Category Archives: spirituality

We, the Earth: Ecological crisis as spiritual practice

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

“There is no separate self,” say the Buddhists. Twenty-five years ago I couldn’t warm up to the idea. Of course selves are separate; that’s why I was putting so much individual work into building one. Separate self? It was repetitious, … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, politics, spirituality | Tagged climate change, connecting with nature, ecological crisis, farming, IPCC Climate Change 2007 report, meditation, religion, science and religion, spiritual practice | 10 Comments

Animals and awe at Gobekli Tepe

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

They were there at the beginning, their furry tails and paws, their feathers and beaks carved with great detail on the huge stone pillars set in massive circles. The site is Göbekli Tepe (“tep-pay”) in southeastern Turkey, just north of … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, spirituality | Tagged archaeology, archeology, attitudes toward animals | Comments Off

Mystical experiences—good for biology

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

People’s spiritual experiences of nature confer evolutionary advantages. The idea might be startling to those who think science and spirituality have little to do with each other. But recently I had the pleasure of hearing environmental scientist Terry Terhaar, a … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, spirituality | Tagged attitudes toward nature, biophilia, connecting with nature, science, spirituality, Terry Terhaar | 1 Comment

Holy shit!

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

In English it’s a throwaway phrase, a cussword—but for some people it’s literally true: shit is holy. For farmers in India, life begins in “that amazing gift from cows,” says physicist and food activist Vandana Shiva. I don’t know how … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, spirituality | Tagged agriculture, cow dung, factory farming, farming, Michael Pollan, organic, permaculture, Vandana Shiva | Comments Off

Trusting the senses

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

I haven’t been able to forget a comment David Abram made during his keynote at a conference I attended in the spring. He said even science, devoted as it is to studying the material world, in practice acts as if … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, spirituality | Tagged animism, attitudes toward nature, Brian Greene, David Abram, Descartes, Plato, science, science and religion | 10 Comments