Commencementspeech recognizesnew graduates asmodern ‘sensitives’

“Eighty-four years ago, Her-mann Hesse published anovel, Steppenwolf, in

which the protagonist stands for thetype of person who is sensitive toshifts in collective consciousness.Recalling Nietzsche as such a sensi-tive—“I give you the advent of ni-hilism”—Hesse’s novel diagnosesthe suffering not only of individuals,but of the times themselves. Fortimes out of joint impact the sensitiveright through their individually feltwounds.What Hesse, Nietzsche, and otherspredicted we now live: the end of anage of technocratic hubris and capi-

talized colonialism, an end announcedby social systems, economic systems,and ecosystems crashing around theplanet. Which raises the question:What do sensitive people of our timeregister?Everyone here today feels the woundsof our planet in your very flesh. In fact,it is the ecotherapist’s task to remainopen to that level of wounding so youcan help other people stand theirs.Ideally, you encourage them to movefrom passive victimization by “eco-anxiety” and other ailments of alien-ation from the natural world intodeeper contact with and appreciationof Earth, our home, our origin, andsource of embodied healing.Yet sensitive people sense future pos-sibilities, as Hesse described so oftenin his writings. Just as the intuitive ofhis time sensed the oncoming tide ofworldwide disorganization, so the

“nietzsche

announced the

advent of nihilism;

but as graduates of

the first ecotherapy

certificate program,

your presence an-

nounces an advent

of possibility.”

— craig chalquist, ph.d

Earth gets good news:certified ecotherapists

ecotherapy newsHealing our relationsHip witH nature ...

ecopsycHology in action ...

psycHotHerapy as if tHe wHole world mattered ...

Fall 2011

The International Association forEcotherapy was founded in

2002 as a virtual organization ofpsychotherapy clinicians, coun-selors, healthcare professionals,coaches, guides, students and edu-cators who are practicing or teach-ing in the emerging field ofecotherapy (applied ecopsychol-ogy).

For a free subscription to thisnewsletter contact publisher andexecutive editor Linda Buzzell,M.A., M.F.T., founder of The Inter-national Association for Ecotherapyat lbuzzell@aol.com. Reach layoutand managing editor Nicholas Boerat nickboer@yahoo.com

CONTENTS

Roszak’s Legacy .......... Page 2

Young Professionals......Page 3

What’s the Buzz.............Page 4

Engaging Eco-emotion...Page 5

Columnist: EcoSoul........Page 6

Flesh, Fruit & Veggies....Page 7

LILY TRUONG, one of 11 students to complete JFK University’sEcotherapy Certificate program, with founder Craig Chalquist.

Continued on next page

Angela Varner

Theodore Roszak, the father ofecopsychology, died on July 5,2011 in his Berkeley home due

to complications from liver cancer. Hewas 77. This deeply sad event was adouble downer by the exclusion inmost obituaries—including in the NewYork Times and Los Angeles Times—of the profound work and uplifting spiritfound in Roszak’s im-mortal book The Voice of

the Earth. Most mediafocused instead onRoszak’s other seminalwork The Making of a

Counter Culture. In The

Voice of the Earth, how-ever, Roszak actuallybuilds on his householdterm “counter culture”—which refers to a subcul-ture challengingestablished socialnorms. A brave and play-ful counter culture is the very back-bone to Roszak’s prescription for ourcurrent morass eloquently described in The Voice of the Earth. His hope toreversing humanity’s environmentallydestructive course is a rediscovery ofour playful instincts (in the same waywe can rekindle our fascination withthe earth as an animate organism).Roszak tells us we need not be fright-ened by how culture may judge us, butneed instead to act upon the affirminginstincts born within us, those of self-less joy and infectious confidence. Roszak encourages us to hold theearth as we might relate to a dearfriend or relative—a living creature thatspeaks to us most eloquently in aquiet Voice. Picking up a copy of The

Voice of the Earth in my parents’house, I found an inscription byRoszak on the inside cover: “For

Joan—[my mother]— with best

wishes.” A synchronicity to be sure,and a clear message that Roszak’s“Voice” lives on in the earth and in fu-ture generations. In the book, Roszakis clear that old tactics of hurtlingshame and blame on polluters (The

Voice of the Earth was published in

1992) is self-defeating. This guilt tunesprospective allies out. It’s a senselessstrategy more likely to engenderfear—paralyzation—than inspire hope-ful action.Having recently received a certificatein ecotherapy, I pawed through The

Voice of the Earth as I might an arche-ological dig. Here was the rich soilupon which ecotherapy has now blos-somed. Roszak asserts that resurrect-ing an animist worldview—our ancient

ancestors natural orienta-

tion—is a crucial step inhalting humanity’s vora-cious exploitations. In “Voice,” Roszak identi-fies two suspects for theloss of our animist world-view: Christianity and Sci-ence. The church definednature worship unholy be-cause such an orientationchallenged God’s authorityand privilege. With thismindset established, thechurch, ironically, paved a

way for science to dictate matter asinanimate— to believe even our ani-mal kin have no inner lives, no emo-tion, no capacity to experience truepain or joy.Our fellow creatures’ sentience is plainto any child. But this clarity has beenrepressed, beaten out of us—some-times literally, often psychologically.Tellingly, Roszak describes Freud’splayful Id to be a most trustworthyguide through our current environmen-tal quagmire. Nourishing a counter cul-ture, perhaps, is our best opportunityto break free of a manic lifestyle andmodernity’s manacles.This view flows directly from Roszak’sinsight into “counter culture”—a gift hebestowed upon a society baffled byVietnam. We need that same passiontoday; that same sense of life-affirmingcommon purpose. Let us express our joy of earth in bothwords and actions —just as Roszakexpressed his insight into all of life.Perhaps we can reawaken humanityby example. To be models for the nu-minosity we feel. Roszak, never one toinvoke “God,” would encourage us topray, and play.

intuitive of ours sense what waits be-yond it: the just and sustainable worldcommunity we must build to surviveand flourish on our homeworld.Nietzsche announced the advent ofnihilism; but as graduates of the firstecotherapy certificate program, yourpresence announces an advent ofpossibility. Remember that when youforget that the chaos and madnessaround you signify the birth pangs ofa new planetary community, one in-formed by a new series of deep en-

gagements with Earth’s remarkablesystemic intelligence.It’s customary for educators to giveadvice at graduation ceremonies, andI will, if only one piece of advice:work together. If you stay togetherand support each other, you will notfail. You will not fail because you arewriting the new story for our time.From the seeds of your ecotherapywork sprouts the hope for reconcilia-tion of supposed opposites torn apartby a worldview in decline: human andnonhuman, spirit and flesh, feminineand masculine, self and Earth. Agentsof decline might withhold their assis-tance and even denounce your work,but the rocks and rivers support it.It has been my honor and privilege towatch you struggle, reflect, study, andlabor your way forward. Words do nojustice to the pride and satisfaction Ifeel as you complete this rite of pas-sage.Now for Gaia’s sake go celebrate andhave fun!Witnesses and celebrants, ‘I give youthe world’s first Ecotherapy Certificategraduates!’”— Craig Chalquist, PhD

Sept. 10, 2011 at Sugarloaf

Amphitheater, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Continued from previous page

“it’s customary to giveadvice at graduation cer-emonies, and i will — work together.”

TO APPLY: For info on the online

Ecotherapy Certificate Program at

John F. Kennedy University in

Pleasant Hill, Calif. go to www.jfk.edu

and search for “ecotherapy.”

Roszak’s passing a reminder to play By Nicholas Boer

nickboer@yahoo.com

Young Professionals in the Field:an interview with Daniel Foor

By Rain Sussmanrain@greenhealingconsultants.com

It seems that you’ve been a verydeeply spiritual person for yourentire life, and that this is what

drives you.I started reading about shamanism inhigh school, and have been studyingwith different spiritual teachers, doingritual and ceremony, for close to 20years. On a vision quest when I was26, I was told clearly that my life wouldbe about helping people repair theirrelationships with other beings. Oneaspect of this work involves healingour relationships with the ancestors,with the unseen half of the humanworld. But it’s also about repairing re-lationships with animals, plants,places, and elements. So that’s whatI’m here to do—that’s what I feel pas-sionate about.

In your work, you’ve managed to in-tegrate your passion for the earth,your deep spiritual calling, and yourtraining in psychology. Was it chal-lenging to weave these strands to-gether?Spirit and nature feel so integrated tome now that I don’t remember if theyever felt split. I grew up in the suburbsof Cleveland, but had woods and acreek behind my house, and devel-oped a strong connection to nature asa kid. I wanted to harmonize my con-cerns with the earth with my interest inspirituality, so in college I studiedworld religion and got involved in envi-ronmental activism. I studied paganculture, Buddhism, and Sufism. I wasdrawn to psychology when I realizedthat human confusion is causing theearth’s destruction. The focus of mydoctoral work was shamanic methodsin clinical mental health settings. Iwanted to demonstrate that it’s possi-ble—and desirable—to integrate tradi-tional healing into psychotherapy in

culturally sensitive, ethical ways. Thefield of psychotherapy desperatelyneeds to help humans heal their rela-tionships with the earth, with eachother, and with the ancestors.

Is this the focus of work you donow?Yes. My work is very much about heal-ing the perceived split between hu-mans and the rest of nature. I offertrainings and ceremonies that engagethe ancestors, the elements, and thenatural world. Most of the events arerituals on the land; there’s no substi-tute for actually being out in nature.Different places have their own uniquemedicine. If you go to a vibrant place,you may bring offerings and a prayerthat you have for your life; you invitesupport and honor the natural powerthere as you would a human elder.

The etiquette is different at a disturbedarea, where rituals to heal the spirit ofthe land are more appropriate. There,we clean up after ourselves physically,energetically and spiritually—we makeapologies. I offer three or four publicrituals, trainings, or circles eachmonth, and work with individuals asspiritual guide and mentor. I’m not cur-rently working as a therapist, but Ioffer trainings for clinicians. I want toencourage therapists to reclaim thefield from reductionist, rationalistworldviews. Therapists are healers ofthe psyche; we need to incorporateancestor work and earth-honoring spir-ituality into our practice. But we alsoneed to know those things really wellon their own terms before integratingthem.

Continued on next Page

“ the field ofpsychotherapy

desperately

needs to help

humans heal

their relation-

ships with the

earth, with

each other,

and with the

ancestors.”

— daniel foor

Integrating our ancestors

This is the second in a series of interviews with emerging ecotherapists whose

work—in Howard Clinbell’s description—facilitates “healing and growth nurtured

by healthy interaction with the earth.” Today we meet Daniel Foor.

Continued from previous Page

Did you confront disturbing aspectsof your ancestry, such as racism orcolonialism, in your own ancestorwork?My recent ancestors are Pennsylvaniafarmers, coal miners, mothers, andworking-class, rural people. Some ofmy more distant ancestors may havebeen slave owners in Maryland, whileothers were known to have died fight-ing for the Union in the Civil War. Soit’s complicated. Some of my ances-tors were almost certainly brutalizedby Roman colonial forces in northernEurope, and had their traditional in-digenous ways butchered out of them;and some almost certainly carried outthat oppression against other tribal Eu-ropean peoples. We of European an-cestry are still not yet recovered fromour own experience of cultural oppres-sion. We all have tribal roots, but re-turning to them to heal them takescommitment.

What advice do you have for some-one who wants to learn more aboutshamanic healing or ancestorwork?One of the most important things is toseek out living human teachers. Don’tidealize them, but learn as much asyou can by spending time with them.We’re in desperate, desperate crisison the planet. We’re hemorrhaging.The house is already on fire. So theappropriate response, if you’re not anelder or a leader yourself, is to ap-proach those people and say, “What isneeded? How can I help?”

Daniel Foor MFT, Ph.D practices

earth-honoring spirituality and lives in

the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds

a doctorate in Psychology; M.A. in

Counseling; and a B.S.S. in Religious

Studies, and is the founder and execu-

tive director of the Earth Medicine Al-

liance.

Rain Sussman, LCSW, is a certified

ecotherapist, medical social worker,

and wilderness instructor in the San

Francisco Bay Area, and founder of

Green Healing Consultants.

Tree Hugging Workshttp://wakeup-world.com/2011/06/24/tree-

hugging-now-scientifically-proven-to-improve-

health-issues/

Linda Buzzell Interviewedhttp://www.futureprimitive.org/2011/08/linda-

buzellrenewing-connections/

Great New York Times Articlehttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/maga-

zine/31ecopsych-t.html?ref=magazine

Equine Therapy http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2159

1463/detail.html

Green Thumbs Up!http://www.mind.org.uk/news/1795_go_gree

n_to_beat_the_blues

‘Community’ Gardenshttp://www.miller-mccune.com/news/immer-

sion-in-nature-makes-us-nicer-1430.print 

Permaculture Principleswww.holmgren.com.au

“Ecopsychology in Counseling” http://www.lclark.edu/graduate/depart-

ments/counseling_psychology/ecopsychology/

Waking up to Naturehttp://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.108

9/eco.2008.0004?journalCode=eco

Friends Meet Psychologistshttp://www.foe.org/sites/default/files/Role_of_Psychology_in_Environmental_Campaign-

ing_Activism.pdf

“For Goethe and Steiner both, themost precise scientific instru-

ment is the human being who has cul-tivated his or her faculties. The highest

goals of science should be, not thedisenchantment of nature to the end ofcontrolling it, but rather the expandingof one’s personal capacities...to enter

into nature’s wisdom. The ultimategoal of science should be the transfor-

mation of the scientist.”—Frederick Amrine

“For therapy to ignore the ways inwhich a patient’s problems are

inseparable from the environmentaland ecological problems we face

is...not only irresponsible, it is alsodangerous and maybe even delu-

sional.” —Robert Romanyshyn

“Being wholly present to crisis cantransform ways of seeing. Yet

how difficult it is to remain embodiedand present to the chaos, confusionand suffering as old ways and struc-

tures break down. Birthing of the newis exciting yet painful. Living through aparadigm shift can feel like walking be-

tween two worlds with two very differ-ent narratives about our human placein the web of life. A case of double vi-sion? Behind our hard-won achieve-

ments, the old story is one ofdomination, oppression or idealization,

seeing nature as object and ‘other’.What is the new story? Therapeutic

wisdom suggests that the new is bornout of the old. When we bring the dis-

respected ‘other’ back into view, re-claiming those parts of ourselves andthe world that have been pushed intothe margins, seeing the gestalt of the

crisis is possible. Sitting with such ap-parent paradox becomes the Zen koan

of the moment. Seen from this per-spective, sustainability is not only

about practical change, but a chal-lenge to make a psychic leap in see-

ing. Can double vision becomeintegrated sight?”

—Mary-Jayne Rust (www.mjrust.net)

What’s the BuzzEditor Pick Web Sites Eco-ponderings

Nicholas Boer

want to help people recognize, work

with, and move through their emo-

tional reactions rather than get stuck in

them. These two threads need each

other to be truly effective.

It has been exciting to see a museum

work with the difficult question of ad-

dressing overwhelm and the

emotional components of en-

vironmental awareness.

This shows a growing

awareness of our en-

vironmental chal-

lenges and the

emotions associ-

ated with this

awareness.

Partnering with

venues such

as museums,

zoos, aquari-

ums, and pub-

lic gardens

provide

ecotherapists an opportunity to

branch out and work with large

and diverse communities. Bridging

ideas from the fields of Conservation

Psychology and ecopsychology works

especially well in this context. These

are places of education where we can

apply ideas from Conservation Psy-

chology but they are also places

where emotions will arise and we may

find visitors feeling overwhelmed.

Carefully and intentionally working

with what comes up for people is im-

perative in this time of mounting eco-

logical crisis.

Kristi Kenney is a certified ecothera-

pist with an MA in Integral Psychology

focused on the intersection between

psychology and activism. Please con-

tact her to collaborate on this work.

chological-impact statement.”

Conservation Psychology, which

emerged in the early 2000s, makes

explicit through its research and appli-

cations that information-heavy educa-

tion can backfire. Conservation

Psychology draws from behavioral

and social psychology to outline ways

to effectively work with people to pro-

mote conservation behaviors. They

recognize there is a delicate balance

in how we

talk

about

ecological is-

sues, i.e. arousing emotions is a good

idea but it needs to be paired with

constructive and specific ways to take

action. Information and facts alone

won’t do the trick, but values-based

messaging appropriate for the audi-

ence can be effective.

Ideas from Conservation Psychology

and my ecotherapy-informed work are

wrestling with two sides of the same

coin. How we draw people into envi-

ronmental awareness is tricky and

needs to be done with care. Addition-

ally, we must recognize and acknowl-

edge that emotions and feelings of

overwhelm will likely be present. Ad-

dressing both sides is imperative if we

By Kristi Kenneykristiwk@gmail.com

As environmental news and fore-

casts worsen and multiply at

what often seems an exhaust-

ing pace, so too do people’s emotional

reactions. These are not just private

reactions; they are something we ex-

perience together and often in public

places. Representatives of zoos,

aquariums and botanical gardens who

participated at a recent gathering of

the first Conservation Psychology In-

stitute at Antioch University in New

England are recognizing how ex-

hibits addressing a range of en-

vironmental issues can affect

visitors on an emotional

level.

As part of my ecotherapy

internship work, I re-

cently consulted with

staff at the Oakland

Museum’s Natural Sci-

ences Gallery on how

to deal with this very

issue. As the Natural

Sciences staff has

been redesigning its gallery for ren-

ovation, they have become increas-

ingly aware of the emotional impacts

of the information they are presenting.

The museum staff found themselves

asking: how do we help patrons deal

with the potential overwhelm experi-

enced when faced with all the ecologi-

cal problems described in the gallery?

How do we work with the emotional

aspects of environmental crisis in a

very public environment?

This kind of forward thinking is leading

to an awareness that simply giving

people lots of information about envi-

ronmental issues could just lead to

overwhelm if the psychological im-

pacts are ignored. Theodore Roszak,

who’s credited with coining the term

“ecopsychology” anticipated this in his

1992 book The Voice of the Earth,

saying “the environmental movement

must take the time to draw up a psy-

en

ga

gin

gw

ith eco-e

mo

tio

n

Working with the emo-

tional aspects of

environmental crisis in a

very public environment

Igrew up in a town surrounded byfive military bases, strip malls,truck stops, and bad air. Thekind of air that made my eyesburn. Air so thick with heat, hu-

midity and exhaust that connectingwith nature in my community was anunhealthy and dangerous act. There weren’t any Girl Scout troopsor Outward Bound recruiters in myneighborhood. The working classresidents were mainly people of colorwith dreams deferred. Today, I live inOakland, Calif. near beautiful LakeMerritt—declared the country’s firstwildlife sanctuary in 1869 by theCity’s mayor. Today it’s also an areawith an incredibly rich diversity ofpeople, birds and native plants. But Lake Merritt is located in the flat-lands section of Oakland, part of anarea deemed the Toxic Triangle by

Tackling the Toxic Triangle

J. Phoenix Smith

ECOSOUL

local environmental justice advo-cates. The Triangle encompassesmany low-income Bay Area commu-nities of color including Richmond.These neighborhoods consist offreeways, heavy truck traffic, oil re-fineries, abandoned industrial plants,World War II era defense facilitiesand seaports that create a densesoup of environmental pollution.As a practitioner of an earth-basedspiritual tradition, I have been calledto engage with the Toxic Triangle byfacilitating ceremonies with the spir-its of nature, hoping to help heal theland and its people. On October 23, as part of the sec-ond annual conference of the EarthMedicine Alliance, I will lead a tradi-tional eco-spiritual healing ceremonyin West Oakland. Last November I co-facilitated with

my mentor Michael Mason a traditionalAfro-Cuban spiritual ceremony basedin the Lucumi tradition for healing ofthe land, animals, and people at SanFrancisco’s Heron’s Head Park lo-cated in the redevelopment district ofBayview-Hunter’s Point. I was invitedto facilitate this ceremony as a part ofthe first Earth Medicine Alliance Con-ference. The Earth Medicine Allianceis a Bay Area inter-faith non-profit ded-icated to serving the natural worldthrough bringing together practitionersof diverse earth-honoring paths for in-terfaith dialogue and co-creative,heart-centered ritual. As a practitioner of an African earth-based spiritual tradition, I have beencalled to engage with the Toxic Trian-gle by facilitating earth-honoring cere-monies to raise the awareness of theintersection between environmentaljustice issues and ecotherapy healingpractices. My hope and prayer is thatby facilitating eco-spiritual rituals insuch places as the Toxic Triangle—where the land and the people havesuffered from oppression and neg-lect—that an opening can occur forhealing, collaboration, and justice forthe people and the planet.

J. Phoenix Smith, MSW is a certified

ecotherapist, public health advocate

and founder of EcoSoul. EcoSoul uti-

lizes West-African based ecospiritual

practices, mindfulness based practices

and nature to cultivate peace and well-

being. www.ecosoulwisdom.org

“i’m humbled and hon-

ored to engage in an

earth-honoring ritual

with deep connections

between the place

where i grew up and

the place where i now

live.”

Get Involved

The Earth Medicine Alliance is hold-

ing its second annual conference

Oct. 22-23 in San Francisco. Regis-

tration is $75. Information at

www.earthmedicine.org. EcoSoul is

a co-sponsor, and J. Phoenix Smith

will be on a panel called Ancestors

as Spirits of Place. If you’re unable

to attend the conference but still

want to be involved with the Oak-

land healing ceremony on October

23, contact J. Phoenix Smith at

ecosoulwisdom@gmail.com

MIDDLE HARBOR SHORELINE PARK in Oakland Calif., will be the site of an earth-hon-oring healing ceremony. Photo taken during a Bay Area Nature Stroll for People of Color.

J. Phoenix Smith

And if the rabbit wanted to eatyou? A question for ecotherapy

By Karen Diane Knowleskarendiane@mac.com

Ecotherapy owes its existence to the paradigm shift from domination of na-ture to partnership with nature, from anthropocentrism to the ecocentricideal. When humans relinquish claim to center-stage superiority, all be-

ings have as much right to their lives as we have to ours. This ideal is reflectedin the growing movement of sustainable and eco-friendly urban agriculture. Or,is it? This movement—urban farming, homesteading, locavore food produc-tion—conjures lush leafy greens, plump juicy fruit … and bloodied butcherblocks? Although farming of any animal represents unnecessary enslavement andslaughter, those of us sharing life with rabbits look with extraordinary horror atbunny butchering just as American mores denounce eating dogs and cats. Rab-bits live as family members in millions of American households, with their popu-larity as companion animals increasing; yet, their popularity as the sustainablemeat of choice in urban farms is also increasing.As this trend grows, so does bunny suffering. This is tragically evidenced by arecent raid of a backyard rabbit meat operation in Oakland, California where 21

Magical thinking is a luxury animals can’t afford

rabbits were languishing from severeneglect—starvation, thirst, and uncon-scionably unsanitary conditions. Therecovering bunnies are now awaitingadoption into loving families. Whatabout the scores of other rabbitsslated for slaughter in backyardfarms?While urban farms offer city greening,community building, ecological educa-tion, and much-needed connection tonature, more locavores are reengi-neering fresh fruit and vegetable gar-dens into flesh, fruit, and vegetableoperations. The harvesting of livesdarkens the enterprise. Eco-friendlybecomes eco-unfriendly when sentientfaces of nature are objectified as prop-erty, as commodities to further humanappetite or economic gain. Backyardanimal agriculture perpetuates thesame objectifying practices as indus-trial agriculture, only under a greenname. As the urban farming movementspreads, debate over regulationmounts—especially controversialwhen animal slaughter is involved.This concerns the ecotherapy commu-nity, as the well-being of our planet-mates—our animal-assisted therapypartners—is at stake. In keeping withthe aim of ecotherapy, nature is to bethe healer and the healed—not thevictim.

Continued on next page

Original articles or letters

to the editor, particularly

those representing an op-

posing point of view to ar-

ticles found in in this

newsletter are welcome.

Please send articles (750

word maximum) or letters

(200 word maximum) to

lbuzzell@aol.com.

Art by Judie Bomberger; photo by Nicholas Boer

Flesh FarmingBut flesh eating is natural. True. Animals eat other animals. Theydo not, however, farm other animals.They do not bring other animals intothe world to be enslaved and confinedor subject their prey to a lifetime ofcaptivity. Predation is not pro-longed: Stalk. Chase. Pounce.Kill. Animals need their flesh morethan we do. We don’t have to bepredators when we can harvesthealthy food that doesn’t involveconfinement or killing. As omni-vores, our bodies give us thisoption. As proponents of eco-centric principles, our evolvedsensibility can guide us towardethical choices about what and

who we eat. Humane SlaughterWithout benefit of a completethought experiment, it’s safe toassume humane slaughterwould seem less “humane” if wewere the ones being humanelyslaughtered. Sacred rites are some-times performed to give thanks to theindividual for his or her involuntary

sacrifice, but would such ceremonialthanksgivings be meaningful if the vic-tims were unconsenting, unenfran-chised members of the human

population, say, children, the mentallyill, or the elderly? Undergirding this recasting of system-atic slaughter as humane is the Machi-avellian precept of the end justifyingthe means. Giving the green nod ofapproval to the human slaughter mythperpetuates conscience-approvedkilling. Whereas animal welfare condi-tions in some urban farming opera-tions may be superior to atrociousfactory farms, as the Roman philoso-pher Seneca maintained, “It is not

it’s safe to assume hu-mane slaughter wouldseem less “humane” if wewere the ones being hu-manely slaughtered.

goodness to be better than the veryworst.”The Sentient Faces of NatureEmbodying earth-centered conscious-ness recognizes animals as kin, part-ners, and ontological equals; wepurposefully take on their point ofview, considering life and living condi-tions from where they stand, hop,

swim, slither, or fly. Our science and sensibility tell us non-human beings have their own physi-cal, mental, and emotional experienceof the world. We now know we aren’tthe only species to think, feel, use lan-guage and rationality, express inten-tionality, dream, empathize, use tools,perform funeral rituals, engage in cul-tural transmission, demonstrate self-reflection, or exhibit post-traumaticstress disorder.The implications of trans-species psy-chology consciousness, of recognizingshared psychology across species,are profound: With false barriers re-moved, we see ourselves in animalsand them in us. This compels us tosee them not for what they can do forus but for who they are—as integral,intelligent, and beautifully complexfaces of nature. Given ecocentrism, one wouldn’t ex-pect this to be a hard sell. Yet, when itcomes to social and environmentaljustice, animals often fall through theontological cranny between humanand earth. They are like us but are notus; they are earthlings but are notland, soil, air, water, or trees.While eco prescriptive norms hold us

accountable for anthropogenic dam-age to the earth—light bulbs, recy-cling, public transit are acceptedshoulds—habits of behavior that ex-ploit animals are christened personallifestyle choices. Earthly beings psy-chobiologically similar to ourselves getcuriously short shrift. Even as Earthceases to be a resource to be ex-

ploited, a She to be honored,Her sentient beings continue tobe objectified as resources ofhuman utility. It’s counterintuitive,really. Because nonhuman ani-mals are so close to us and areof the natural world, one wouldexpect their ontological double-dipping to afford them doubleconsideration and protection. Partnership over Property Better for our own health thaneating animals is enjoying theircompanionship and partnership.Ecotherapy recognizes the phys-ical and psychological benefits ofhuman-nonhuman interaction:stress reduction, illness preven-tion and recovery, combatingloneliness in elderly people, and

fostering empathy in children. Animal-assisted activities are most effectivewhen there is reciprocity, when humanand animal both benefit from the inter-action/rela-tionship. As animal agricultureis inherently one-sided,it is inconsistent with com-panionship; as animalsare presumed property, itis inconsistent with part-nership. Rather, celebrat-ing ecocentrism throughecotherapy, respectingthe intrinsic value of alllife, we engage with na-ture in a harmoniousway—we heal and arehealed. As we nurture, soare we nurtured: a virtuouscycle.

Karen Diane Knowles, M.A. is an inter-

preter at UC Berkeley and a faculty

member in JFK University’s ecother-

apy program; she is the author of

“Tuning In to Terra through Our Animal

Kin” in Rebearths: Conversations with

a World Ensouled (2010).

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Karen Diane Knowles