In this deep, thoughtful conversation, two of the men at the heart of the Climate Majority Project discuss their own journeys into eco-spirituality - what they believe it to be and why it's a core, foundational bedrock of their lives.
If you follow anything else that Faith and I do together, you'll know that we believe heart-felt connection to the All That Is forms the bedrock of human existence and is the pathway to human flourishing, to our being good ancestors, to laying that foundation on which future generations can build a world where we are an integral part of the web of life.
The whole of the Accidental Gods membership program exists to help people find ways to make this heartfelt connection and the Dreaming Awake contemporary shamanic training takes it more deeply. We don't often get to unpick this in depth here on the podcast. But long term friend of the podcast, the author, philosopher and academic, Rupert Read, suggested a while ago that we might like to have a three way conversation with him and Woodford Roberts who is an integral part of the Climate Majority Project of which they are both founder members. Both have been active in Extinction Rebellion. Both have moved on to believing that change happens in other ways, and both have at the core of their actions and activism a heartfelt connection to the All That Is, however we define it. We have regular guest appearances by people who work deeply in shamanic traditions, or other aspects of contemporary spirituality, but this is the first time we've had a chance to explore what we might call western 'eco-spirituality' in a way that is practiced distinctly from contemporary - or indigenous - shamanic practice.
Rupert is a philosopher who has studied both Quaker and Buddhist traditions, naming Joanna Macey and Thich Nhat Hahn as his teachers. Woodford Roberts - who is called Rob within the movement - comes from a more meta-cognitive stance, but still deeply embedded within western psycho-spiritual philosophy, albeit with personal experience in the shamanic realities. So this was a deep, wide ranging, thoughtful episode and I hope it helps you to navigate your own routes to thinking, feeling and being in these turbulent times. So please welcome back Rupert Read and welcome for the first time, Woodford Roberts, both of the Climate Majority Project.
Bios:
Woodford Roberts is a writer based in Cornwall. With a focus on eco-spirituality and emotion, Woodford's work seeks to help readers stare down the truth of the metacrisis as he seeks to do the same, sharing his own spiritual journey of navigating the challenging terrain of a time between two worlds and the lessons found within. His work appears in Dark Mountain Books, Resurgence & The Ecologist. His first book, called 'How To Be Happy At The End Of The World' is currently in development, and he publishes on a Substack of the same name.
Prof Rupert Read is co-director of the Climate Majority Project and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia. He is the author of several books, including This Civilisation is Finished, Parents for a Future, Why Climate Breakdown Matters and Do you want to know the truth? The surprising rewards of climate honesty. His spiritual teachers have included Joanna Macy and Thich Nhat Hanh.
Links:
Climate Majority Project https://climatemajorityproject.com
Rob in Resurgence https://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article3855-waking-up-to-the-world.html
Rob Substack https://howtobehappyworld.substack.com/
'Kisses on the Wind' - A heartfelt essay written by Rob since our conversation (trigger warning - he discusses his own brush with suicide) https://howtobehappyworld.substack.com/p/kisses-on-the-wind
XR Writers Rebel by Rob https://writersrebel.com/read-this-is-for-my-children/
Motes In A Sunbeam published with Dark Mountain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdmr96gVFgw
Rupert's website https://rupertread.net/
Rupert on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupert-read-6717548/?originalSubdomain=uk
Rupert on Twitter https://twitter.com/GreenRupertRead
Arts Council-Funded Play inspired by Rupert's work www.phoenixdodobutterfly.com
Rupert - Ebor Lecture in York https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ebor-lecture-earth-hope-with-professor-rupert-read-tickets-811255837047 (also available online for those not in Yorkshire)
Rupert 'Thin Red Line' paper https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/film.2002.0023
Climate Majority Culture Peace Gathering https://climatemajorityproject.com/culture-peace-gathering/
Life Itself https://lifeitself.org/programs
Accidental Gods