“All important ideas must include the trees, the mountains, and the rivers.” - Mary Oliver
In our climate-changed world, there is a call coming from the direction of the earth, an ecological call of our times for our theologies and spiritualities—our most basic ways of being, seeing, and acting—to evolve from dominion thinking to stewardship, and from stewardship thinking to relationship and reciprocity.
Join Daniel Cooperrider on an immersive journey based on Daniel's award-winning book Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You: A Field Guide to the Bible. During this four-part, author-led virtual gathering, we will seek ways of re-wilding and re-earthing spiritual awareness and practice—attending to our relationship and conversation with the more-than-human world through connecting to the elements of nature as they express themselves in our own local landscapes, in the landscapes of sacred literature, and within the landscape of the soul.
In this book journey we will:
- Journey intellectually – surveying the “two books” idea in the history of thought, that God is the “author” of two books, the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture.
- Journey elementally – in the four sessions we will dialogue with the four classical elements (water, fire, earth, air) as they express themselves in our local landscapes (no matter where we are joining from), and within the experience of being a body in nature and in the landscape of the soul.
- Journey ecologically – we will hold space for climate and ecological grief, despair, hope, and longing as we explore how contemporary creation spirituality is urgently needed in the context of the ecological and climate call of our times.
- Journey spiritually – through ritual, journaling, and guided practice, we will adventure with and back to the earth as a way of becoming more fully awake and alive to the task of helping the world understand and celebrate itself, seeking its flourishing and fullness of expression.
All ages and spiritual traditions/orientations welcome! This virtual retreat could be especially appealing to those who consider themselves “spiritual but not religious,” and to those who’s spiritual practice comes in the form of birdwatching, hiking, cloud spotting and sunset viewing, and otherwise enjoying and celebrating nature. For preachers, teachers, activists and spiritual leaders, this retreat is aimed to offer inspiration and fresh insight to glean from and share with others.
Dates/Time: January 8, 15, 22, 29, 2024/ 5:00–6:30pm et
Location: Zoom
Cost: $250
To sign up visit www.danielcooperrider.com
