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About Ecomysticism
Explores the philosophy, science, and spirituality of nature mysticism and its Green calling
• Offers a solid bridge between spiritual practice and environmental activism
• Reveals how we can heal the environment by renewing our connection to it
• Shows how spiritual encounters in nature are healing the Nature Deficit Disorder of our psyches and bodies
Many have been struck by a majestic moment in nature--a sole illuminated flower in a shady grove, an owl swooping silently across a wooded path, or an infinitely starry sky--and found themselves in a state of expanded awareness so profound they can feel the interconnectedness of all life. These trance-like moments of clarity, unity, and wonder often incite a call to protect and preserve the earth--to support Nature as she supports us. Termed “nature mysticism,” people from all cultures have described such experiences. However, the ever-increasing urbanization of the world’s population is threatening this ancient connection as well as the earth itself.
In Ecomysticism, Carl von Essen explores nature mysticism through the recorded experiences of outdoor enthusiasts as well as scientific studies in biology, psychology, and neuroscience. Citing consciousness scholar William James and a variety of well-known nature lovers such as Ansel Adams, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, von Essen shows how the spiritual transcendence from an encounter in nature--like other mystical experiences--is healing the Nature Deficit Disorder of our psyches and bodies, leading to an expansion of our worldview and a clearer understanding of our self and of our natural world. Offering a solid bridge between spiritual practice and environmental activism, von Essen’s spiritual ecology reveals how only through a renewal of humanity’s spiritual connection to nature can we effect true environmental healing.
• Offers a solid bridge between spiritual practice and environmental activism
• Reveals how we can heal the environment by renewing our connection to it
• Shows how spiritual encounters in nature are healing the Nature Deficit Disorder of our psyches and bodies
Many have been struck by a majestic moment in nature--a sole illuminated flower in a shady grove, an owl swooping silently across a wooded path, or an infinitely starry sky--and found themselves in a state of expanded awareness so profound they can feel the interconnectedness of all life. These trance-like moments of clarity, unity, and wonder often incite a call to protect and preserve the earth--to support Nature as she supports us. Termed “nature mysticism,” people from all cultures have described such experiences. However, the ever-increasing urbanization of the world’s population is threatening this ancient connection as well as the earth itself.
In Ecomysticism, Carl von Essen explores nature mysticism through the recorded experiences of outdoor enthusiasts as well as scientific studies in biology, psychology, and neuroscience. Citing consciousness scholar William James and a variety of well-known nature lovers such as Ansel Adams, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, von Essen shows how the spiritual transcendence from an encounter in nature--like other mystical experiences--is healing the Nature Deficit Disorder of our psyches and bodies, leading to an expansion of our worldview and a clearer understanding of our self and of our natural world. Offering a solid bridge between spiritual practice and environmental activism, von Essen’s spiritual ecology reveals how only through a renewal of humanity’s spiritual connection to nature can we effect true environmental healing.
About the Author(s) of Ecomysticism
Carl von Essen, M.D., studied medicine in California and Sweden. He has practiced and taught in the United States, India, and Switzerland and served with the World Health Organization in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The author of The Revenge of the Fishgod: Angling Adventures around the World and Memory Is a Dwelling Place, he lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Praise for Ecomysticism
“Carl von Essen mixes the personal, the scientific, and the ecological as he tracks the experiences of nature exemplified by the ways of the hunter, the warrior, the athlete, the mystic, and the scientist. As an angler, physician, scholar, and adventurer, he is uniquely qualified for these explorations. Read and be enlightened!”
Stephen Bodio, author of On the Edge of the Wild: Passions and Pleasures of the Naturalist and Eagle Dreams: Searching for Legends in Wild Mongolia
Stephen Bodio, author of On the Edge of the Wild: Passions and Pleasures of the Naturalist and Eagle Dreams: Searching for Legends in Wild Mongolia
“This, I believe, is an important book, a systematic and fearless new look at spirituality in the language of both the humanities and biology. It is impressive in scholarship and style . . . I believe it will stimulate new interest in the subject.”
E. O. Wilson, professor at Harvard University and author of The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth and Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
E. O. Wilson, professor at Harvard University and author of The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth and Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
“A significant statement in our present chemical era on the return of the physician to the role of the naturalist. To see ourselves through the lens of nature is to see that everything in nature is reflected in the life of the soul. And when we see this, God speaks to us and our consciousness is transformed.”
Eugene Taylor, Ph.D., author of William James on Consciousness beyond the Margin
Eugene Taylor, Ph.D., author of William James on Consciousness beyond the Margin
“A fascinating account of a crucial issue for our species, presented in an intelligent, articulate, and immensely readable way. I feel a close kinship in much of what he says.”
Anthony Stevens, Jungian analyst and author of The Two Million-Year-Old Self and The Roots of War and Terror
Anthony Stevens, Jungian analyst and author of The Two Million-Year-Old Self and The Roots of War and Terror
“This is an important book in the advancement of education.”
Ron Macisaac, Lower Island News, March 2011
Ron Macisaac, Lower Island News, March 2011
“Offering a solid bridge between spiritual practice and environmental activism, von Essen's spiritual ecology reveals how only through a renewal of humanity's spiritual connection to nature can we effect true environmental healing.”
Arizona Networking News, March 2011
Arizona Networking News, March 2011
“Ecomysticism bridges the artificial divide between science and art. The author. . . reaches into our collective past, present and future to demonstrate why our spiritual relationship with Nature must be nurtured in order to “bring us back to our senses”.
Miriam Darlington, Resurgence Magazine, July 2011
Miriam Darlington, Resurgence Magazine, July 2011
