ERIK ASSADOURIAN on Dreams of the Long Future /366
Photo by Ron Mckenzieof a large boulder surrounded by wild flowers in a mountain meadow.
Introducing listeners to his way of worship and connection to the Earth, this week’s guest Erik Assadourian offers insight into the religious framing and practical applications of the Gaian way. Erik shares his spiritual path of recognizing interdependence with the Earth and shares how he dreams towards a future where we exist in a mutualistic relationship to the Earth. Ranging from topics of degrowth to tangible spiritual practices for connection to the Earth and its seasons, Erik’s wisdom and groundedness is a balm for those tired by the rhetoric of our overculture.
Together, Erik and Ayana consider the value of spirituality and theology while also reckoning with the complicated and often harmful ways such ideologies have been applied throughout human history. Taking this into mind, the conversation delves into our culture of consumerism and extraction while also considering the philosophies and paradigm shifts that may guide us out of it. Using religion and connection to the sustaining force of the Earth as a guide, how might we build communities of care not just for humanity, but for the Earth itself? In a time when so many of our environmental fights feel urgent, Erik calls listeners to consider how we might build a culture and framework of environmentalism meant to propel us through to a long future.
“Gaianism is a religious practice and spiritual community first and foremost, but it’s also very much rooted in the sciences. It’s very much ‘this’worldly.”
Photo of Erik Assadourian
Erik Assadourian is the director of the Gaian Way, a spiritual philosophy and practicing religious community. He is also a sustainability researcher and writer. Erik was a researcher with Worldwatch Institute from 2001 until its end in 2017. At Worldwatch, he directed or codirected seven books, focusing on consumerism, eco-education, global security, sustainable communities, and economic degrowth.
♫ The music in this episode is “affair,” “cosmic flowers,” and “im saved” by Algorhythm.Code.
Episode References
Mr. Martin Palmer - Religions for Peace
Tom Brown's Science and Art of Tracking: Nature's Path to Spiritual Discovery
Countdown by Alan Weisman
Molly Young Brown on The Great Turning /360 | For The Wild
Joanna Macy — A Wild Love for the World | The On Being Project
Reading Recommendations
Weekly Gaian Reflection: 200+ essays continually distill/refine/explore what a Gaian Way entails, beginning with Introduction to the Gaian Way in the Harvard Divinity Bulletin
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For The Wild is a slow media organization dedicated to land-based protection, co-liberation, and intersectional storytelling. We are rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth, and consumerism. As we dream towards a world of grounded justice and reciprocity, our work highlights impactful stories and deeply-felt meaning making as balms for these times.