The 21st Century Challenge
the Universe - and in particular planet Earth – is a communion of subjects,
not a collection of objects. If we don’t learn that – nothing is going to work
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Our unique educational experience comes at just the right time.
It seems increasingly clear that the current systems and structures of American life no longer provide a clear path forward for future generations. Vast stores of new knowledge are available to help us forge solutions to these challenges. New approaches in how we relate to each other and to the planet are called for. When we pay attention, we realize that nature wastes nothing and that as old structures collapse, they become fertile ground for the next creative emergence. This ReGenerative principle applies to the personal, social and environmental challenges that confront us all. Our program is for you if: > you are a college or high school graduate wondering what to do next > you are interested in making a difference in the world > you want to be part of a community of like-minded individuals > you are looking for meaningful work where you can earn a good > living and love what you do > you are interested in working on the land or connecting with nature > you love food and the art of eating > you want to find and keep a meaningful intimate partnership > you want to develop satisfying personal and professional relationships > you want you to feel energized when you wake up in the morning |
“We are at the terminal phase of 65 million years of the Cenozoic era since the dinosaurs went extinct. We are not just passing into another historical period or another cultural modification. We are changing the chemistry of the planet. We are changing the bio-systems. [W]e are terminating … 65 million years of life
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Our unique educational experience comes at just the right time.
It seems increasingly clear that the current systems and structures of American life no longer provide a clear path forward for future generations. Vast stores of new knowledge are available to help us forge solutions to these challenges. New approaches in how we relate to each other and to the planet are called for. When we pay attention, we realize that nature wastes nothing and that as old structures collapse, they become fertile ground for the next creative emergence. This ReGenerative principle applies to the personal, social and environmental challenges that confront us all. Our program is for you if: > you are a college or high school graduate wondering what to do next > you are interested in making a difference in the world > you want to be part of a community of like-minded individuals > you are looking for meaningful work where you can earn a good > living and love what you do > you are interested in working on the land or connecting with nature > you love food and the art of eating > you want to find and keep a meaningful intimate partnership > you want to develop satisfying personal and professional relationships > you want you to feel energized when you wake up in the morning |
“We are at the terminal phase of 65 million years of the Cenozoic era since the dinosaurs went extinct. We are not just passing into another historical period or another cultural modification. We are changing the chemistry of the planet. We are changing the bio-systems. [W]e are terminating … 65 million years of life
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Tasting the Story of the Universe: the notion of eco-cosmology
Eco-therapy is the application of the concepts of eco-psychology, a relatively new field of study, to the situations of individuals in distress because of their disconnection from nature. Eco-psychology however, can best be understood in the light of what might be called eco-cosmology. Eco-cosmology locates individuals and cultures within the larger container of the universe. It expresses a belief that we as human beings, and all of life on planet Earth, are part of a larger fabric of existence, one that reaches to the very ends of the universe and to the very beginning of time.
Who we are is intimately connected, consciously or unconsciously to our place in the systems that nurture us. We become fully human in relationship; and those relationships are wider and deeper than most of us imagine. Whether it is our relationship to our self, to our families’, to our culture or to our society, it is always held in the larger context of our relationship to the earth and to the universe as a whole.
The direct experience of our embedded-ness in the natural world has been lost in industrial society. The loss of that direct experiential connection has been paralleled by the loss of a story or parable that adequately expresses our place in the larger ecosystem of planet and universe. Until we reclaim an adequate way of understanding how we fit into that larger eco-system, it is difficult for us to be fully at home in our bodies or our communities. That leaves us confused as to how to relate to the planet that we refer to as “mother-earth”.
Eco-cosmology seeks to tell a contemporary story that helps us have a lived experience of our place in the fabric of the cosmos. This provides a foundation for us to better meet the many serious challenges (social, political, ecological, economic and psychological) that we face today. Without such an understanding it is almost impossible for contemporary individuals, disconnected from a direct experience of nature, to orient themselves to the great challenges we face today, individual or collective.
Who we are is intimately connected, consciously or unconsciously to our place in the systems that nurture us. We become fully human in relationship; and those relationships are wider and deeper than most of us imagine. Whether it is our relationship to our self, to our families’, to our culture or to our society, it is always held in the larger context of our relationship to the earth and to the universe as a whole.
The direct experience of our embedded-ness in the natural world has been lost in industrial society. The loss of that direct experiential connection has been paralleled by the loss of a story or parable that adequately expresses our place in the larger ecosystem of planet and universe. Until we reclaim an adequate way of understanding how we fit into that larger eco-system, it is difficult for us to be fully at home in our bodies or our communities. That leaves us confused as to how to relate to the planet that we refer to as “mother-earth”.
Eco-cosmology seeks to tell a contemporary story that helps us have a lived experience of our place in the fabric of the cosmos. This provides a foundation for us to better meet the many serious challenges (social, political, ecological, economic and psychological) that we face today. Without such an understanding it is almost impossible for contemporary individuals, disconnected from a direct experience of nature, to orient themselves to the great challenges we face today, individual or collective.
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