I'd have to say Mom is
an enabler, while I'm an addict.  Why here I am, patting my fingers
on molded plastic!  I'd like to talk with people about deep
ecology/Earth Spirituality stuff.

Can someone please explain the philosophy of deep ecology for
me?  I am woefully uninformed.

Deep ecology stems from the perspective that we, as humans, must shed our
self-encapsulated ego and realize that the dominant Western European dogma
that man is intended to conquer nature and control nature is completely
detrimental to the proliferation of life on Earth.  We must turn to the deeper
meanings of ecology; to realize that we are part of a biosphere and all other
forms of life are also an integral part of this biosphere.  Bioregionalism
and non-dual approaches toward life are needed to preserve the sanctity of
life -- an approach our current empirical structure does not embrace.  We need
to consider the teachings of Leopold and collectively enspouse an
environmental ethic that respects all forms of life and seeks to understand
how we, as humans, may live in harmony with DNA-based (and possibly
non-DNA-based?) life forms.  Until we look toward the zen-like philosophy of
deep ecology as a real, collective solution instead of intangible
philosophical renderings, economics will continue to work seperately and at
odds with ecology.

So, why don't more pagans live by this philosophy?

I'm not sure there's anything especially pagan about it.
I hope I'm not being unfair to "Deep Ecology," but it sounds
to me like a kind of play-acting.  Let's all agree on [insert
your pet fiction here] and then have earnest discussions in
the required jargon.  The fiction in this case is that we
can "save the planet."  I agree in spades with whoever it
was that said that it's just egotism and self-importance to
think that we can save the earth, but that we do have a
legitimate parochial (ie, selfish) interest in preventing or
delaying the extinction of our own species, and in making
our surroundings as healthy and as beautiful as possible.
The ability to do that proceeds from specific factual knowledge.
One of the things I find so endearing about people who call
themselves pagans is the way they're willing to infuse their
religion with practical fact-based information about plants,
the seasons, the sky, etc.  Saves me the trouble of having
to invent a new religion from scratch.  ;-)

The trouble with the egotism and self-importance of the save-
the-earth crowd, btw, is that its no different from the
egotism and self-importance of their enemies the polluters.

        Ego wars. Gods, isn't that the cause of most the problems in
this world?

 That and Human prejudice.
Both suck stone...But I drift.

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