(Little mallow plant in Mika's hands)

(These are a couple of extracts from an article about Ecopsychology written by Adam)
Psyche meets Gaia

We can do all we want about the effects of our “collective neuroses,” by saving whales, ethical consumerism, ethical industry, sustainable living etc but if these aren't reinforced by a deeper psychological healing then our actions won't be quite so effective. As Karen Armstrong said, “Neuroses are much more difficult to get rid of than beliefs. We can all change our opinions more easily than we can eliminate destructive patterns in our lives, however hard we try. It is the same with religion and, surely, the same with a culture. Our religious beliefs may have changed but our emotional compulsions have remained.” If we only change the effects of things, then we can easily slip back into our old habits and compulsions. If we do not add a psychological depth to ecology, then no matter how many trees we try to save, humanity may find itself slipping back into old patterns.

This ecological unconscious has been denied because of beliefs that we are somehow distinct from nature, or that we are the pinnacle of its evolution. But our evolution does not proceed from nature in an independent way, it proceeds within nature, in an interdependent evolution. So to heal ourselves, we need not only look at our personal and interpersonal relations, but also by placing psychology within a broader arena, that of Gaia, can our health be greatly enhanced, as this is the very place that we grow within and depend upon for our existence. Our reconnection isn't just a physical one but also a psychological one. Our relationship with nature isn't just one outside of us but also within us. The journey of the soul is a part of nature, not apart from it.