We are pleased to introduce new materials for this section of our journal. We see poiesis as providing the basis for human beings' creative responses to the world of nature. The arts in particular offer forms that crystallize these responses in ways that touch and move us. "In Resonance with the Earth" contains poetry, artworks, photography and essays relevant to this theme. In this issue of the journal, this section includes poetry and artworks by Judith Greer Essex and Jenna Montgomery and a new series of poems by Stephen K. Levine and Alexander Kopytin.
We are pleased to introduce new materials for this section of our journal. We see poiesis as providing the basis for human beings' creative responses to the world of nature. The arts in particular offer forms that crystallize these responses in ways that touch and move us. "In Resonance with the Earth" contains poetry, artworks, photography and essays relevant to this theme. In this issue of the journal, this section includes poetry and artworks by Judith Greer Essex and Jenna Montgomery and a new series of poems by Stephen K. Levine and Alexander Kopytin.
The article discusses the issue of the ambiguous relationship between nature and art, as shown in the works of artists and by clients’ work in art therapy. The work of some contemporary artists who turned to the depiction of nature or the study of human relations to nature, such as Joseph Beuys, Andy Goldsworthy, Claude Monet and Thomas Wrede, are commented on. Brief descriptions of examples of artistic design of a psychiatric hospital and of the reflection of nature through art in the psychiatric hospital in Münster (Germany), as well as interaction with the natural world during art therapy, in particular, with patients suffering from oncological diseases, are given.
The role of photography in providing a meaningful human connection to nature is analyzed. Some reasons why photography can be a valuable means of nature-based practices supporting the development of environmental consciousness are presented and illustrated with examples of photographs and projects that took place in different countries. Considerations are also provided which show why photography helps to explore and change people’s perception of nature, to feel in control and appropriate the environment, maintain and develop ecological identity, and to develop mindfulness and a sense of physical presence in the environment.
The article examines the way in which the human body produces the unity of the cultural and natural dimensions of the human being. The body acts as the natural basis of humans, connecting us with the organic foundations of natural life. At the same time, the arts act as a means of organizing and expressing different aspects of human bodily experience. The role of expressive arts and therapy with expressive arts is outlined. It is emphasized that expressive arts restore our connection with the body, nature and traditional cultures, returning ancient wisdom to humans in modern conditions.
In this interview, British environmental arts therapist, Gary Nash, talks about the growing area of nature-based creative arts-therapy practice in the UK and environmental arts therapies initiatives that he and his colleagues have developed. He makes a special tribute to the memory of his colleague and the pioneer of environmental arts therapy, Ian Siddons Heginworth, who has sadly passed this year.
The quest to create an ecological civilization has been promoted by eco-Marxists committed to creating some form of eco-socialism. It is suggested in this paper that what is meant by all these terms is problematic, but they can be clarified by defining them through concepts deriving from ecology, and as such, the quest for ecological civilization can be seen as the quest to develop and realize an ‘ecological culture’, taking ecology as the root metaphor for comprehending the whole of reality. It is argued that the concept of ecopoiesis, deriving from ecology, provides a bridge between the natural sciences and the humanities, providing the basis for the reformulation of the social sciences and political philosophy required to create a new world order, an order that is committed to augmenting the life of the biosphere and human communities at all levels, while facilitating the comprehension of humanity as part of nature required to achieve this.
We are pleased to introduce new materials for this section of our journal. We see poiesis as providing the basis for human beings' creative responses to the world of nature. The arts in particular offer forms that crystallize these responses in ways that touch and move us. "In Resonance with the Earth" contains poetry, artworks, photography and essays relevant to this theme. In this issue of the journal, this section includes poetry and artworks by Judith Greer Essex and Jenna Montgomery and a new series of poems by Stephen K. Levine and Alexander Kopytin.
We are pleased to introduce a new section of our journal, "In Resonance with the Earth." We see poiesis as providing the basis for human beings' creative responses to the world of nature. The arts in particular offer forms that crystallize these responses in ways that touch and move us. "In Resonance with the Earth" contains poetry, artworks, photography and essays relevant to this theme. In this issue of the journal, this section includes an essay by Vadim Ryabikov and a poem by Alexander Kopytin (recitation by Alexandra Kirillova).
The article examines the influence of the Moon as a celestial body of the solar system, closely connected with the Earth, on humans. It is shown how, through creative activity in the interaction of humans with this celestial body, new meanings and forms of experience are formed and their renewal in culture takes place. In this case, the Moon acts not only as a physical object, but also as one of the natural archetypes, due to which a complex of human potentials is realized in their connection with the environment. When considering the Moon as a natural phenomenon, special attention is paid to those types of activities when it is perceived through the prism of non-pragmatic, artistic and aesthetic experience, closely related to the sense of beauty. When considering this mode of perception of the Moon, the concepts of poiesis and ecopoiesis are used.
There is a complex turmoil taking place in the world in this historical moment: violence in Gaza, and war in Ukraine involved the whole world community and revealed the fragility and dysfunctional nature of the state of affairs. In this issue of the journal, both world environmental traditions and new ideas in ecology are contributing to a new eco-human approach to understanding the world and humanity. The constructiveness of the eco-human approach or a paradigm is determined by systemic environmental thinking. “Ecology” is a radical system-forming concept necessary to rethink the entire cultural practice of humankind and realize new opportunities to solve the problems of preserving humanity and the planet.
The new section of our journal, “Poetic Anthology of Eco-Human Experience”, presents poetry from different ages, dedicated to various facets of our human relationship with the moon as a natural object. Poetic works allow us to comprehend the eco-human, eco-poietic nuances of our ability, together with this natural phenomenon, to generate new facets of subjectivity, to discover new forms of experience and meanings revealed on the threshold of human and more-than-human reality.
Authors of this essay recognize themselves as living in a particularly difficult time for peaceful coexistence between countries, cultures and with nature. Presenting themselves as part of this system and complex fabric, they ask themselves about a way to live healthily in a hostile environment. They describe the experiences of faculty, students, and alumni at Estudios en Artes Expresivas (TAE) in Lima, Peru, in hosting creative activities. They welcomed the events present in their reality by making art in community, to imagine different ways of responding to it. They know that the arts and their vitality allow them to respond to what they have experienced and bring them closer to beauty. Arts are part of human nature. In them human beings find the possibility of transforming pain and responding aesthetically, in community.
"Memories of the Future" is an ecopoietic project by artist / expressive art teacher, who is aiming to raise awareness on the disappearance of the Prickly Pear cactus, in the Balearic Islands and mainland Spain due to a plague of Cochineal. Inspired by Donna Haraway's writings (“Staying with the trouble”, in particular) the artist created surreal scenes as “speculative fabulations” from a mix of artificial intelligence, digital and analogue manipulation, with the aim of fostering new narratives and perspective shifts in the face of ecological issues.
The essay examines the key points of Pope Francis' 2015 Encyclical, Laudato Si'. It pays particular attention to the influence of the spiritual heritage of St. Francis of Assisi on the position of the Catholic Church on environmental issues. The concept of ecological spirituality is revealed. The important role of the arts and aesthetic experience in the spiritual heritage of St. Francis is shown. The correlations between the phenomenology of the creative process, poiesis, considered from the standpoint of expressive arts and therapy and the structure of Lectio Divina (divine reading in Latin) are shown.
Representatives of different countries are increasingly cooperating to determine the essence of ecological civilization and the ways to build it. One confirmation of this is the number of articles presented in this issue of our journal, the authors of which are specialists from Australia, China and the United States of America. These articles are a reflection of attempts at interdisciplinary understanding of ecological civilization from the positions of ecology, philosophy, anthropology, political science and other sciences. The topic of ecological civilization was previously touched upon in the previous issue of our journal through the publication of an interview with John Cobb and a report on the 16th International Forum on Ecological Civilization and the 5th International Youth Forum on Ecological Civilization.
An ecological civilization represents an exciting potential future of human flourishing on a regenerated Earth. It would require a transformation of our current economy, politics, and mainstream culture, leading to a fundamentally different civilization based of different values, goals, and collective behavior. An ecological civilization arises from modeling human society on nature’s wisdom—the same core principles that have kept natural ecologies healthy and resilient over millions of years. It is a vision inspired by life-affirming groups worldwide—Indigenous, political, community-based, and spiritual. While it’s visionary and seems a long way off, it may be closer than many people realize.
For all of its numerous benefits, modernization is a double-edged sword. After wholeheartedly embracing Western-style modernization in the 20th and 21st centuries, China has achieved astonishing world-renowned achievements, most notably in terms of its rapid economic growth and development. However, contemporary China has had to cope with many of the bitter aftertastes of the pill of modernization, especially in regards to the serious ecological crisis faced by most developed countries. In order to avoid the fate of self-destruction of both China and the wider world, a new civilization—ecological civilization—is needed. Organic-process thinking can provide a theoretical framework for such an ecological civilization. Although China has made great efforts thus far to create such an ecological civilization, the road toward building one is long and difficult, as there is a great deal of obstacles that must be overcome to reach this goal.
This essay by Beverley A'Court, describing therapeutic interactions with animals, is part of the continuing response to our invitation to share the experience of human – animal bonds. Interactions with local wildlife during author’s outdoor art therapy sessions over the past 25 years provided an opportunity to learn more about both the animals themselves and the role of field phenomena in art therapy. This essay is an informal exploration of the author’s observations of the impacts of animal encounters on clients. She identifies some theoretical and practical questions that arise when we include the spontaneous, active participation of animals and nature in the therapeutic process. She concludes that ecological therapies, with their holistic paradigm may develop ecological sensitivity and awareness in clients beyond their personal recovery from symptoms of trauma, for wider collective benefit.
The new section of our journal, “Poetic Anthology of Eco-Human Experience”, presents poetry, which reflects the human connections with the natural world. In this issue we offer a selection of poems about plants and fungi, written by poets of the 20th and 21st centuries, allowing us to see the eco-human, ecopoietic dimensions of these relationships, and human ability to generate new meanings and forms of experience through interaction with these forms of life. We invite readers to contribute to this selection of poems. Please feel free to send us poems on plants and fungi that you find relevant.
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